Daryn Tufts
Encyclopedia
Daryn Tufts is a writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...

, and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

. Tufts’ writing, producing and directing credits include feature films, documentaries, and television commercials and he has acted in several successful independent films. Tufts has also performed and taught sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...

 and improvisational comedy with several professional comedy troupes and is the commercial spokesperson for the Questar Corporation (gas company).

Education

After graduating from Canyon High School (Santa Clarita, California), Tufts received a degree in Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...

 from Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho
Rexburg, Idaho
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,257 people, 4,274 households, and 2,393 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,534.4 people per square mile . There were 4,533 housing units at an average density of 928.4 per square mile...

 and a degree in Marketing Communications
Marketing communications
Marketing Communications are messages and related media used to communicate with a market...

 from Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...

 in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...

.

Live comedy

While attending BYU
BYU
-Education:* Brigham Young University, a university located in Provo, Utah, USA administered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.**BYU Salt Lake Center, a satellite center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...

, Tufts joined The Garrens Comedy Troupe, a popular sketch and improvisational troupe that performed live shows to often sold-out audiences nearly every weekend. It was on The Garrens that Tufts got his first professional experience writing and performing for paying audiences and was involved with the troupe for over two years. After graduation, Tufts was asked to help launch the Utah chapter of ComedySportz
ComedySportz
ComedySportz is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow, Bob Orvis, Brian Green and many others.-Format:...

, a national improvisational comedy franchise. Tufts became the first improvisational teacher for the new Utah cast and principal cast member for live shows. Tufts performed with ComedySportz for over two years.

In 2010, Tufts returned to ComedySportz and currently performs periodically.

Writing

After graduating from BYU, Tufts began his career as a professional writer, writing commercials and other forms or marketing, advertising, and promotions for advertising agencies and production companies. Soon after, he began to experiment with longer forms of writing, including screenplays and novels.

LDS Cinema

Tufts’ film career began in 2002 with the release of The Singles Ward
The Singles Ward
The Singles Ward is a 2002 LDS cinema comedy film directed by Kurt Hale and written by Kurt Hale and John E. Moyer based on his own life as a stand up comedian and single member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

, regarded as the first LDS comedy feature film. Tufts played the role of Eldon, the Franklin Day Planner enthusiast and acted as script doctor
Script doctor
A script doctor, also called script consultant, is a highly-skilled screenwriter, hired by a film or television production, to rewrite or polish specific aspects of an existing screenplay, including structure, characterization, dialogue, pacing, theme, and other elements...

, writing and editing several scenes in the film’s script. The Singles Ward
The Singles Ward
The Singles Ward is a 2002 LDS cinema comedy film directed by Kurt Hale and written by Kurt Hale and John E. Moyer based on his own life as a stand up comedian and single member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

 was a box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....

 success that launched the genre of LDS comedies as well as Tufts’ acting career.

After The Singles Ward
The Singles Ward
The Singles Ward is a 2002 LDS cinema comedy film directed by Kurt Hale and written by Kurt Hale and John E. Moyer based on his own life as a stand up comedian and single member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

, Tufts went on to appear in the films The R.M.
The R.M.
The R.M. is a 2003 comedy film about the experiences of an LDS returned missionary. "RM" is an LDS initialism for "returned missionary." It was written by Kurt Hale and John E. Moyer and directed by Kurt Hale.-Overview:...

, The Home Teachers
The Home Teachers
The Home Teachers is a 2004 comedy film written by John Moyer and directed by Kurt Hale. The Home Teachers is a comedy distributed by Halestorm Entertainment and intended for LDS audiences, or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints....

, Church Ball
Church Ball
Church Ball is a 2006 comedy film about a basketball team from an LDS church ward.This family-film and comedy was filmed in and around Provo, Utah and is distributed by Halestorm Entertainment.-Plot synopsis:...

, and The Singles 2nd Ward
The Singles 2nd Ward
The Singles 2nd Ward is a comedy film, directed by Kurt Hale. Like The Singles Ward, and other films which followed it, The Singles 2nd Wards target audience is members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and citizens of Utah...

, the sequel to the 2002 film.

American Mormon

In 2004, Tufts began working on American Mormon
American Mormon
American Mormon is a 2005 comedic documentary that takes a humorous and touching look at the real life misconceptions concerning the faith and culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.-Background and Plot:Tufts and Knudsen, who also act as producers of American Mormon, were...

, his first documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

. Partnering with local actor and businessman Jed Knudsen, Tufts began traveling across the United States, shooting the documentary. American Mormon was shot in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, New Orleans, Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

 Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 and other locations. Tufts, on camera, approached random people. Upon their consent, Tufts interviewed these people, “man on the street” style with one objective: find out what people across the United States know about Mormons
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....

. After several weeks of traveling and shooting, Tufts and Knudsen began to compile the footage which would become a comedic cross-section of people from all over the country.

Released by Excel Entertainment Group
Excel Entertainment Group
Excel Entertainment Group is a subsidiary of Deseret Book Co. best known for its distribution of many pieces of LDS cinema. Excel Entertainment Group's products deal thematically with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints including Forever Strong , Midway to Heaven , Saints and Soldiers...

 in 2005, American Mormon took a unique look at the LDS religion and culture from an outside point of view. The documentary was highly successful and led Excel to partner with Tufts and Knudsen to produce a sequel - American Mormon in Europe. For it, the two men traveled across Western Europe, including Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. Along with discovering what people from different parts of the world knew about Mormons, Tufts and Knudsen decided to add a new element to this documentary. All over Europe, the two men also talked, on camera, with members of the LDS faith to document the experiences of people who are members of the LDS church outside of the United States. This included an in-depth discussion with LDS members who lived in West and East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...

 when the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...

 came down and a visit to the Gadfield Elm Chapel
Gadfield Elm Chapel
The Gadfield Elm Chapel near the village of Pendock in Worcestershire, England, is the oldest extant chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....

, the oldest LDS chapel on earth, in Herefordshire, England.

American Mormon in Europe was released by Excel Entertainment Group
Excel Entertainment Group
Excel Entertainment Group is a subsidiary of Deseret Book Co. best known for its distribution of many pieces of LDS cinema. Excel Entertainment Group's products deal thematically with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints including Forever Strong , Midway to Heaven , Saints and Soldiers...

 in 2006.

Stalking Santa

In 2006, Tufts released Stalking Santa
Stalking Santa
Stalking Santa is a 2006 comedy Christmas feature film that follows one man’s obsession to scientifically prove the existence of the famous Jolly Old Elf...

, his first national feature film that was not associated with any LDS characters, references, or themes. The film is a comedy centered around a man’s obsession to scientifically prove the existence of Santa Claus. Daryn was the screenwriter and co-producer of the project and acted in one of the lead roles.

Stalking Santa was Executive Produced by William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...

, who also acted as narrator of the film. Greg Kiefer, the other Executive Producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...

, directed the film through Cosmic Pictures in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...

.

Directing

In 2009, Tufts directed his first feature film, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2010 film)
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend is a 2010 American romantic comedy written and directed by Daryn Tufts, and starring Alyssa Milano, Christopher Gorham, Michael Landes, Beau Bridges, Tom Lenk, and Carol Kane.-Plot:...

, which he also wrote. Produced by Rick McFarland (FiftyFilms) and Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress and former singer, known for her childhood role as Samantha Micelli in the sitcom Who's the Boss? and an eight-year stint as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed. She was also a series regular on the original Melrose Place portraying the role of...

 (Peace by Peace Productions), My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2010 film)
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend is a 2010 American romantic comedy written and directed by Daryn Tufts, and starring Alyssa Milano, Christopher Gorham, Michael Landes, Beau Bridges, Tom Lenk, and Carol Kane.-Plot:...

 stars Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress and former singer, known for her childhood role as Samantha Micelli in the sitcom Who's the Boss? and an eight-year stint as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed. She was also a series regular on the original Melrose Place portraying the role of...

, Christopher Gorham
Christopher Gorham
Christopher David Gorham is an American actor.- Early life :Gorham was born in Fresno, California to David Gorham, a certified public accountant and Cathryn Gorham, a school nurse. He attended high school at Roosevelt School of the Arts and graduated from UCLA with a BA in Film & Theater Arts...

, Michael Landes
Michael Landes
Michael Christopher Landes is an American actor. He is known for his roles of Jimmy Olsen in the first season of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Detective Nicholas O'Malley in Special Unit 2, Officer Thomas Burke in Final Destination 2, and David Conlon in The Wedding Bells.-Lois...

, Beau Bridges
Beau Bridges
Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III is an American actor and director.- Early life :Bridges was born in Los Angeles, the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and his college sweetheart, Dorothy Bridges . He was nicknamed "Beau" by his mother and father after Ashley Wilkes's son in Gone with the Wind, the book...

, Carol Kane
Carol Kane
Carolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work...

, and Tom Lenk
Tom Lenk
Thomas Loren "Tom" Lenk is an American stage and television actor best known for his recurring role as Andrew Wells in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Early life:...

.

In 2011, Tufts directed his second feature film, Inside
Inside (2012 film)
Inside is a 2012 American horror film written and directed by Daryn Tufts, and starring Luke Goss, Paul Rae, Isaac Singleton, and Derek Phillips.-Plot:...

, which he also wrote. The movie stars Luke Goss
Luke Goss
Luke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...

, Paul Rae
Paul Rae
Paul Rae is an American film and television actor.Rae was born Paul Rae Stuart in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Jean Rushing and Norman Stuart, and was raised in Bogalusa, Washington Parish, Louisiana...

, Isaac C. Singleton, Jr., and Derek Phillips (actor)
Derek Phillips (actor)
Derek Phillips is an American stage, screen, and television actor. He is most well known for his role as Billy Riggins in the television show Friday Night Lights.-Television:*Private Practice - Eddie Lindy...

.

My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

In My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2010 film)
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend is a 2010 American romantic comedy written and directed by Daryn Tufts, and starring Alyssa Milano, Christopher Gorham, Michael Landes, Beau Bridges, Tom Lenk, and Carol Kane.-Plot:...

, Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress and former singer, known for her childhood role as Samantha Micelli in the sitcom Who's the Boss? and an eight-year stint as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed. She was also a series regular on the original Melrose Place portraying the role of...

 plays Jesse Young, a woman who must choose between two very different, yet seemingly ideal men: sexy but struggling writer Ethan Christopher Gorham
Christopher Gorham
Christopher David Gorham is an American actor.- Early life :Gorham was born in Fresno, California to David Gorham, a certified public accountant and Cathryn Gorham, a school nurse. He attended high school at Roosevelt School of the Arts and graduated from UCLA with a BA in Film & Theater Arts...

 and button-down advertising exec Troy Michael Landes
Michael Landes
Michael Christopher Landes is an American actor. He is known for his roles of Jimmy Olsen in the first season of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Detective Nicholas O'Malley in Special Unit 2, Officer Thomas Burke in Final Destination 2, and David Conlon in The Wedding Bells.-Lois...

. My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2010 film)
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend is a 2010 American romantic comedy written and directed by Daryn Tufts, and starring Alyssa Milano, Christopher Gorham, Michael Landes, Beau Bridges, Tom Lenk, and Carol Kane.-Plot:...

 is a funny, sweet-natured examination of modern sexual mores that asks the question: what happens when a girl meets Mr. Right, after already meeting the right guy?

My Girlfriend's Boyfriend had its world premiere April 24, 2010 to a sold out audience at the Newport Beach Film Festival
Newport Beach Film Festival
The Newport Beach Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Newport Beach, California, that showcases more than 350 films to more than 30,000 attendees annually....

 in Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...

.

On October 22, 2010, the movie began a limited theatrical run in Salt Lake City, Utah, and scored $10,300 on its opening weekend on just two screens. That per-screen average, of $5,150, was higher than that of many of the weekend's top 10 films, resulting in the film's expansion to three other theaters.

My Girlfriend's Boyfriend also received positive critical reviews from several local critics, including The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S. city of Salt Lake City. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group....

 and the Deseret News, Salt Lake City's two major newspapers.

In December, 2010, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend experienced a national release through WB Digital's pay-per-view and VOD platforms. The movie is also currently available in High Definition through NetFlix Streaming Video On-Demand, Hulu, and iTunes.

On March 1, 2011, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend was released on DVD.

Outside of the United States, the film was released in Germany, Benelux, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, the Mideast, the U.K., Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, Indonesia, and other areas.

A novelization of the film, written by Elodia Strain, was published by Cedar Fort, Inc. on August 8, 2011.

Inside

In June, 2011, Daryn Tufts directed Inside
Inside (2012 film)
Inside is a 2012 American horror film written and directed by Daryn Tufts, and starring Luke Goss, Paul Rae, Isaac Singleton, and Derek Phillips.-Plot:...

, a horror feature film that he also wrote. The movie stars Luke Goss
Luke Goss
Luke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...

, Paul Rae
Paul Rae
Paul Rae is an American film and television actor.Rae was born Paul Rae Stuart in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Jean Rushing and Norman Stuart, and was raised in Bogalusa, Washington Parish, Louisiana...

, Derek Phillips (actor)
Derek Phillips (actor)
Derek Phillips is an American stage, screen, and television actor. He is most well known for his role as Billy Riggins in the television show Friday Night Lights.-Television:*Private Practice - Eddie Lindy...

, and Isaac Singleton. As of July, 2011, the film is in post-production.

The Questar Gas Energy WiseGuy

Currently (and since 2007), Tufts can been seen across the state of Utah as Therm: The Questar Gas Energy Wiseguy (official Questar Gas Spokesperson)

Actor

  • My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
    My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2010 film)
    My Girlfriend's Boyfriend is a 2010 American romantic comedy written and directed by Daryn Tufts, and starring Alyssa Milano, Christopher Gorham, Michael Landes, Beau Bridges, Tom Lenk, and Carol Kane.-Plot:...

     (2010)
  • The Singles 2nd Ward - Eldon (2007)
  • Stalking Santa - Clarence Onstott (2006)
  • American Mormon in Europe - Himself (2006)
  • Church Ball - Misfit Polynesian Basketball Player (2006)
  • American Mormon - Himself (2005)
  • The Home Teachers - Joel (2004)
  • The R.M. - Basketball Player (2003)
  • The Singles Ward - Eldon (2002)

Writer

  • Inside
    Inside (2012 film)
    Inside is a 2012 American horror film written and directed by Daryn Tufts, and starring Luke Goss, Paul Rae, Isaac Singleton, and Derek Phillips.-Plot:...

     (2012)
  • My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
    My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2010 film)
    My Girlfriend's Boyfriend is a 2010 American romantic comedy written and directed by Daryn Tufts, and starring Alyssa Milano, Christopher Gorham, Michael Landes, Beau Bridges, Tom Lenk, and Carol Kane.-Plot:...

     (2010)
  • Stalking Santa (2006)
  • American Mormon in Europe (2006)
  • American Mormon (2005)

Producer

  • Stalking Santa (2006)
  • American Mormon in Europe (2006)
  • American Mormon (2005)

Director

  • Inside
    Inside (2012 film)
    Inside is a 2012 American horror film written and directed by Daryn Tufts, and starring Luke Goss, Paul Rae, Isaac Singleton, and Derek Phillips.-Plot:...

     (2012)
  • My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
    My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2010 film)
    My Girlfriend's Boyfriend is a 2010 American romantic comedy written and directed by Daryn Tufts, and starring Alyssa Milano, Christopher Gorham, Michael Landes, Beau Bridges, Tom Lenk, and Carol Kane.-Plot:...

     (2010)
  • American Mormon in Europe (2006)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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