William R. Pace

After growing up in rural Central Illinois and receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Western Illinois University, William R. Pace received a Masters of Fine Arts in Film Production from NYU Graduate Film & TV School. Upon completion, his thesis film, "Echo Canyon" won the Cinemagic National Short Film Search and was televised nationally on the USA Cable Network. Since completing NYU, Pace has co-written three produced screenplays with partner Thomas R. Rondinella. Their first-ever paid screenwriting job was Blades (1989), "the best damn possessed lawn mower movie/parody of JAWS ever made!" John McCarthy in his book Splatter Movie Guide, VOL. II (a reference you don't see cited everyday) said it "produces quite a few laughs and actually generates some tension and suspense" and 'Entertainment Weekly' called it a "dead-on parody of 'Jaws.'" Pace also served as Associate Producer and 2nd Unit Director on the film's production. Their second screenplay was the supposed comedy All's Fair (1989), starring George Segal, Sally Kellerman, Robert Carradine and the unforgettable Lou Ferrigno. A classic Hollywood screenwriting horror story, Rondinella and Pace were the original screenwriters but were then rewritten by 5 other writers. Rondinella and Pace swear they had nothing to do with the fat female referee and the wimpy boyfriend Warren! Their third co-written film was the "relentlessly perky" (according to 'Variety') and ironically chaste romantic comedy _A Girl's Guide to Sex_ (!999) which premiered on the USA Cable Network. Pace also served as Producer and 2nd Unit Director. Moving on to be a solo screenwriter, Pace's screenplay for Charming Billy (1999) -- no relation to the Alice McDermott novel of the same name -- was a three-time finalist for the Sundance Institute's Screenwriting Lab. Pace went on to direct the film which premiered at the 1999 AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival, winning a Best Actor award for Michael Hayden's portrayal of title character Billy Starkman. In reviewing the film, 'Variety' noted that, "William R. Pace's debut feature, 'Charming Billy,' aims ambitiously high in its dramatization of how a mild-mannered, all-American guy devolves into a mass murderer. Maintaining a strong grip on this chamber drama, Pace displays notable cinematic and storytelling craft...". Pace has also written several episodes for syndicated television series such as Adventurers: Masters of Time (2005) and the upcoming "The School for Little Vampires." And with Charming Billy producing partner Douglas Huebner Pace co-wrote the script for 'She Died Twice' which has been optioned by The Spice Factory. In the fall of 2006 he completed work as producer and director on the short film "A Relaxing Day,"which was based on playwright Theresa Rebeck's one-act, "The Actress." He lives in Manhattan with his wife fashion designer Hillary Bradley and also teaches screenwriting and filmmaking at The New School university in Greenwich Village.