MY ORIGIN STORY

Ever since I first picked up my father's 8mm film camera at age ten, I have been hooked on shooting and editing motion pictures. I was a "natural born filmmaker." And I am very grateful to have found what I loved to do so early in life and then to have gone on to create such an exciting and rewarding career.

As a kid, I turned family events and milestones into opportunities to make films. In the early 80's, long before the Internet and iPhones, even before camcorders, I did my school projects in the form of Super-8 films. In 1988, while attending Temple University, I founded a small production company and began directing and shooting a wide array of projects including TV commercials, documentaries, music videos, corporate communications and independent short and feature films. I would run this company and it's spin-offs for 17 years, doing great work, pleasing clients and building my reputation as a world-class collaborator.

My entrepreneurial life would then take a detour in 2005, when after a few years working for NFL Films as a client, they asked me to join their full time staff as an editor. With the less-than-robust TV/Film market in Philadelphia at that time, it was an easy decision to close down my small company and accept their offer. For the next 16 years, I was privileged to collaborate with many of the best storytellers, artists and technicians, in their respective fields. And I was exposed to some of the biggest productions, challenges and expectations I've ever faced.

During my time with NFL Films, I edited hundreds of the NFL's flagship programs that air on HBO, ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Showtime, Amazon, etc. In addition to editing, I also played the role of art director and motion graphics artist on feature documentaries like The Great Brady Heist, Namath, Lombardi and more. And talk about reliable, I offline edited every single episode of HBO's Hard Knocks from 2007-2020 and every Walt Disney World Super Bowl commercial on location from Super Bowls 40-55.

In 2021, I decided it was time to say goodbye to football to pursue the more diverse opportunities and subject matter the multi-faceted artist in me was craving. I am now deploying my creativity, veteran sensibilities and lightning fast operator skills to a broad range of endeavors. I am currently directing, shooting and/or editing multiple TV documentaries/series and am doing visual effects on a feature film due to wrap up in early 2023.

Sure, there's a lot going on there, but you know what they say... when you want to get something done, give it to a busy, one man film making army like me... or something like that. Need my help with a project? Send an email to projects@davestiles.com.

EDITING my last DISNEY WORLD SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL

For 16 years, I edited every Walt Disney Super Bowl commercial on location at the Super Bowl (Super Bowls XL-LV). For my final tour of duty in 2021, we edited the spot remotely due to COVID-19. So, I took advantage of the home field advantage to timelapse the day. As you can see from the clock in the bottom left corner of the screen, it's a non-stop grind trying to build the best commercial as the day progresses. Not being sure who will be featured in the spot until the final moments after the game, the only thing you can do is make multiple spots throughout the day, featuring the likely candidates from each team. My first year, it ended up being the Steelers' Hines Ward and Jerome Bettis and for my last, it was the Buccaneers' Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.

SHOWS I've edited