Draft:Devin Adair

Devin Adair is an American Writer, Director and Producer. She has produced three independent films, Break Point (2014), Betting on Zero (2016) and Grace (2018). Adair wrote, directed and produced Grace, which was acquired by Showtime and Fox International and won numerous awards in a limited festival run including Best First Time Director at the London Independent Film Festival. Adair is best known as the author of The Challenge, her memoir about her experiences as the first female coxswain on the Harvard Men’s Heavyweight Crew team, which she’s adapting into a feature film with producers Mike Karz, Bill Bindley and Stephanie Corsalini. While at Harvard, Adair coxed one of the greatest crews in Harvard’s history, winning The Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta, a feat that has not been accomplished by a college crew since. She and her crew have been inducted into the Harvard Varsity’s Club Hall of Fame.

Early Life
Adair grew up in Boston and first starting coxing crew in high school at Phillips Academy. Her junior year, she switched from coxing from the girls to the boys’ team. Harry Parker, the legendary Men’s Crew Coach at Harvard, recruited Adair, assuring her she would be welcome on the Men’s team, an unusual move at a time when most men’s crew teams did not allow women coxswains. Her freshman year at Harvard, Adair coxed the First Frosh crew to an undefeated season culminating in winning The Ladies Plate at the Henley Royal Regatta. Adair coxed the Varsity crew her sophomore year, junior and senior year. Adair majored in English at Harvard, and in her senior year, starting writing about her experiences on the crew team as an independent study.

Career
Adair started her career as a runner at The New York Times, while writing on the side. Adair asked Harvey Shapiro, an editor there, if he would critique her work. Shapiro submitted her writing to The Sunday Magazine, which published an excerpt of her memoir. The Challenge was published to excellent reviews and was optioned by Warner Bros. Adair enrolled at Columbia University for an MFA in film, completing the program in two instead of three years when a script she wrote was optioned by an independent producer and the film department approved it as her thesis project. Adair wrote and directed the short film, The White Dress, between her first and second year, which premiered at The Seattle International Film Festival and was acquired by CANAL+. After moving to Los Angeles, Adair worked her way up the ranks from Production Assistant to Creative Director of Footprint Worldwide, where she produced and directed content for major brands for mainland China including Warner Music, Skullcandy, and Oakley. Adair designed and created content for an action sports channel in partnership with ESPN anchored by the Shanghai X Games. After serving as the Executive Producer of the Film and TV division of Boxer Films, Adair went out on her own as an independent producer. She produced Break Point, starring Jeremy Sisto, J.K. Simmons and Amy Smart that premiered at SXSW. Next, she produced Betting on Zero with Glen Zipper, directed by Ted Braun, which premiered at Tribeca and then wrote, directed and produced Grace. Currently, Devin is adapting an international bestseller with Paul Zaentz producing (concept under wraps), and adapting her book The Challenge.