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Dan Decker is an American author, lecturer, nationally recognized lecturer/teacher in the field of screenwriting and storytelling, and Founding Director of the Las Vegas Shakespeare Company. He is most noted for: •	 “Anatomy of a Screenplay: Writing the American Screenplay from Character Structure to Convergence.” “Anatomy of a Screenplay” introduced new concepts for the study of screenwriting and storytelling such as the use of a “character structure” instead of “plot points” as the way to develop and drive a contemporary story. Its remarkable insights and practical approaches found broad acceptance and are the standard for teaching in many colleges today. http://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Screenplay-Dan-Decker/dp/096657320X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325865217&sr=8-1

•	“The Two Roses” w/Stephen Denning, a speculative biographical essay on William Shakespeare published in the peer-reviewed New England Theatre Journal, 12/09. His theory on the life of Shakespeare includes in-depth analysis of the sonnets and plays along with the documented history of the times to draw stunning conclusions about the life of William Shakespeare. http://netconline.org/netc-publications.php

•	“Shakespeare's Roses,” a 90-minute one-man stage play that puts an aging Bard, dying of syphilis, onstage to talk about the great loves and losses, betrayals and failures of his life, based on Decker's speculative biography, “The Two Roses.”

BIOGRAPHY

Dan Decker is originally from Chicago, Illinois and presently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Through the 1970’s Decker produced and directed industrial, educational, and promotional films for United Airlines. The 80’s were spent as Executive Director of the non-profit organization called Children’s Channel Television.

As Founding Director of Chicago-based “The Screenwriters Group” from 1992-2009, Mr. Decker’s writing students found success on all levels in television and film writing in Hollywood. He has lectured on storytelling all over the US including the Smithsonian Institute, Nickelodeon TV, and has served as script consultant to the Illinois, Nevada, and Mississippi film offices. The writing curriculum Dan Decker developed here was awarded college credit recommendation from The American Council on Education. http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=CCRS

In 2009, Dan Decker founded the non-profit Las Vegas Shakespeare Company and continues his work there through the present. This work combines his background in contemporary storytelling honed by years of lecture and classroom teaching with his startling, and nationally recognized, insights into the life and work of William Shakespeare. His productions of the classics stay true to the brilliant language and genius of Shakespeare’s verse while applying Decker’s contemporary storytelling techniques to the narratives. The Las Vegas Shakespeare Company occupies a 35,000 sqft, multi-stage theatre arts facility in downtown Las Vegas. www.lvshakes.org

LECTURES, AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS

AFI: In 1988 Decker won the national writing competition for entry into the American Film Institute’s TV writers program.

As Director of The Screenwriters Group: •	Smithsonian Institution, speaker, Story Conference, Spring 2004 •	Nickelodeon TV, taught seminar for corporate executives on developing drama. •	Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH, inaugural speaker in their corporate international training program “The Clay Street Project,” on storytelling as a rhetorical platform. •	Harvard College, Boston, seminars sponsored by Harvard Square Script Writers. •	Key Speaker, and/or writing judge: 	Arizona International Film Festival Tucson, AZ 	Big Muddy Film Festival, IL 	Illinois/Chicago Screenplay Competition, key cities across Illinois 	McKnight Screenwriting Fellowship, Minneapolis MN, two years, awarded $25,000 top prizes 	Mississippi State Screenwriting Competition manager and speaker at the Crossroads Film Festival in Jackson MI 	Modesto Shockerfest Film Festival, featured speaker two years CA 	Nantucket Film Festival on the island, RI 	Screenwriters Expo LA star speaker CA 	Thunderbird Film Fest Cedar City UT 	Utah Film Commission/Spy Hop Festival Salt Lake City, UT 	Virginia Film Office, weekend seminars two cities in VA 	Washington State Screenplay Competition, Seattle WA •	Story Science Conference, Palm Springs CA 2002, Guest Speaker •	Screenwriters Expo, Los Angeles Expo Center, “Star Speaker” 2003, 2004 •	Sherwood Oaks Experimental College, Los Angeles, guest speaker •	Screenplay Lab, Los Angeles, guest speaker •	“Anatomy of a Screenplay” national tour presenting weekend screenwriting seminars, including Seattle, Boston, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Los Angeles •	Contributing Editor, Hollywood Midwest, and The Third Word, arts magazines. •	On-Air Host, “Movie Talk” WCBR-FM 92.7, discussing films in current release, 1994 •	Guest Author, book tour, signings and speaking, Barnes & Noble, Borders Bookstores across the country •	Host of SunsetScript.com screenwriting seminars around the country.

As Director of Children’s Channel Television: •	Wrote and directed a 60-minute outdoor adventure using all children talent in front of and behind the camera: “WHITE WOLF,” 1986. •	Panelist and Judge for the 1989 and 1993 American Children's Television Festival “Ollie Awards” for outstanding Young People's TV programming in the United States. •	Discussion Moderator at the Prix Jeunesse International Children's Television Festival, 1993.The event was hosted in Washington DC by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. •	Lead Artist: Gallery 37 arts program, Young People’s Film Writing and Production, after-school program, in at-risk Chicago High Schools.