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David Thies is the Swiss Army knife of film and tv production. For over 20 years he has produced, directed, dp'd, or provided the production services for hundreds of tv episodes, films, docs, music videos, commercials and corporate and product pieces.
'It never occurred to me not to work on just about everything that came my way. I love to work. I love to keep my crews busy. I love to keep my trucks and gear busy. I came out to LA from Cincinnati with my own idea of how to operate a production company. I just didn't know any better. I never worked for anyone else in the business. For better or worse, I've only worked for TVACOM which is my own company. I thought a production company owned their own gear, so I bought it all and have continued to do so and that has made a tremendous difference. I have simultaneously operated a production company and a production services company and have somehow made it work. To this day, we will work on and help with just about anything.'
In any given month in the life of TVACOM, David could be producing the hottest feature film in America (The Peanut Butter Falcon) with Hollywood heavyweight producers Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa of Little Miss Sunshine fame and Chris Lemole, Tim Zajaros of Mudbound fame, or a comedy special with legendary comedic tv show creator David Salzman of MadTV fame, or directing an interview show (Objectified) with pop culture powerhouse Harvey Levin, and even producing music videos for about to be known artists from Jakarta for label and media company 88rising.
"Once I'm involved, I'm involved for the long haul, and I'll do whatever it takes. Moving from Cincinnati to LA seemed daunting at first. I wasn't sure how my Cincinnati ethos of fair play, hard work, inclusivity, loyalty, honesty, and desire to live with kindness would play out here, but in the end I think that it's been part of my saving grace. People know that they can depend on what I say, and have confidence in what I do. As long as folks don't mistake my desire to work and live with kindness for weakness, we will get along and work together just fine."
David was the first producer to the party on 'The Peanut Butter Falcon'. TVACOM was the first production company to write a check on behalf of the film. TVACOM vehicles were the first to be in motion working the idea, and TVACOM cameras were the first to roll tape (or bytes) on the production having made the now heralded proof of concept that got folks talking. David himself lent his home (Tyler and Mike spent time working on PBF in the TVACOMpound guest house), his body (David was a stunt double for Jake the Snake in the wrestling scenes), his well-being (David was operating the in-the-water camera during the hairy river-crossing scene), and his midwestern tenacity (the Peanut Butter Falcon had many stops and starts and David never wavered his personal, professional, or financial support).
"The timing was good for me to make something like 'The Peanut Butter Falcon'. I had just had a philosophical shift in my approach to the business. I wanted to start working on something that I had a piece of. I had come far enough in the business where I thought I was able to start participating in the ownership of things. I had always wanted to make my own 'Stand By Me', and 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' was perfect for both. It started as a very small indie. I knew that we had something special, and I knew that I would do all within my power to see that it got made and made in a beautiful way."
TVACOM will continue to work on extreme sports productions (Fantasy Factory, NitroCircus), family shows (Emmy-winning GIVE for NBC) and interview shows (Raq Rants, Objectified), and is even building trucks for multi-camera, multi-track production for live broadcast and recorded multi-use (comedy, music, and tech), but the results on 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' have continued to inspire David to develop things that he has a piece of whether it be film ( Beachside), factual TV (Adventure People), and scripted TV (My End).
"I'm not a frustrated anything. All I really wanted to do in this business was to operate a camera, and maybe DP/direct. Everything is icing at this point. It's funny how the business always has ideas of its own. Growing up as a basketball player and then a pro bike mechanic, I thought that a quiet Cincinnati life was just fine by me, but the fast-paced LA production life has worked out and doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. I'm excited about where it all will lead, but for right now I am really enjoying the comaraderie of 'The Peanut Butter Falcon'. Shia is the consummate professional in making and now promoting the film. Dakota is as kind a person as you will ever meet. You hear people talking about lights and energy in the business, but Zach is the real deal. He's as pure and powerful a presence as you will ever experience, on-screen and off. I'm fortunate to be a part of this and I'm well aware of it. Pretty soon, I will be dealing with the ultimate Hollywood dilemma, what's next. I'm not sure, but I won't be concerned with topping 'The Peanut Butter Falcon'. I don't think that it can be topped, but I am going to do my best to make films that can get right up next to it and be talked about in the same sentence.'
