Biography
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, where his thesis film, "Echo Canyon," won the Cinemax National Short Film Search and was televised nationally on the USA Cable Network.
Since graduation William's written several produced film & TV scripts, including Blades, (which he also helped produced), a "dead-on parody of Jaws that takes place with a possessed lawn mower on a golf course," theatrically distributed and broadcast on HBO. Over the years Blades has grow into fan-favorite cult status and was re-released in a lovingly refurbished DVD package by renown distributor Vinegar Syndrome.
For his first solo feature film, William wrote and directed the award-winning dark and intense dramatic independent feature film Charming Billy, which won lead actor Michael Hayden the Best Actor award at the Los Angeles AFI International Film Festival. In Variety's lead review of the film, its critic declared "Pace's debut feature 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."
William has also written, produced, and directed several award-winning short films, including "A Relaxing Day,"based on Pulitzer-nominated playwright Theresa Rebeck's one-act, "The Actress," and "Cammy", which won actress Gretchen Hall a Best Actress award.
Besides being an active filmmaker, William is full-time faculty at Seton Hall University where he oversees screenwriting and film/video production in the Visual and Sound Media and immensely enjoys teaching, mentoring and inspiring the next generation of filmmakers.
William used his teaching experience to co-write a book -- The Filmmaker's Guide To Creatively Embracing Limitations -- on how the limitations and restrictions of budgets, time, and resources students and beginning filmmakers often face can actually become a opportunity for unique creativity. Full of practical advice and famous film examples, the book also features original interviews with such legendary filmmakers as Frank Oz, Pete Docter, and others who share similar insights from their own experiences.
William lives in NYC with his wife, artist Hillary Bradley.
