A. Dean Bell

Yet another graduate of the SUNY Purchase film program, Dean Bell was raised in Rochester, New York. His award-winning half-hour thesis film "I'm Only There..." starred fellow Purchase-ite Melissa Leo. Upon graduation, Purchase professor and famed editor/director Aram Avakian helped him get his first job working as an apprentice film editor for Susan Morse on Woody Allen's "Broadway Danny Rose." Along the way Bell was writing screenplays and optioned several, including one to producer/director Ralph Bakshi. In the late 80s Bell was hired to write and direct for the show "Afterdrive" on the fledging "HA!" network which later morphed into Comedy Central. While there Bell worked with comedian Dennis Leary. Bell was then was hired to write the feature film spoof comedy "Backfire!" for New York's low-budget "Cormen-esque" producer Christian Ingvordson. Bell was subsequently hired to direct the film as well. The film was written and shot in less than six months. Among other recent projects, Bell has written and directed the ESPN educational series "SportsFigures" for 12 years, directed the dramatic sequences of PBS's "Sweet Tornado: Margo Jones and the American Theater" and developed a night time drama for Fox Broadcasting. Mr. Bell lives in Brooklyn and teaches a class in the Dramatic Writing program at SUNY Purchase. He is currently developing a variety of film and television projects.