David Worthen Brooks is an independent producer who has made a significant impact in the industry. He founded and led 20th Digital Studio, a division of Walt Disney Television, for 15 years. During his tenure, he created and distributed content across various platforms, including Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes, as well as linear television channels such as FOX, FX, Freeform, and Fox Sports.
Under Brooks' leadership, the Digital Studio produced numerous feature films, series, and shorts that received top-tier recognition at prestigious festivals like Cannes, Sundance, TriBeca, and SXSW. Brooks' innovative approach to branded content involved cultivating unique story-based partnerships with industry leaders like MARS Candy, National Geographic, and NASA.
Brooks is dedicated to discovering and nurturing new talent, having produced early career projects with notable individuals such as Constance Wu, Rob Savage, Thomas Middleditch, Josh Miller, Jessica Rothe, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Christopher Leone, Marc Evan Jackson, and Josh Hartnett. Recently, he has focused on producing horror shorts, which are occasionally developed into feature films, showcasing the work of writer/directors like Anna Zlokovic, Justin Harding, Brandon Espy, Carl Reid, Alexis Jacknow, Shal Ngo, Kelley Kali, and Ben Steiner.
Brooks holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master's degree from the University of Southern California's Peter Stark Producing Program. He began his career as an award-winning editor, director, and screenwriter, working with notable filmmakers such as Tony Kaye, Ridley Scott, Spike Jonze, Paul Hunter, Leslie Dektor, and Baz Luhrmann. Brooks made his directorial debut with Member (2001),which won the best short film award at the 2001 Hamptons International Film Festival and the International Cinematographer's 2001 New Filmmaker's Award.
Throughout his career, Brooks has received recognition for his creative work from esteemed entities such as D&AD, Sundance Film Festival, London International Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, One Show, and the Clios. Most recently, he received the Cannes Lions award with Mars for his work on Bite Horror Size (2017),a series of short-form content for broadcast and streaming.
