David G. Conover
Encyclopedia
David G. Conover is an American
documentary film
and television
director
. His production company, Compass Light
, based in Camden, Maine
, produces Sunrise Earth
for HD Theater.
, David worked as a professional seaman—he has extensive experience in the Atlantic and Pacific, which includes two transatlantic crossings in small boats. He spent five years designing and teaching sea courses for kids age 14-18 at the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School
in Maine and in Florida. This was followed by a Master's Degree in Education at Harvard, where David studied moral development and then a second year as a Kennedy School
teaching fellow in Leadership Studies
. David now lives in Camden, Maine
.
, grew out of his early work, and the studios moved to the seaport of Camden, Maine
in 1994 in order to be closer to the ocean and the stories being produced. The company has produced over 80 films for broadcast and educational clients.
Awards include the National Outdoor Production Award, a Blue Ribbon by the National Educational Media Competition, and two nominations for a National Emmy as Outstanding Director and Outstanding Executive Producer. For several years, David has also taught documentary film
courses at the International Film and Television Workshops
in Rockport, Maine
.
format and is exemplified by the nature series Sunrise Earth
, a 55 hour series that has aired two hours a day on HD Theater since September, 2004. The series makes the claim to the only long-running broadcast
series in which not a single word is spoken.
After the success of Sunrise Earth
, Conover decided to focus on creating more productions in the same format. In 2007, Conover co-founded BlueMarvel, an aggregator and distributor of the Experiential TV format.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. His production company, Compass Light
Compass Light
Compass Light is a video production company based in Camden, Maine. The company coordinates production of high definition video, film and non-fiction programming, from story development and shooting to editing and distribution....
, based in Camden, Maine
Camden, Maine
Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,254 at the 2000 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a famous summer colony in the Mid-Coast region of Maine...
, produces Sunrise Earth
Sunrise earth
Sunrise Earth is a one hour long nature documentary television series that aired in the United States on Discovery HD Theater, now renamed HD Theater. The series focuses on presenting the viewer with sunrises in various geographical locations throughout the world...
for HD Theater.
Biography
David Conover was born and raised in a New England family with strong ties to the sea and a tradition of active storytelling. Both grandfathers were amateur filmmakers in the 1920s and 30's. Upon graduating with a degree in comparative religious studies from Bowdoin CollegeBowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
, David worked as a professional seaman—he has extensive experience in the Atlantic and Pacific, which includes two transatlantic crossings in small boats. He spent five years designing and teaching sea courses for kids age 14-18 at the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School
Outward Bound
Outward Bound is an international, non-profit, independent, outdoor educationorganization with approximately 40 schools around the world and 200,000 participants per year...
in Maine and in Florida. This was followed by a Master's Degree in Education at Harvard, where David studied moral development and then a second year as a Kennedy School
Kennedy School
The Kennedy School is a former elementary school that has been converted to a hotel, movie theater and dining establishment in northeast Portland, Oregon. The facility is operated by the McMenamins chain.-External links:*...
teaching fellow in Leadership Studies
Leadership studies
Leadership studies is a multidisciplinary academic field of study that focuses on leadership in organizational contexts and in human life. Leadership studies has origins in the social sciences , in humanities , as well as in professional and applied fields of study...
. David now lives in Camden, Maine
Camden, Maine
Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,254 at the 2000 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a famous summer colony in the Mid-Coast region of Maine...
.
Compass Light
Conover's production company, Compass LightCompass Light
Compass Light is a video production company based in Camden, Maine. The company coordinates production of high definition video, film and non-fiction programming, from story development and shooting to editing and distribution....
, grew out of his early work, and the studios moved to the seaport of Camden, Maine
Camden, Maine
Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,254 at the 2000 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a famous summer colony in the Mid-Coast region of Maine...
in 1994 in order to be closer to the ocean and the stories being produced. The company has produced over 80 films for broadcast and educational clients.
Awards include the National Outdoor Production Award, a Blue Ribbon by the National Educational Media Competition, and two nominations for a National Emmy as Outstanding Director and Outstanding Executive Producer. For several years, David has also taught documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
courses at the International Film and Television Workshops
Maine Media Workshops
The Maine Media Workshops is an international non-profit educational organization offering year-round workshops for photographers, filmmakers, and media artists...
in Rockport, Maine
Rockport, Maine
Rockport is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,209 at the 2000 census. Rockport is a popular tourist destination and art colony.-History:...
.
Experiential TV
Conover's team conceived and developed a new format of television, called “Experiential TV", in 2003. This is a radically observational and carefully crafted aesthetic, which makes the most of the HDHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
format and is exemplified by the nature series Sunrise Earth
Sunrise earth
Sunrise Earth is a one hour long nature documentary television series that aired in the United States on Discovery HD Theater, now renamed HD Theater. The series focuses on presenting the viewer with sunrises in various geographical locations throughout the world...
, a 55 hour series that has aired two hours a day on HD Theater since September, 2004. The series makes the claim to the only long-running broadcast
Broadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
series in which not a single word is spoken.
After the success of Sunrise Earth
Sunrise earth
Sunrise Earth is a one hour long nature documentary television series that aired in the United States on Discovery HD Theater, now renamed HD Theater. The series focuses on presenting the viewer with sunrises in various geographical locations throughout the world...
, Conover decided to focus on creating more productions in the same format. In 2007, Conover co-founded BlueMarvel, an aggregator and distributor of the Experiential TV format.
Films by David Conover
- Behold The Earth (in production)
- Islands in the Wind 2011
- Creating Synthetic Life 2010
- Sunrise Earth (Series)
- Cracking the Ocean Code 2005
- Toad Warriors 2005
- Live from the ISS 2002-3
- Mid-Water Mysteries 2002
- Quest for Captain Kidd 2001
- Fishing for the Future 2001
- The Vikings 2001
- Uncovering a Pirate’s Graveyard 2000
- Search for the Giant Lobster 2000
- Coral Heaven 1999
- The Viking Saga: L’Anse aux Meadows 1998
Awards
- National Outdoor Production Award
- Blue Ribbon - National Educational Media Competition
- Nominated for a National Emmy as Outstanding Director
- Nominated for a National Emmy as Outstanding Executive Producer