Known for his works like Night Life (1989), Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave (1980), and Four on the Floor (1986), David Acomba is a producer and director of television and film from Canada. Honored with numerous awards and prizes, David’s films have been screened at most of the major film festivals all around the globe. He has previously worked as the Executive Director of the All-Canadian Jazz Festival in Port Hope. He is also the founder of the festival.
David Acomba’s Early Life
Contents
David Acomba was born in Montreal, Quebec. He grew up in his hometown in the suburb of Lachine where he attended his school as a child. He developed a passion for films while he was still in his school.
Education
David went to Bishop Whelan High School for his early education. He wanted to be a filmmaker since he was a child. So he joined Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois to study films in the early 1960s. His major in college was Film and Television. After that, he gained his Master degree in Performing Arts from the University of Southern California. The university is in the Los Angeles.
Early Career
Two years after he finished his studies, David moved to Toronto and started working as a producer and director in 1969. He directed as well as produced specials for Canada’s national network. After that, David directed Mariposa: A Folk Festival in which he collaborated with Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell. It was a television special that aired In 1970.
David Acomba’s Career
David has worked as a director and a producer for the major portion of his life. However, he has a great musical sense and has worked in the music department for his feature film Night Life.
Career as a Director
He debuted as a director in 1973 with a movie called Slipstream. The protagonist of the film is a popular disk jockey and the film revolves around his struggle for personal and professional integrity. This film got him his first win in the Canadian Film Award for Best Direction. After that, he went on to direct two more feature films Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave in 1980 and Night Life in 1989. Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave was screened at various film festivals in Europe and the United States including the London Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
In addition to his feature films, David has numerous TV movies and TV series in his name as a director. He directed an episode in a TV mini-series called The Camera and the Song for the first time which aired in 1976. After his second feature film, he worked on three TV series back to back before directing his next one. Those TV series were Codco, Four on the Floor, and Strawberry Ice.
In 1976, Acomba walked away from the production of the Star Wars Holiday Special due to creative differences with the producers of the show. They replaced him by Steve Binder. David directed George Harrison’s Dark Horse Tour with Billy Preston, Ravi Shankar, and Tom Scott. Unfortunately, the film has never been screened publicly. David recorded the combination of eastern and western music in the film which was both unique and beautiful. He made a short film Anton and the Piano in 2008 for a project assigned by the National Film Board of Canada. The film is available for public viewing on the website of the National Film Board of Canada.
Career as a Producer
After directing few TV series and films, David started to work in the productions as well. He produced the TV series Strawberry Ice that aired in 1982. David co-produced two seasons of Down To Earth, a documentary ecology series which he also directed. His motive was to raise awareness on ecology and environment through television.
David Acomba’s Personal Life
David is married to Sharon Keogh, a Canadian radio and television producer. They met for the very first time in the year 1970. Keogh is also an active working producer in Canada. She wrote and co-produced the ecological series, Down To Earth that her husband David directed. They live in the Catharine Parr Traill Mount Ararat property which they bought in 1999. It is located outside Toronto. They did this with the intention of contributing to the land restoration on the Mount Ararat homestead. They are also promoting the Canadian botanical works of Mrs. Traill. There are no divorce issues till date in their life.
David is not very active in social media. He does not have a Facebook page or a twitter account. However, people can find information about him on his Wikipedia page and his internet movie database (IMDB) account.
David Acomba Net Worth
David has always been a creative person throughout his life rather than a business oriented person. However, his productions have been featured on numerous television networks including CBS, BBC, Channel 4, ABC, PBS, CBC, CTV, and HBO. As a result of numerous TV series and few feature films under his belt, he has managed to accumulate an estimated amount of $42, million.
