RHS Grad Makes Major Directorial Debut

Romeoville may be a long way from Hollywood, but that’s not stopping graduate David Turvey from leaving his mark on the entertainment industry. 

The 2010 Columbia College graduate recently directed his first major-label music video and is already making a name for himself.

Turvey, a Bolingbrook native and son of Romeoville Interim Police Chief Mark Turvey, has been passionate about filmmaking since he was a kid.

“My sister and I always used to make home video movies,” he said. “My dad helped put the camera in my hand.”

During his freshman year at RHS, Turvey said he learned about Columbia College’s film program.

“I knew for sure I wanted to go there,” he said.

After graduating from Romeoville in 2006, Turvey began learning the tricks and tools of the trade. Last summer, during his senior year at Columbia, Turvey started making connections in the film industry during the school’s Semester in Los Angeles program.

Working on a sound stage across from the legendary Paramount Studios, Turvey had the chance to interact with Hollywood writers, producers and studio executives.

“There were 12 students and we would just have face time [with industry experts],'' Turvey said.

Knowing that in the film industry whom you know can make or break you, Turvey worked hard at making connections with filmmakers he admires.

“I went out there with a plan,” he said. “I contacted directors of movies I enjoy, and it was really hit or miss. Some responded, some didn’t … It was a lot of building relationships.”

Turvey said he didn’t worry about rejection when contacting industry heavyweights

“For me, it’s like, why not?” he said. “If you don’t try, you’re not working hard enough.”

Those connections paid off when Turvey attracted the attention of Ryan Tedder of rock group One Republic. Tedder tapped Turvey to direct the first major label music video for Canadian pop singer Kay.

Interscope Records/Universal Canada released “My Name is Kay” earlier this month, and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton showed the premier of the video on his site April 1.

“Perez believed in [Kay’s] music and put that out there,” Turvey said. “It’s another exciting step up.”

What’s next?

For now Turvey is dividing his time between Bolingbrook and Los Angeles. Living at home allows him to be near his 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Turvey said.

“Will I eventually move to Los Angeles? We’ll see,” he said.

With his major-label directorial debut under his belt, Turvey isn’t resting on his laurels.

“To me it’s always, ‘What’s next?’” he said. 

What’s next for Turvey is a collaboration with recording artist Cisco Adler.

“That’s pretty exciting for me,” he said. “I get to fly out and show them what I can do … it’s going to be a really fun music video.”

The RHS grad believes making a name for himself as sought-after music video director will help him segue into films.

“The music videos are what’s going to lead me to feature films,” he said. “I can’t just walk into a room and say, ‘Give me $20 million to do a feature film.’”

Turvey is also working on a documentary about the Drew Peterson case and the disappearance of the former Bolingbrook police sergeant’s wife, Stacy Peterson.

“I’ve been [working on it] since Stacy went missing,” Turvey said, calling the film a “passion project.”

“That’s going to be a feature-length film,” Turvey explained, adding he plans to follow the case through to its eventual conclusion.

“I can’t finish the film [until the case is solved],” he said. In the meantime, Turvey said he is working on finding a distributor for the film.

“I want as many people as possible to see it,” he said. “I definitely want to get it out there.”

Turvey recently launched his own production company, Garage Light Films. He said he stopped working side jobs to dedicate himself full time to filmmaking.

“If I’m going to do it, I have to think positively about it," he said.