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Dava Whisenant

Greater Los Angeles Area and New York City

Editor and Producer

Tags: women in documentary  television  short documentaries  profile documenatries  personal documentaries  Los Angeles  International Co-Productions  Hybrid Genres  Editing  docs about the arts  cinema verite  Character-driven Documentaries  biographical documentaries  American Masters  

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Title/Occupation:  Editor  Producer 

Services Provided:  Film/Video Editing 

Gender: Female

Biography: 

Dava Whisenant is an editor and filmmaker with over 15 years of experience in narrative and non-fiction storytelling. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and she was the Editor of the documentary feature "Merle Haggard: Learning to Live with Myself," part of the Emmy Award-winning season of PBS’ "American Masters." The film also played in festivals around the world.

Dava began her work in features as an Editorial Assistant for Steven Soderbergh’s "Solaris" and on his segment of the film "Eros." She went on to do Additional Editing for the comedy "Puccini for Beginners," in competition at Sundance in 2006, and she was the Editor of the feature film "Benji: Off the Leash," directed by the creator of the original Benji franchise.

Dava’s nonfiction work covers a wide range of subjects, from the wild life of a country music icon to the comical world of karaoke fanatics, a family’s struggle with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s disease, and the debate over shock therapy. Recently, she was the Supervising Editor for the first two seasons of NBC’s prime-time doc series "Who Do You Think You Are?" and she was the Supervising Producer and Editor for the US version of "Hairy Bikers," a hybrid travel/food/history show produced by BBC Worldwide. Her diverse experience also includes several years as a freelance editor at "The Late Show with David Letterman," and in 2007 she was Associate Editor on the NBC pilot "Lipstick Jungle," directed by Gary Winick. Her work has been seen on CBS, NBC, PBS, SHOWTIME, BRAVO, MSNBC, HISTORY, VH1, and DISCOVERY, among others.

Dava’s style is defined primarily by a responsibility to serve the story. It has been said that she has a gift for finding “the relatable imperfections in humanity” that connect characters with viewers. There is warmth and humor in all of her work and she has a passionate curiosity for finding what is genuine and honest in every story.

Dava is currently producing an independent documentary about the influential jazz musician and educator, Harold Battiste, and she is also developing a comedy web series and a documentary series for television.