Filmmaker Doug Pray has directed a number of highly acclaimed feature-length documentary films about American subcultures and maverick characters.

His most recent film premiered in competition at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and is currently playing in theaters nationwide during Fall 2009: “ART & COPY” is about advertising and creativity, and its profound effects on modern culture. It features rare interviews with some of the most influential advertising creatives of our age who’ve shaped our lives with their revolutionary ideas for selling cars, clothes, computers and presidents, including George Lois, Mary Wells, Lee Clow, Dan Wieden and David Kennedy, Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein, and the late Hal Riney, among others. The film interweaves their stories with mesmerizing imagery of TV satellites being launched and billboards going up, along with some of the greatest ad campaigns of all time, resulting in a powerful synthesis of art, commerce and human emotion.

Last year, Magnolia Pictures released his film “SURFWISE” into theaters nationwide. It tells the inspiring, humorous and often tumultuous story of legendary surfer Dr. Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, his wife Juliette, and their nine children. Raised in a small camper and living as nomads on various beaches throughout the world, the kids surfed every day, never went to school, and were forced by their father to adhere to a strict diet and a lifestyle inspired by animals in the wild. After premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, “SURFWISE” won the audience award at New York’s Gen Art Film Festival, still enjoys a “100% Fresh” rating at RottenTomatoes.com, and was called “Wonderfully engaging!” by Manohla Dargis of The New York Times.

Doug’s first film was “HYPE!,” a candid look at the emergence and explosion of the Seattle rock music scene. Featuring Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and a “ton” of other local rock stars and pranksters, it was called “a brilliant synthesis of social anthropology and entertainment,” by the Los Angeles Times and given “Two Thumbs Up” by Siskel & Ebert. The movie premiered at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, was released theatrically coast-to-coast, and the DVD is now available from Lions Gate. “HYPE!” was ranked #14 by Rolling Stone Magazine in its “Top 25 Music DVD’s of All Time.”

Staying in the music genre, Doug’s second feature, “SCRATCH,” also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It was a dynamic exploration of the world of hip-hop DJs and “turntablism,” featuring artists such as DJ Shadow, DJ Qbert, and hip-hop founder Afrika Bambaataa. Premiere magazine called it “…an amazing, life-affirming movie.” “SCRATCH” was nominated for an IFP Independent Spirit Award in 2002. It was released theatrically by Palm Pictures and worldwide by Intermedia Films, and the best-selling DVD is still widely available.

Last summer, Screen Media films released “BIG RIG,” a broad portrait of America told through the eyes of long-haul truck drivers. This massive road film portrays 25,000 miles of U.S. highways, 45 states, and a fiercely independent group of truck drivers who defend their role as America’s “last cowboys.” Desson Thomson of the Washington Post said, “Watch this movie, meet these very real people, and you’ll never look at a passing 18-wheeler the same way again.”

Past films also include: “INFAMY,” an intense exploration of the controversial world of illegal graffiti and six of America’s most notorious vandals (Image Entertainment), and “RED DIAPER BABY,” a feature-length performance film of Josh Kornbluth’s hysterical and emotional stage monologue (Sundance Channel). In 1999, he edited the feature “AMERICAN PIMP” for directors Albert and Allen Hughes.

In the world of commercials and branded entertainment, Doug won an Emmy Award for an HIV-AIDS awareness campaign he shot and directed in El Salvador for Kaiser Permanente/Viacom in 2006. “The Reverse Graffiti Project” about street artist Paul “Moose” Curtis, also won international acclaim and numerous awards this year at Cannes, One Show, and the New York Festivals. Past work includes a highly regarded series of short films about London workers for Dr. Martens, and a challenging and award-winning TV campaign for gay rights in the workplace for the Gill Foundation, which required a massive research effort. HE HAS ALSO DIRECTED ADS AND SHORT FILMS FOR ESPN, FORD, PBS, MOBIL, KODAK, ADIDAS, NIKE, SPRITE, VALVOLINE, AND AT&T, AMONG OTHERS.

After majoring in Sociology at the Colorado College, Doug received an MFA from UCLA’s Graduate School of Film and Television. He has served on the documentary juries of the Sundance, Silverdocs, AFI Fest, and SXSW Film Festivals, and is a member of the Directors Guild of America. He was born in Denver, Colorado, grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and lives in Los Angeles.