The Series

From producer/director/editor David Tarleton and superstar character actress Adria Dawn comes Dorkumentary - the coolest short comedy series on the Internet! Each webisode is a comedic improv inspired loosely by the lives of its creators. Come dork out with Adria and her hysterical guest stars as they hilariously improvise their way into your heart.Dorkumentary.  Being a dork has never been this cool.

Tarleton/Dawn Productions

Tarleton/Dawn Productions is operated by husband and wife creative team David Tarleton and Adria Dawn. This multi-media production company is known for its bold style and quirky, edgy productions. Past productions include the plays “The Miss Firecracker Contest” by Beth Henley (AEA contract) in the North Hollywood Arts District, as well as “Rock N Roll Sex Machine” (Stella Adler Theatre, LA) written by and starring Adria Dawn, directed by Che’Rae Adams, and executive produced by David Tarleton. Dorkumentary is their first Internet series. They are currently in post production on an all greenscreen, effects heavy vintage steampunk fantasy film, The Shadow. Tarleton/Dawn Productions also has an education branch in which Adria and David coach actors, produce and tour educational seminars privately and to Universities as well as offer internships to up-and-coming artists in the industry.

David Tarleton (Executive Producer, Director, DP, Editor)

An award-winning producer, director and editor, David has created programs for Sony Pictures, The Muppets, Syfy Channel, Walt Disney Pictures, Fox, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, Tokyopop, Mattel, Universal, Warner Brothers, Baby Einstein, Showtime and more.

He is executive producer, director and editor of the new media comedy series “Dorkumentary,” starring Adria Dawn, and was editor of the Webby Award-winning Muppets series “Statler and Waldorf From The Balcony,” for Disney. His breakthrough film as producer/director/editor, the gothic fairy-tale “Dinner,” premiered at Slamdance, played on the SyFy Channel, and was released on DVD.

David produced and edited the award-winning feature documentary “What Babies Want,” narrated by Noah Wyle, and its follow-up “Reducing Infant Mortality.” He produced and edited “The Making of Warriors of Heaven and Earth,” and “The Making of Double Vision,” for Sony Pictures. He was also a producer, DP and editor on the documentary “Dark Secrets,” and senior editor for “The Pat Kilbane Show” for Comedy Central. David was the senior editor at Wirebreak, a pioneering Internet video content provider.

Besides making numerous films, series, commercials and trailers, David also produces and directs theatre. With his wife, Adria Dawn, he produced and directed the play “The Miss Firecracker Contest,” in Los Angeles, and executive produced “Rock N Roll Sex Machine,” also in Los Angeles. He has also directed the plays “Sweeney Todd,” “No Exit,” and “The Indian Wants the Bronx.”

David served as a festival programmer for nearly a half decade for the Slamdance Film Festival, and for 12 years worked as an actor/historian at Colonial Williamsburg, in Virginia.

Presently, he is in post-production on the all-greenscreen film “The Shadow,” an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story, set in a pseudo Victorian fantasy world.

He is currently an Assistant Professor at Columbia College Chicago, teaching Film Directing, Editing and Visual Effects, and formerly taught Documentary production at UCLA. He holds an M.F.A. in Cinema-Television from the University of Southern California, studied filmmaking at New York University, acting at Northwestern University, and has a Bachelor’s degree in theatre directing from the University of Virginia. He can be found on the web at davidtarleton.com.

Adria Dawn (Executive Producer, Star)

Adria Dawn grew up in the Midwest, and it was there in the cornfields that she acquired her curiosity for creating quirky characters. She earned a BFA in acting with honors from Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Some of her most memorable roles in college were Frankie Addams in “Member of the Wedding,” and Young Woman in “Machinal,” for which she received an Irene Ryan Nomination and went on to become a finalist. Moving to Chicago, Adria appeared in theatrical productions at the Bailiwick Theater, the Second City Skybox, Mary Arrchie Theater, Defiant Theater and others. She earned her SAG card performing in television commercials in the Windy City. Soon after landing in Los Angeles in a broken down station wagon, Adria worked as a Levi’s model, and landed roles on the WB’s “Seventh Heaven,” the made for TV movie Running Mates, and a number of commercials and modeling jobs. Only four months after moving to the west coast, Adria booked one of her favorite television roles to date, the dysfunctional outcast April Tuna on the WB’s high school cult hit “Popular.” She was on the show both seasons it was on the air, and received a nomination from Jane Magazine for “Gutsiest Woman on Television.” Adria’s expansive roster of work now includes over forty film and televison credits. Some other favorite jobs include recurring roles on FX’S “Nip/Tuck” as Parker, the Scientologist expert, and “NCIS.” As well as appearances on “My Name Is Earl,” “Help Me Help You,” “Campus Ladies,” “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide,” “Medium,” etc. as well as several independent films. A lover of the freedom of improv, and of the joy of the human spirit, Dorkumentary is a true delight for Adria to work on. Adria also coaches actors, specializing in helping theatre trained actors find the right level of energy and focus for camera work. She has been a guest speaker/educator at Columbia College Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Camp Hollywood in Portland, Oregon, Southside School, Champaign, IL and has spoken at talent agencies and private workshops as well. She will be joining the faculty at Columbia College this spring. Adria will tell you though, that she is a constant student of her son, Hart, and claims he continues to be one of her best teachers.

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Andrew Edwards (Composer, episode 5)

Andrew Edwards is a Chicago-based film, media, and theatre composer. His textural style is flavoured by his twin loves of pop and contemporary classical music, and is frequently tinged with melancholy. This made him a natural choice for work on Dorkumentary! He received his BA in Music Composition/Theory from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and — under the direction of Andy Hill — his MFA in Music Composition for the Screen from Columbia College Chicago. In former lives, he has been a theatre teacher, the performing arts director at a New England boarding school, a pop/rock musician, and a sound engineer Off-Broadway in NYC. He is presently the owner of Blue Police Box Music; a full-service music creation studio on the North side of Chicago, the composer-in-residence for Chicago Tap Theatre, and adjunct faculty in Columbia College’s Film Music MFA program. His music has been heard in national commercials, international trailers, and countless short films and documentaries, including, A Message From The East  Single Waltz, Bailout, and the forthcoming The Shadow (with Tarleton/Dawn Productions). In addition to Dorkumentary, his work on web series’ includes Trep Life, all 15 shows on Gay Chicago TV (launching December 1st), and the upcoming Robin Hood update, Prince of Thieves. He just finished work on a Doctor Who-spinoff audio drama for Big Finish productions, and is currently writing the original score for a Tap Opera based on the 1960 French horror film, “Les yeux sans visage”, with Marc Smith (the creator of the Poetry Slam). He lives adjacent to Chicago’s beautiful Andersonville neighborhood with his partner, also Andrew, and his stalwart cat, Max. You can follow him on Facebook, on Twitter, and at his website.

Lee Sanders (Composer, episodes 1-4, theme music)

Lee Sanders began his musical training at the age of four, and created his first composition, a piano sonata, at age eight. In college he flirted with majors in English, philosophy and political science before deciding on a career as a composer.In 1996 Lee completed the film scoring program at the University of Southern California, where he studied with renowned composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein and Christopher Young.In the years that followed, Lee laid the groundwork for his career by scoring over 70 independent short films and five independent features. As a composer, conductor and/or music producer, he contributed to shows such as Family Guy (Fox), House of Mouse (Disney/ABC), Charmed (WB), and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (TBS).Lee broke through the ranks when he was selected to compose music for the Lord of the Rings website for New Line Cinema. His work there won him recognition as a bright new talent. It also brought him to the attention of Jerry Bruckheimer and Bertram van Munster, who hired him to score CBS’s Emmy-winning show The Amazing Race.In May 2005, Lee received a BMI Film & TV Music Award for The Amazing Race 7, and in November 2007 he won the first-ever Film & TV Music Award for “Best Score for a Reality Television Program” for his work over the course of the series.Lee recently completed scoring duties on The Amazing Race 12, The Bachelor 11, the independent documentary feature Popatopolis, and a series of international spots for the feature film Cloverfield. When he’s not composing, you’ll most likely find him zooming around LA in his beloved yellow MINI Cooper.