Dan Kay

Screenwriter and director Dan Kay took an interest in movies at a young age, inspired by independent films like "Clerks" (1994) and "The Brothers McMullen" (1995). After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in English, Kay got to work making his first movie, writing and directing the offbeat comedy-drama "Way Off Broadway" (2001). The film played at over 30 film festivals and was ultimately optioned by IFC. Kay still had to pay his dues in the industry however, and he got a chance to do so early on, when he was hired by Disney to write a script for an animated direct-to-DVD film called "TInkerbell 2." Unfortunately, a shift in management ultimately led to his work on the project being scrapped, but Kay continued to work at production jobs that would allow him time during his off hours to perfect his screenplays. His next script to go into production was the horror film "Timber Falls" (2007), which follows a couple on a harrowing journey when they are seized upon during their travels by crazed locals. Kay was earning a reputation as a bankable writer for horror films, so it was only natural that he was next approached about adapting a chilling short story by Tim Lebbon called "Pay the Ghost." Nicolas Cage signed on to play the lead in the movie, which hit theaters in 2015.