Scott Sanders (director)


Scott Sanders is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his work with the films Black Dynamite and Thick as Thieves.

Early life

Scott Sanders was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina and raised in Washington, DC. His mother is Mrs. Estelle "Bunny" Sanders, the current mayor of Roper, North Carolina. Sanders' maternal grandfather, E.V. Wilkins, was the first black mayor of Roper, and has a building named in his honor. His father, John Thomas Sanders, was an employee of IBM and also owned and operated a popular D.C. area barbecue pit, Scott's BBQ, which he named after his son. Scott's BBQ was a popular eatery for local politicians; regular patrons included Thurgood Marshall and Walter Mondale.
Scott Sanders attended Sidwell Friends School where he graduated in 1986 and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated in 1991 and majored in Radio, TV, and Motion Pictures.
One of Scott's closest childhood friends is actor Ben Shenkman. He went to middle school with Saturday Night Live cast member Ana Gasteyer; they had a scene together in a 7th grade production of the play Auntie Mame.

Career

Sanders currently resides in Los Angeles, California. His first job upon arrival in Hollywood was working at United Talent Agency as an assistant to Pat Dollard, a conservative filmmaker, blogger, and mentor to Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh.
In addition to writing and directing, Sanders is also a DJ, spinning under the name "Suckapunch".
Sanders began his career as a television writer working on TV shows such as A Different World, Roc, and The Wayans Brothers.
Sanders' directorial debut came on the 1998 HBO film Thick as Thieves, starring Alec Baldwin, Michael Jai White, Rebecca De Mornay, and Janeane Garofalo. Based on the novel of the same name by Patrick Quinn, and adapted for the screen by Sanders and Arthur Krystal, the film premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by HBO.
Black Dynamite premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Entertainment for worldwide distribution. Scott Sanders directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay along with Michael Jai White and Byron Minns. Black Dynamite appeared in many film festivals throughout 2009, including Sundance, Seattle International, Tribeca, Karlovy Vary International, Munich, Edinburgh International,, Melbourne International, and Deauville American. At the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival, Black Dynamite won the 2009 Golden Space Needle Award for "Most Popular Film". Black Dynamite was released by Sony Pictures on October 16, 2009.

Filmography

As writer/director: