FILMS GONE WILD: Thoughts on the Adam Donaghey Case

The first story regarding the sexual assault charges against Dallas film producer Adam Donaghey, courtesy of the Dallas Morning News hit a week ago on May 8. Now, I say, the “first story”, not because it has subsequently been written about in Dread Central, Medium, Perez Hilton, etc., but because there has been A LOT of discussion about this story and the charges against Donaghey for quite awhile now, since the young woman who went to the police, initially (as far as most people are aware) had made the accusations on a Facebook post months ago.

So, there has been quite a bit of talk, commentary, and discussion about him since that time. Then, following his arrest, that naturally intensified with a number of companies and people he worked for and with (Cinestate, the Texas Theatre, the Oak Cliff Film Festival, Dallas Sonnier, David Lowery, and others among them) or even just associated with all under scrutiny for what they knew or didn’t know, what they would be asked by the people investigating this – both legally and in the press. People I knew that worked with him or had any official connection or a couple of degrees of separation were freaking their shit out, scrubbing him from public tie-ins, documents, considering crisis PR moves, etc. There was a lot of anticipation as to which press outlet would file the story first and what they would uncover.

While I know Donaghey from the film and film festival world and have for quite some time, my knowledge on all of this is probably not much more in-depth than yours, if you are just catching up to this story, and it’s less than that if you happened to actually work at Cinestate, or on any of their films, or on one of the David Lowery directed or produced projects, or if you were at the Texas Theatre, or the Oak Cliff Film Festival prior to his departure there a couple years ago. I believe I last saw him at a party more than a year ago – so my personal insight is minimal beyond what I had heard second and third hand from people that worked on productions with him.

The point of this long-winded intro to this column is that I am roughly in the same boat as everyone else curious as to how this whole thing will play out as the young woman seeks justice and Donaghey defends himself. And frankly, to see if others will come forward, because there is discussion out there about that as well. However, I was inspired to write this piece because of everything that I have heard from the people that know him better than I, or have worked with him, as well as what I have been reading on the Facebook discussion threads, Twitter feeds, and Reddit conversations.

It hasn’t been pretty.

And it has made me reflect on more than a few thoughts. Things that one would think fall under the “goes without saying” umbrella, but thoughts that one has at a time like this. Those thoughts are among several wrinkles folded into this larger story about sexual assault and preying on women in the workplace that has come out of much of the reactions to Donaghey being charged. One of them is…shocker…don’t be an asshole on the set.

Before we get into that, let me take the first of what will be a couple pauses as I explore these thoughts and how I think they are interesting in how it informs and has played into the telling this past week of what happened, what Donaghey is accused of, and the general perception of that story and him thus far. That very important pause is this: What he is accused of is statutory rape, and there is suspected sexual assault and more beyond that. So, we’re talking about being a sexual predator with these accusations. What Donaghey is charged with or suspected of, is not being chalked up to just being an “asshole” by me or anything else that I have read or anyone that I have spoken to about this. Let’s underline that and be real fucking clear.

The “asshole” thing. How has that colored all of this as the story gets rolled out? How DOES someone keep the sexual predator thing going while also not endearing themselves in the work space in order to get away with that behavior. Ultimately, why did those people and organizations I listed above keep hiring him back or keep him in the fold? By so many reports I have seen and heard, he was toxic and abusive on these productions. If not, why the raining down of these accounts. I have literally read one account (out of MANY that went the other direction) by someone that worked side-by-side with him that offered up surprise when he heard the news.

Let’s look at some things…

I actually put together a panel about this subject with Gregory Kallenberg at the Louisiana Film Prize a couple of years ago, because we didn’t think enough people in those kind of forums seriously discuss the subject of being an asshole on the set. People laughed at first when the panel began and I introduced the topic, but once we got into it, then people GOT INTO IT. Because….duh, right? Well, actually not – and Adam Donaghey is a prime example of that – or so public opinion (and not-so-public opinion) seems to be emphatically confirming right now.

When I worked as the unofficial Office Yoda at one of my personal PR agency stops on the map I would fairly routinely have some young publicist’s assistant in literal tears or in the midst of a weekly late-at-work existential crisis anyone has when working at the foot of what appears to be abject evil when you’re in that position. And at some point, I would have to remind them that the full-on-dick-o-rama or bitch-a-rific behavior that was crushing them at this moment in their young lives was not what got that particular publicist the awesome movie and TV stars on their client list. It was the baggage they hefted around with them and battered their assistants or lower level colleagues with as they swept into the office or descended onto a red carpet or press junket or film shoot, etc. But, as I would make clear to the kid, no client signed on because of it – and usually, they never actually saw it. Asshole behavior is what we accept when we have to or a calculation is made as to how much energy to expend to “deal with” the asshole, or we are higher up in the food chain and we just don’t care (and we will definitely return to this one a little later). In Donaghey’s case, people knew. And in fact, some people LEFT the organizations or companies because of it (Okay, to be fair, I only know of one definitely, so I’m hoping there was at least one or two others…) But, this is important, NOT the ones actually hiring. NOT the ones actually telling people he had to be brought on to line produce a film…

Before we move on, funny story…

(at least to me)

So, years after I had moved on from personal publicity, I was now the Head of PR at the American Film Institute, and at AFI FEST, we were about an hour away from that night’s big red carpet entrances when a couple personal PR youngsters swept in and were eyeballing the place marks that we had set down for the press members (This is a little “inside baseball”, but what happens on a lot of red carpets – certainly mine – is that all the press spots are pre-determined so there is no fighting for position, and no one has to send an underling hours beforehand like they are trying to get tickets for a STAR WARS screening or something. Everyone has their place, it’s all settled and civilized, blah, blah, blah.) Anyway…personal PR kids scrutinize the placement and order of who was where and instructed one of my assistant to start moving spots. I was ready for this since I saw them walk onto the carpet and promptly walked over and told them to stop what they were doing. PR Kids asked who I was and started to tell me who they were. I informed them who I was and that I knew who they were before they got there and the place marks were staying exactly where I placed them. Oh, and that I was looking forward to their client’s arrival.

PR Kids. That scene has been repeated more than a couple times in my film fest life. Different PR agencies, same kind of “upbringing” until they ran into me. Got to learn ‘em early otherwise you get another pain-in-the-ass we ALL have to deal with later on in their careers. And before you think I’m under the allusion that I caused them to see the err of their ways and turn a kinder and more respectful leaf. HA! No. I’m sure they returned to their toxic SWIMMING WITH SHARKS pecking order and continued to be groomed to be the horrible publicist cliché that we nicely describe as flacks. That’s one of the nice words.

I think about those moments when considering stuff like this. Here’s the thing that was a constant theme in everything…EVERYTHING…I have been hearing and now reading: No one was defending Donaghey. No one IS defending Donaghey. And to be clear, I don’t mean, in terms of saying the girl, now a young woman, had lied – no, nothing like that. That would just NOT fly in any way, in any forum, just no. No, what I’m talking about are the initial quotes. Thus far, they have all pretty much communicated the following: “Oh, yeah – he totally did it. And we have nothing to do with that…or him…we have nothing further to say…” You know what I mean? David Lowery lowered the boom, sounding like the school principal. “He was a disappointment to all of us. We expected much better..” The Texas Theatre/Oak Cliff Film Festival statement was along the lines of “That dude’s been gone for like, years now! I mean, it’s not like anyone actually knew him, really, even when he was here. What’s his name again? Adrian? Does he live in Dallas? We don’t know…” But the prize definitely went to Dallas Sonnier at Cinestate: “May God have mercy on his soul,” Holy shit! As a friend said, that’s what a gangster says over another gangster’s deathbed. It was so hilariously overwrought. He later followed with a more complete statement saying he believed the accusations against Donaghey and got rid of him immediately after that first Facebook post, taking his name off of the projects (but that’s more company-saving moves than people – women – working for your company saving moves, yes?) And the rest of it really read like “but I’m a nice guy and Cinestate isn’t what you think it is, come by and have some coffee and a slice of pie and we’ll talk about it” kind of thing.

It is also ironic since several reports have pointed toward that company as enabling this shit. Two words for starters: First word = Fred. Second word = Williamson. If you aren’t familiar with Blaxploitation legend and former Super Bowl champion Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, he is quite the larger-than-life character. I came close enough to writing a comeback movie for him that I had a meeting with him at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel where, of course, I got to see the Super Bowl ring, and was instructed that if I wrote the script and they did the movie, that The Hammer not only doesn’t die, he doesn’t even lose a fight.. Well, fast forward to today, and according to things people posted on Reddit, if he becomes inappropriate with a female makeup artist, he also doesn’t get called on it by the production team. Instead, she is instructed to not go back to the set and the other women are told to have escorts, or in football language, a blocking back to accompany her when around him.

Now, when a beloved figure or even someone remotely benign is accused like Donaghey has been, there is some kind of balance communicated somewhere at some point of “This is not the guy we knew.” “I’m shocked!” “Such a surprise when I heard about it.” “Of course, this needs to be investigated and we need to take what she’s saying seriously, but…I just don’t know.” It’s really tricky publically because the pendulum hasn’t swung back in favor of women since…well, okay it never has remotely swung IN FAVOR OF women, but, this is overwhelming NOT in favor of Donaghey.

And then there have been all of the people weighing in on Facebook threads, Twitter feeds, Reddit and it has not been…kind..either. I mean, it has been a flood of “fuck that guy”, “no one took him seriously”, “He only talked to you if he thought you were important or attractive (if you were a woman)”, “He was yelling at people..and who was he?”, to the kind of expected (and cliché), “He always had young female PAs and had them go to his house to pick up stuff and he was there wearing a robe” kind of thing. A couple guys with the “I didn’t see him do anything personally, but if I did shit would be different.”-type responses. So, Donaghey is on the island of fuck him, right now. Cinestate, Sonnier, Lowery, Oak Cliff FF, Texas Theatre all chartered their boats to get the hell out of there without even packing their things and checking to see if they left any charger cords.

Now, before I wrap this thing up, let me stop for one more serious pause to make sure we are clear that while I have been exploring a sliver that is part of this god awful pie chart of hell, that all of this still falls far below the focus of the actual case against Donaghey is. What happened to the young woman at the heart of this IS THE thing and SHOULD be the central focus, and concern. I will be watching along with everyone else as the court case proceeds. Beyond that – and bringing it back to us – we, on the film sets and productions – all need to get this shit straight and figure it out. Add mine to so many other voices saying ENOUGH.

This is an attempt to explore some offshoot thought from this, people’s reactions and so forth, and looking to color in the edges of the picture as we see it a bit, but in no way shape or form do I want this column to be remotely misconstrued as a Paul Schrader-esque, “Sure, Weinstein raped and sexually abused those women but the true crime was what he did to directors’ films in the editing bay! Why are we not focusing on how Bertolucci’s third act suffered?!” thing. Which he said was not his intention, and he thought he was taking part in a larger conversation that apparently didn’t happen so he was left twisting in the unfortunate thought bubble wind. But I want to be emphatic that while I may admittedly include some snark as I write about additional things Donaghey’s case has made me think about and reflect on, I understand where the markers need to be laid down. That young woman’s life, what the experience was and how it – as she has described it in that Facebook post that led to this investigation – affected her then AND now – that is most definitely THE thing superseding what this column is chewing on. It needs to be addressed. As well as the possibility of other women that Donaghey might have preyed upon. I want to be careful to not overstep here, but that possibility does exist as well.

And frankly, solving the riddle of why it keeps happening or being allowed to have happened with no corrective measures should be the subject of more columns and panels and how about this – actual concrete action by everyone. Someone pondered to me the thought of how much “power” he actually had. Or going above him, a Cinestate, to “force” people to go accept this behavior in order to have a film career in this town. He’s wasn’t (despite the hilarious Dallas Morning News description of him as “a leading member of the North Texas film scene) someone who was a mover and shaker in this town or elsewhere. So why would people keep working with him and at the companies and productions employing him if they knew what he was doing? Their employment. That’s the easiest answer. Work on a single film or commercial, etc. is HUGE to anyone here in Dallas. Fuck that, it’s huge anywhere to most everyone. So maybe there is some truth to that “You’ll never work in tis town again!” melodrama. I mean, how far is anyone capable of extending themselves and making the principled stand because they know or suspect strongly that a predator, let alone an asshole, is in their midst? Then that question gets bumped up to the next pay grade, right? The other producers. The ones that insisted he be hired. The partners. The ones there with him from the beginning. Those are questions we each have to ask ourselves, And someone needs to ask those above us even when we find ourselves between that rock and a paycheck.

Let me finish with a final glance at the profile we create for ourselves, the persona that develops around us due to our actions, and the ramifications when the shit hits our personal fan. Because that’s when we discover that we have fans or not. It’s when we find out immediately if we have a support structure thanks to our actions and deeds. If we are no longer of economic value, are we at least of personal value? On the film set, everything is even more micro-focused so much of the time, right? We’re trying to make a day. Pull off a shot. Work around that day’s pending disaster. We’re also trying to remain employed and maybe set ourselves up to be employed another day, like THE PRINCESS BRIDE’s Wesley PA’ing for the Dread Producer Roberts. When someone hasn’t had that generosity of spirit, when someone has been a toxic presence, maybe bullied someone, thwarted them in front of the crew, taken credit for someone else’s work, or taken a dubious credit at that, what then? When someone has abused their power over someone else on a film set…and then they get accused of something as heinous as what Donaghey is accused of? Well, this is an example of what can happen. The case against them has already been built at that person’s own hand. And the accusation of a truly unforgiveable action just gives everyone the opening to put it in the spotlight, that’s all.