Opportunities

OSV is expanding. We are on the look out for new talent, fresh thinkers, and people who challenge the norm.

A Bit About the Role

O’Shaughnessy Ventures’ (OSV’s) filmmaking vertical, Infinite Films, is seeking a filmmaker to write and direct a feature-length documentary film covering the life of Dr. David Rhoiney.

A child of poverty, gang violence, and homelessness, the odds of David Rhoiney making it to adulthood at times appeared slim. The odds of escaping poverty seemed slimmer still.

Twenty-five years later, David’s career defies belief. Now a qualified robotic surgeon, David has also excelled as a Division I athlete in basketball and track, a U.S. Navy cryptologist, a financial educator, a public speaker, and a web designer.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an up-and-coming filmmaker to lead a feature-length project and make their mark in the industry.

About the Documentary

The film will be based on a biography of David being written by OSV team member Ed William. A synopsis of the book can be found below in the Appendix, and we will provide a book outline to applicants who reach the interview stage. For a short video of David sharing his story in his own words, follow this link to our Substack.

You and Ed will work on the screenplay together based on Ed’s book. You will subsequently be the documentary’s sole director.

We are flexible in our approach and are open to applications for the screenwriter or director roles in isolation. We are also open to writer-director partnerships.

Broadly, we expect the documentary to feature David revisiting significant locations from his past while discussing the challenges, opportunities, and personal growth documented in Ed’s book. Beyond that, we are open for the film to be taken in any number of creative directions.

OSV has a close relationship with David, and this project is being carried out with his consent, collaboration, and support. David has agreed to make himself available for filming the documentary, although the logistics of this are TBC.

Ed’s book is being written primarily based on extensive in-person interviews between David and Ed, together with Zoom conversations due to take place between Ed and dozens of David’s former and current friends, family, and colleagues.

Ed’s interviews with David were filmed in RAW format. While we anticipate the documentary will predominantly feature fresh, visually engaging content, the available footage can be integrated as video or audio into the film, should you find it fitting.

Key Responsibilities

Develop a documentary script/screenplay supported by Ed and based on Ed’s biography of David.
Guide Infinite Films in assembling a documentary team that aligns with your creative vision.
Execute primary directorial duties such as identifying set locations, scheduling, storyboarding, on-set direction, and overseeing editing.
Coordinate with all parties to ensure consistent execution of your creative vision.

Dates & Locations

Ed completed his book outline in September. He's currently working on the book, targeting a late 2024 completion. We expect the screenwriting process to commence in parallel.

Filming will take place as soon as possible following the completion of the book and screenplay.

Filming will take place primarily in the USA. The screenwriting process can take place remotely, provided that you can periodically work synchronously (i.e., join phone or video calls) both with Ed (who is based in the UK) and our team in the United States.

Key Requirements

Demonstrable experience scripting short or feature-length films (either fiction or non-fiction is acceptable).
Demonstrable experience directing short or feature-length films (either fiction or non-fiction is acceptable).
An affinity for the documentary genre and personal storytelling.
Resonance with David’s story.

Prior experience in documentary filmmaking is a plus.

The Team

You will work closely with Ed William on the screenplay. Throughout the project, you will have a direct line of communication with Nick Tawil (OSV’s Chief of Staff), and others in the team who will be involved in this project.

We will work closely with you on the recruitment of the documentary team.

You will enjoy both implementation & creative freedom in your role.

To Apply

Please submit the following details via this form:

Proof of work (portfolio, website, or reel).
A brief overview (in 150 words or fewer) of documentaries you have particularly enjoyed and elements from them you may like to incorporate or use as inspiration.
Your proposed all-inclusive rate, taking into account the expected duration, size and scope of the project (including all pre and post production stages.)

For any questions, please email us at info@osv.llc

We will review applications for this project on a rolling basis, with a final deadline of January 19, 2024. We may close the application earlier if we find a great candidate, so we recommend submitting your application as soon as possible.

Get started by filling out this form:

APPLY

Appendix

Synopsis: Born to Fit Out

David Rhoiney was born at the bottom.

As an impoverished African American child, he survived seemingly unbearable hardships, yet despite the bleakest prospects, his adult years have been defined by a series of astonishing successes.

This desperate yet brilliant boy became a complex, ambitious man who refused to let himself be beaten by the dire circumstances he found himself in.

Now a qualified robotic surgeon, David has also excelled as a Division I athlete in basketball and track, a U.S. Navy cryptologist, a financial educator, a public speaker, and a web designer and developer.

This is a story of ambition, ruthlessness, sacrifice, hubris, intelligence, stubbornness, loss, and, ultimately, hope.

This is the story of how David Rhoiney reached the top.

Growing up on the streets of Compton, Oakland, and Long Beach, David was exposed to things that no adult, let alone child, should endure.

Designated as the “man of the house” after his Father suddenly abandoned his family, as a child, David took on responsibility above his years.

Whether he was facing down a shotgun, living in a car, or caring for his desperately sick Mom, two thoughts kept him going:

“I need to find a way out. I need to save my family.”

Basketball provided the lifeline he needed.

On the streets, standing out is a risk. On the basketball court, it is the point. David excelled, and soon, the United States Naval Academy came knocking to offer him a college scholarship.

He quickly realised, however, that physically leaving his home was one thing. Truly escaping poverty was another.

Harsh reminders of his childhood pierced through the thin veil of security provided by the Naval Academy, from his Grandmother's death to his Mom's continuing poor health.

Meanwhile, basketball was not proving the lifeline it had initially promised to be. A series of injuries and combative relationships with coaches combined to kill David’s dream of playing the sport professionally.

With David’s aspirations in tatters, the wilderness beckoned.

A chance encounter offered a thread of hope. He stumbled across cryptology, a career that appeared curiously well-suited to David’s love of maths and “tip of the spear” ambitions.

Now on active service as an Information Warfare Officer, David spent three years unleashing his intelligence on complex cryptological problems.

Just as basketball had taught David to stand out physically, cryptology allowed him to stand out intellectually and, despite personal unhappiness, he excelled.

By now, the first half of David’s childhood vow had been fulfilled. Although he remained financially insecure, he had escaped poverty.

But his Mom remained engulfed in chaos. She continued to bounce from house to house in California and experienced regular psychological breakdowns.

Desperate to save his Mom and tired of the dry days of cryptology, David signed up for Medical School, determined to study neurosurgery.

There, finally confident enough to embrace the full force of his drive and intelligence, David quickly made a name for himself, and the contours of his future career began to take shape.

And then, just as David was closer than ever before to fulfilling the promise he had made as a child, tragedy struck. His Mom passed away suddenly, aged only 49.

At the funeral, as David watched his Mom be lowered into the ground, he placed a hand on her casket and made a new promise:

“I’m going to save as many people as I can.”

Several years later, in 2019, David qualified as a general surgeon. He now has a family: a loving wife, Kimberli, and two children who are enjoying the sort of childhood that David only dreamed of.

His CV is overwhelming: robotic surgeon, founder, software developer, cryptologist, and two-time Division One athlete.

But David isn’t done.

That desperate, hungry little boy within him still urges him on. Although the material poverty of his childhood is a distant memory, psychologically, it still casts a long shadow.

He still has a point to prove. A promise to keep.

David Rhoiney is only just getting started.