Dan Schoffer

Dan Schoffer’s got his fingerprints all over the 2014 indie scene, especially with “Hollidaysburg,” “Not Cool,” and the reality series “The Chair.” Let’s talk “Hollidaysburg” for a sec: It’s this slice-of-life drama about a handful of college kids coming home for Thanksgiving break, all tangled up in nostalgia, awkward reunions, and the kind of small-town weirdness that hits different once you’ve left. The movie’s not about big explosions or wild plot twists—nah, it’s more about those brutally honest, sometimes hilarious moments when you realize home isn’t quite the same after you’ve been gone. Schoffer’s writing here feels like he actually remembers what it’s like to be young, confused, and maybe a little lost. Now, “Not Cool” walks a messier, more chaotic line—think wild parties, cringe-worthy hookups, and a bunch of twenty-somethings desperate to prove they’ve grown up, even though they’re still making the same dumb mistakes. It’s rough around the edges on purpose, leaning hard into the awkwardness of growing up in a way that’s almost painfully real. Then you’ve got “The Chair,” a reality competition show that basically shoves two filmmakers into the same project—each with a totally different vision—and lets the chaos unfold. Schoffer’s role in all this? He’s the guy who knows how to spin the messiness of real life into something actually worth watching. If you’re tired of the same old teen drama formula, his work is like a breath of fresh air, packed with real moments and just the right amount of bite.