Wayne Darwen is an Australian journalist, television producer and filmmaker best known for his work in the tabloid television genre and as director and star of the film, ''

High There ''High There'' is a 2014 dark, nonfiction comedy film about a real-life, legendary but down-and-out tabloid television journalist who heads to Hawaii to film a marijuana travel series, only to become lost in a fog of drugs, sex and paranoia as he ...

'' (2015). Began career as a 17-year-old reporter for a newspaper in

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

. He worked internationally as a reporter for titles such as ''

Sydney Daily Mirror ''The Daily Mirror'' was an afternoon paper established by Ezra Norton in Sydney, Australia in 1941, gaining a licence from the Minister for Trade and Customs, Eric Harrison, despite wartime paper rationing. In October 1958, Norton and his ...

'', ''

Star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

'' magazine and the '' New York Post'', before moving to American television as a producer of tabloid newsmagazine shows like ''

A Current Affair ''A Current Affair'' may refer to: * ''A Current Affair'' (Australian TV program), 1971–present Australian current affairs program that airs on Nine Network * ''A Current Affair'' (American TV program), a 1986–1998 American television news ...

'', '' Hard Copy'',

Geraldo Rivera Geraldo Rivera (born Gerald Riviera; July 4, 1943) is an American journalist, attorney, author, political commentator, and former television host. He hosted the tabloid talk show '' Geraldo'' from 1987 to 1998. He gained publicity with the liv ...

’s ''Now It Can be Told'', '' Strange Universe'' and '' Inside Edition''. He received attention for his 1993 series of televised interviews with Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz, in which Berkowitz claimed the murders were the work of a Satanic cult. He appeared as reporter in the documentary film, ''Dark Mirror of Magick: The Vassago Millennium Prophecy'' (2012). His early television exploits were featured in the 1999 book ''

Tabloid Baby ''Tabloid Baby'' is a 1999 memoir and exposé by veteran journalist and television news producer Burt Kearns detailing his years as producer of the leading tabloid television shows of the 1990s: ''A Current Affair'' and ''Hard Copy''. Published sh ...

'', written by his colleague

Burt Kearns Burt Kearns is an American author, television and film producer, writer and director, and journalist, known for his work in reality television and his controversial 1999 tabloid television memoir, '' Tabloid Baby''. His latest book, a biography o ...

. In May 2015, Darwen made international news when he responded to Downey's attack on journalists and independent films.

''High There''

Darwen wrote, directed (with

Henry Goren Henry Goren is an American photojournalist, videographer, cinematographer, and documentary film director, known in the industry for his hidden camera and investigative expertise, as well as his activism on behalf of unions, the environment, anim ...

), produced and took on the guise of Dave High in the documentary film ''

'' (2015), a nonfiction comedy about the efforts of Darwen and

to film the pilot for a marijuana travelogue series on the island of Hawaii. They wind up in various misadventures, while uncovering a Drug Enforcement Administration campaign to control the marijuana trade and to persecute marijuana activist Roger Christie. It is the first leg of a filmic journey that picks up where Darwen's colleague and inspiration

Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author who founded the gonzo journalism movement. He rose to prominence with the publication of '' Hell's Angels'' (1967), a book for which he s ...

left off. ''High There'' premiered 25 August 2014 at the

Action on Film International Film Festival The Action On Film International Film Festival, also known as the Action On Film Festival, was founded in 2004. It was held in California until 2017 when it moved to the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. As a hub for many returning filmmakers ...

in Monrovia, California. Darwen was on location in Adelaide at the time, so he appeared at the premiere as a life-size cardboard cut-out. The film won the Viewers' Choice Award at the first annual Cannabis Film Festival in Humboldt County, California on May 3, 2015. On the heels of several rave reviews, it was released on VOD and Limited Edition DVD by BrinkVision on June 23, 2015.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Darwen, Wayne Australian television producers Australian television journalists Australian reporters and correspondents Australian film directors Journalists from Sydney Living people Year of birth missing (living people)