Director DeMane Davis recalled when Parul Agrawal, SVP of drama at Warner Bros., reached out to her about a show called Brilliant Minds (NBC). The exec sent the pilot to Davis with a warning: “You’re gonna cry in the first four minutes.”
Davis was skeptical initially, relating, “I didn’t tell her but I was resistant–crying in the first minutes of a new TV show? That’s a tall order. Then I watched and totally began to tear up. Soon after I met the showrunner/creator, Michael Grassi, and learned about his hopes for the series. He said when someone has a broken arm, you can see it–you may even hold a door open for them. When someone is suffering from a mental condition, there isn’t a visual marker and it’s easier to label them and/or walk away. But that person still needs and deserves help. What Dr. Oliver Wolf does [in Brilliant Minds], wonderfully played by Zachary Quinto, is literally walk towards that person. He wants them to be okay. I really responded to that.
“Our main character,” continued Davis, “is inspired by physician, author, and professor of neurology, Dr. Oliver Sacks. I saw Awakenings in the theater with my mama when I was little; it actually motivated me to read some of Dr. Sacks’ books! Like him, this character focuses on the patient instead of the disease. At a time when 90% of U.S. adults believe our country is experiencing a mental health crisis (CNN), having a show that de-stigmatizes conditions of the mind and embraces what makes someone different rather than suppressing it is revelatory. I’m so happy to have been involved in it.”
That involvement spans directing and exec producing, carrying challenges for her in both capacities. “Brilliant Minds puts you in the heart, body and mind of the patient,” Davis explained. “It’s really the only way to understand what someone with one of these real mental health conditions is experiencing. That means, as a director on the show, you get to actually create the concept of what that condition feels like and pitch it visually. You come up with what we call the ‘Patient Perspective.’ It’s rare but this is the visual freedom Michael Grassi allows guest directors, even though it’s a network show! There are also flashbacks each episode so you understand why Dr. Wolf is the way he is and what he cares about. Our directors are also allowed to pitch those transitions from flashback to present day. Exciting as a director. Though as an executive producer it can be tough to finagle how the ‘Patient Perspective,’ flashbacks and present day fit into an eight-day schedule. But honestly that’s when you get creative. It’s when we leaned on our line producer (Claire Welland) and stellar first ADs (Mark Easey and Tyler Delben) to help sort and put the puzzle together in an efficient way that, above all, still brought the script and these emotional moments to life.”
Underscoring the successful attainment of those goals is Davis’ decision to submit the episodes she directed for Emmy consideration. But even more stirring than award prospects is the impact Brilliant Minds has had on its audience. Davis shared, “I would “LiveTweet” (I still call it Twitter) the show when it aired which is something I love. I do it for Found [another NBC show for which she served as director/exec producer] too! It’s so fun! You’re basically watching TV live, with thousands of other people. What I experienced is viewers posting things like–’I have that condition!’ or ‘I never thought I would see it on TV.’ Then someone else would ask them how they’re handling it and if they’re okay. All of these people were connecting and sharing parts of themselves through a TV show that they may have previously, hidden or felt remorse about. It was awesome to watch that happen in real time. I think Brilliant Minds made them feel seen, less alone. In my opinion, that’s the goal–nothing could have more of an impact than that.”
Advertising roots
Davis made her first career mark in the advertising industry, serving as a copywriter, owning two small ad shops for a stretch, and working as a creative at such agencies as Hill Holliday and Arnold Worldwide. She then diversified significantly into independent film, directing in tandem with Khari Streeter and Harry McCoy the feature Black & White & Red All Over, which screened at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. She and Streeter later directed Kerry Washington in LIFT, a film which premiered at the Sundance Fest in 2001 and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.
Ava DuVernay then reached out to Davis for the television series Queen Sugar. Davis got the gig to direct for season two and was then named producing director for season three. Davis’ TV exploits went on to include serving as director-producer on the Netflix limited series Self Made: Inspired by the life of Madam C.J. Walker, with Octavia Spencer in the title role.
Davis’ credits span episodic work for shows including How to Get Away with Murder, Station 19, and The Girls on the Bus.
Davis continues to be involved in short-form fare as well, directing commercials and branded content via production house Sweet Rickey. She directed a PETA commercial for the 2024 Super Bowl starring Edie Falco, known for her animal rights activism. Entertainment Weekly singled out the celebrity spot for its impact as we see two male bullies enter Falco’s kitchen and take her cheese as she was about to make pizza. Falco pleads with the men not to steal her cheese and is beside herself when they leave. The scene shifts to a distraught mother cow chasing after a truck that’s carting away her calves. A supered message appears which reads, “Cheese isn’t your baby. But it robs a mother of hers.”
Davis said that her involvement in varied disciplines, from film to TV to commercials, informs all her work. She observed that “a scene is a commercial when you think of it–same crew, different amount of money but to know that something has to hit in :30, :60 or :90 seconds? I use those skills I gained in advertising every day.”
She affirmed, “I’m grateful to have worked and continue to be working in both streaming and network TV (thank you, Ava DuVernay!)” At the same time there’s something appealing about network television–which she’s experienced on NBC with Found and Brilliant Minds. Davis observed, “I actually love the idea of waiting to see what the next episode will bring. To have a show we all experience at the same time and then…that’s it. We have to wait. We have to have patience. In our binge laden, UberEats, everything-available-all-at-once-all-the-time world, I like that. It also allows for that one episode to, hopefully, stay with you if we’ve done our jobs well. It resonates and you get to mull it over.”
As for what’s next, Davis noted that she directed season two’s penultimate episode of Found, which ran last week on NBC. Sadly last week also brought news that NBC would not be bringing back Found for a third season. Before learning about that cancellation, Davis touched upon the value of Found, noting that “it highlights missing people who don’t make it to the top of the news cycle, and makes you marvel at [actors] Shanola Hampton and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Additionally Davis just wrapped a block of episodes on a limited TV series that she’s not yet at liberty to discuss publicly.
This is the second installment of SHOOT’s 16-part weekly The Road To Emmy Series of feature stories that explores the field of Emmy contenders, and then nominees spanning such disciplines as directing, cinematography, producing, editing, production design, casting, costume design and visual effects. The series will then be followed up by coverage of the Creative Arts Emmy winners and the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony in September.
