Desi Van Til grew up in the foothills of rural Maine, the daughter of a pair of public school educators. She graduated cum laude with a degree in English Literature from Princeton University, then won a post-graduate fellowship to Paris that inspired Desi to pursue a career in the dramatic arts.
Desi moved to Los Angeles, and subsequently learned the ropes from mentor Greg Silverman at Revolution Studios and Warner Brothers. She then spent five years as VP of Development for producers Donna Roth and Susan Arnold. During that time, Desi associate-produced Gary Winick’s '13 Going on 30' starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo, as well as Judd Apatow’s 'Drillbit Taylor' starring Owen Wilson.
She adapted and produced the short film 'Last Night,' starring Frances McDormand, based on the...
Desi Van Til grew up in the foothills of rural Maine, the daughter of a pair of public school educators. She graduated cum laude with a degree in English Literature from Princeton University, then won a post-graduate fellowship to Paris that inspired Desi to pursue a career in the dramatic arts.
Desi moved to Los Angeles, and subsequently learned the ropes from mentor Greg Silverman at Revolution Studios and Warner Brothers. She then spent five years as VP of Development for producers Donna Roth and Susan Arnold. During that time, Desi associate-produced Gary Winick’s '13 Going on 30' starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo, as well as Judd Apatow’s 'Drillbit Taylor' starring Owen Wilson.
She adapted and produced the short film 'Last Night,' starring Frances McDormand, based on the James Salter short story by the same name. Last Night premiered at the Venice Film Festival. In 2008, Desi relocated to Portland, Maine with her husband, director Sean Mewshaw to produce the comedic love story 'Tumbledown' from her original screenplay. 'Tumbledown' stars Rebecca Hall, Jason Sudeikis, Joe Manganiello, Griffin Dunne and Blythe Danner. After winning best screenplay at the Napa Valley Film Festival, 'Tumbledown' premiered
at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2015 where rights were sold to Starz Digital, and then enjoyed a limited theatrical run and robust digital release.
Desi and Sean were Executive Producers of the Oscar-nominated short documentary
'Open Heart' which aired on HBO, as well as on the feature documentary 'Bending the Arc'
which premiered at Sundance in 2017. Desi wrote a feature romantic comedy for Warner
Brothers entitled Married Off, and is currently packaging her indie feature set on the coast of Maine entitled 'Little Bear.' Desi adapted Julie Orringer’s lauded novel 'The Invisible Bridge' set in Paris and Budapest during WWII as a limited series pilot. She has taught screenwriting for undergraduates at Colby College, has published personal essays in the food anthology Breaking Bread and Decor Maine magazine, and has spent several years helping students and scholars from Afghanistan navigate their way to safety in the United States.
Most recently, Desi produced an acclaimed sold-out workshop production of her play 'CHILDISH' in Portland, Maine at SPACE, directed by Sean. She is currently working on her first novel.