Debbie Durkin is an Indie TV / Film producer, a Chicago native who relocated her top talent and literary agency to Beverly Hills in January 1990 after signing two of her clients from her children's on-camera department to star in a major TV Series . 58 Chicago actors, writers and directors came with her and she began booking talent for major studio films and for TV shows like LA Law, Married With Children, Golden Girls, General Hospital, Bold & The Beautiful, The Young and The Restless, NYPD Blue, Ally MeBeal, The Practice, ER, and Chicago Hope. Prior to relocating to the West Coast Deb had built one of the most successful talent agencies (SAG - AFTRA- WGA - EQUITY- Franchised) in the Midwest for over ten years, booking talent for print, runway, fittings, TV commercials, trade shows, samplings, industrial films, voiceovers, Chicago Theater, and Chicago-based TV series: Lady Blue, Crime Story and Jack & Mike. She supplied most of the Trade Show Models & Spokespersons in the late '80's at the height of the Chicago convention industry, producing live events , designing and implementing brand promotions, and hosting fashion shows. In 1999 she retired her Hollywood Talent agency license and Union franchises when one of her clients asked her to produce a TV Magazine show, trendTV, #1 in its time slot in Southeast Asia , on ABC-5 in Manila.
Her background as a young filmmaker at the prestigious Northwestern University and as a Fashion Photographer (studied with Joseph Gugenheimer at the School of the Art Institute) coupled with marketing and sales skills extraordinaire has given her a highly developed eye for talent and enabled her to scout and represent hundreds of models and actors world-wide, signing many to lucrative overseas contracts (Tokyo, Milan, Paris, Barcelona, Munich, Madrid, Osaka, London).
She has appeared on numerous TV Talk Shows (AM Cleveland, Good Morning Portland) and radio shows nationwide as a entertainment guest expert , and has lectured in more than 98 cities in three countries on the "Business of Show Business." She has personally interviewed over a million hopefuls in her scouting history and always finds and highlights each one's assests to bring out the good in each person she meets.
Her logline is : "When you love what you do, it isn't stress, it's passion."
She has been a consultant for the Intl Model And Talent Assn (IMTA) in LA and the Modeling Assn of America Intl (MAAI) in NYC and the personal assistant for Wilhelmina/ Wilhelmina Models in NYC / MAAI Convention at the Waldorf Astoria in 1978.Some Celebrities / Name Talent she has discovered, developed, and/or represented:
Robert Townsend (The Parenthood, Hollywood Shuffle), Doug Llewellyn (Peoples Court), Michael Chase Walker (head of CBS Children's Programming, got his first book published, Power Screenwriting-#1 with Amazon.com), John York (General Hospital, I Was A Teenage Werewolf), Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne), Andy Dick (Less Than Perfect), Gary Coleman, Debbie Tucker (Olympic Ice Skater). Pamela Paulshock (Kings of Brooklyn, Beverly Hills 90210) Endre Hules (Apollo 13,The Craft, Talking Heads, Peacemaker, General Hospital, Antonia) Eldon Jackson (Congo), The Power Rangers (Green Ranger)-series regular, Colin Handley (Australian Stunt Academy, Neighbours-BBC, Martial Artist Australian Champion - 9yrs) Andrew Johnson (Point Break, Neighbours-BBC, General Hospital) Sports Players: Tom Milanovich, Washington Redskins (The Marrying Man, Angels in the Outfield) Durriel Harris (
Featured Accomplishments:
Voiceover Artist(radio spots and live fashion show commentary/MC., for Sears, Easter Seals, Int'l Photo Show, McCormick Place-Chicago. Awards Presenter: IMTA Showcase- LA & NYC and MAAI- NYC.
Beauty Pageant Judge: Miss Chinese New Year, Miss Black Illinois, Miss Fashion Fair/Ebony, Miss Ensenada, Mexico....and more.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER : LA Film Actors/ Writers/Filmmakers Conferences These INDUSTRY SPONSORED-Events will change your life- hailed as one of "the best in the biz" for aspiring and practicing professionals superiors, SUNDANCE Film Actors/Writers/Filmmakers Symposium JAN 20-25, 2006-Sundance Film Festival-Utah. and June 16-20, 2005 MDR, CA. during
Marina Del Rey International Film & Art Festival, Founder
WLAXMDR Chamber of Commerce, member
Women In Film , Guest Speaker
Durkin Artists Agency, owner, franchised agent- Beverly Hills, Santa Monica
Learning Annex- Chicago, Instructor
Durkin Model & Talent Mgmt.- Chicago , owner
Chicago Sting Pro Soccer Cheerleaders, "HoneyBees", Director
NFL/Chicago Bears , promotions
Northwestern University, film school
Northern Illinois University, public relations, marketing
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, photography
Southern Illinois University, sculpture, painting
Chicago Academy of Fine Art, drawing, painting
Bradley University, drawing, art history. literature
John Robert Powers Schools-Chicago, Director of Sales