Trivia

He attended Southern Methodist University from 1994 to 1997 and earned BAs in Cinema and English Literature (with a Creative Writing specialization). He then attended the American Film Institute from 1998 to 2000 and earned an MFA in Screenwriting.

In the Netflix true crime docuseries, "The Staircase," it's mentioned that Hollywood producer Stratton Leopold optioned the film rights to the book, "Charlie Two Shoes and the Marines of Love Company," which was co-written by Michael Peterson and David Perlmutt, on the day of Kathleen Peterson's death. Writer-Producer-Director Dax Phelan wrote the screenplay adaptation of that book for Leopold.

After graduating from the American Film Institute with an MFA in Screenwriting, Phelan worked as the Creative Executive for veteran producer Mace Neufeld ("The Hunt for Red October," "Invictus," "The Equalizer") at Sony Pictures Entertainment for three years. Upon selling a spec script of his own, Phelan amicably parted ways with Neufeld and Sony and began writing full-time. Having worked on "both sides of the desk," Phelan became a go-to script doctor and ghostwriter, performing uncredited work on a number of projects over the years before branching out into producing and directing.

His films have premiered at some of the world's most prestigious film festivals, including Venice, Berlin, London, Hong Kong, New Directors/New Films, Busan, SXSW, Chicago, New York, and Telluride.

Bit by the wine bug in 2010, Phelan spends much of his spare time in Santa Barbara County, California (a prominent viticultural region), learning about wine and winemaking. The region is noted for its Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rhône varietals.

In 1998, American Express financed scholarships on behalf of 20 Academy Award nominees to the American Film Institute's Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies. Phelan was awarded one such scholarship for his screenplay, "Kilgore," in the name of Helen Hunt, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the James L. Brooks film, As Good As It Gets (1997).

Featured in the LA Film Awards' "Thirty Promising Directors to Watch" list for 2018.

Member of the Producers Guild of America.

Early in his career, Phelan worked as a story analyst for Mace Neufeld, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Michael Mann.

Avid boxing fan.

Has provided voice-overs for PSAs, commercials (e.g., Disney Theme Parks), and movie trailers.

During his youth in St. Louis, Missouri, Phelan attained the highest rank in scouting, Eagle Scout, and was the first scout to win both the Silver Bullet Award for riflery and the Golden Arrow Award for archery.

Studied methods for directing actors with Judith Weston, a world-renowned acting coach and author of the bestsellers, Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television and The Film Director's Intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques.