David Oliver Cohen
David Oliver Cohen (born June 9, 1980)[1] is an American writer, actor and entrepreneur based in New York City. He is one of the authors of the White Girl Problems book series, and a founder of Swish Beverages.
David Oliver Cohen | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | New York University |
Occupation | Writer, actor, winemaker |
Years active | 1994–present |
Spouse(s) | Cristi Andrews (m. 2007) |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Tanner Cohen (brother) |
Early life and education
Cohen grew up in Annapolis, Maryland.[2] He attended New York University, where he studied acting.[3]
Career
Writing
In 2010, Cohen, his brother Tanner Cohen and Lara Schoenhals created a Twitter account called White Girl Problems, writing under the pseudonym Babe Walker, a fictional 20-something socialite.[2][4] They signed a deal to turn the Twitter feed into a book series, with the first novel, White Girl Problems, published in 2012 under the pen name Babe Walker.[5][6] It became a New York Times best-seller the following month.[7] The follow-up, Psychos, was published in 2014,[3][8] and American Babe, the final novel in the trilogy, was published in 2016.[4] The film rights to White Girl Problems were purchased by Lionsgate in 2013.[9] In 2016, it was announced that the film was in development, to be directed by Lauren Palmigiano and produced by Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman,[9] and to star Danielle Macdonald.[10]
Under the pseudonym Taylor Bell, a fictional college freshman, Cohen and his brother co-wrote the 2015 novel Dirty Rush.[11] In 2015, it was announced that TriStar had purchased the rights to Dirty Rush, with the film to be produced by Banks and Handelman.[12]
Credited to The Fat Jew, the 2015 book Money Pizza Respect was written by Josh Ostrovsky and Cohen, as a collection of comedic personal essays based on Ostrovsky's life.[13]
Acting
Cohen starred as Daniel McDaniel on the Nickelodeon show Taina for two years, starting in 2001.[3][14][15] Following that, he performed as the lead, narrator and filmmaker Mark Cohen, in the national tour of the musical Rent.[15][16][17] From 2006 to 2007, he portrayed Kip Lonegan on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns.[15]
Film
Cohen produced the documentary Sex Positive, which profiles safe sex activist Richard Berkowitz and premiered at the 2008 South by Southwest Film Festival.[18] He directed and produced the 2010 documentary Fast Boy, about a young man's struggle with cancer.[15]
Wine
In 2015, Cohen, Josh Ostrovsky, Tanner Cohen and Alexander Ferzan co-founded the company Swish Beverages, producer of several wines including White Girl Rosé and Babe Rosé With Bubbles.[19][20][21]
Personal life
Cohen lives in Manhattan with his wife Cristi Andrews, an actress, and their two children. Cohen's younger brother is actor and writer Tanner Cohen.[4]
Bibliography
- White Girl Problems (Hyperion Books, January 31, 2012, ISBN 978-1401324544) - as Babe Walker
- Psychos: A White Girl Problems Book (Gallery Books, April 29, 2014, ISBN 978-1476734156) - as Babe Walker
- Dirty Rush (Gallery Books, January 13, 2015, ISBN 978-1476775289) - as Taylor Bell
- Money Pizza Respect (Grand Central Publishing, November 3, 2015, ISBN 978-1455534777) - with Josh Ostrovsky
- American Babe: A White Girl Problems Book (Gallery Books, June 28, 2016, ISBN 978-1501124846) - as Babe Walker
- Babe Walker: Thirsty (Pocket Star, May 29, 2017, e-book) - as Babe Walker
Filmography
Television
Year | Series | Network | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo | Nickelodeon | Kid 1 | 1 episode |
2001-02 | Taina | Nickelodeon | Daniel McDaniel | Seasons 1 & 2 (26 episodes) |
2002 | The Nick Cannon Show | Nickelodeon | Himself | Season 1, episode 12 |
2006-07 | As the World Turns | CBS | Kip Lonegan | 5 episodes |
2007 | The Colbert Report | Comedy Central | Blue Boy (voice) | Season 3, episode 1 |
Film
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | Pom Poko | Ponkichi (English version, voice) | |
2003 | Virgin | Associate Producer | |
2008 | Sex Positive | Producer | Documentary |
2010 | Fast Boy | Director, producer, editor | Documentary |
2018 | White Girl Problems | Based on the novel by | Pre-production |
References
- David Oliver Cohen, IMDb. Accessed December 27, 2017.
- Scott Eidler, "Twitter's 'White Girl Problems' equal parts therapy, humor," The Washington Post, December 30, 2011.
- Diana Cooper, "White Girl Problems Founders Talk Babe Walker's Success, New Book 'Psychos' and Turning the Book Into a Film," Life & Style, May 6, 2014.
- Marah Eakin, "The two dudes behind White Girl Problems justify their existence," The A.V. Club, June 28, 2016.
- Isabel Wilkinson, "Twitter Feed White Girl Problems Becomes a Book: Authors on 'Babe Walker'," The Daily Beast, January 31, 2012.
- Rose Surnow, "Does This Movie Make Me Look Fat? White Girl Problems Coming to the Big Screen," Cosmopolitan, July 1, 2013.
- "Best Sellers: Paperback Trade Fiction: Sunday, February 19th, 2012," The New York Times, February 19, 2012.
- R. Kurt Osenlund, "Tanner Cohen on Babe Walker, the Fat Jew, and White Girl Rose, the Official Wine of Summer," Out, September 4, 2015.
- Anita Busch, "Lauren Palmigiano Set To Direct Lionsgate's 'White Girl Problems'," Deadline Hollywood, August 15, 2016.
- Dave McNary, "'Patti Cake$' Star Danielle Macdonald Lands Lead Role in 'White Girl Problems'," Variety, August 2, 2017.
- Nina Lin, "'Dirty Rush': The only thing shameless about this sorority girl expose is the writing," New York Daily News, February 2, 2015.
- Mike Fleming Jr, "Tom Rothman's TriStar Lands 'Dirty Rush' Novel For 'Pitch Perfect' Tandem Elizabeth Banks & Max Handelman," Deadline.com, January 12, 2015.
- Chris Gardner, "The Fat Jew Talks New Book, Fantasized Three-Way With Kim and Kanye," The Hollywood Reporter, November 3, 2015.
- Laura Fries, "Taina," Variety, January 10, 2001.
- Dorkys Ramos, "The Cast of Nickelodeon's 'Taina': Where Are They Now?" Vivala, February 25, 2016.
- Rick Rogers, "'Rent' seizes the '90s decade," The Oklahoman, April 4, 2002.
- Joe Delaney, "'Rent' makes its triumphant return at Aladdin Theatre," Las Vegas Sun, April 26, 2002.
- Gregg Goldstein, "Here picks up 'Sex Positive'," The Hollywood Reporter, December 1, 2008.
- "SWISH Beverages founders Josh Ostrovsky & David Oliver Cohen talk new 'Family Time Is Hard'," Downtown Magazine NYC, December 14, 2016.
- Zoe Henry, "The 'Fat Jew' Launches White Girl Rose E-Commerce Store and App," Inc., July 25, 2016.
- Olivia Sterns, "Meet 'White Girl Rose,' the Wine-on-Demand From 'The Fat Jew' and 'White Girl Problems'," Bloomberg Businessweek, June 12, 2015.