Debra Markowitz created and served as the Director of the Nassau County Film Office. In this capacity, Ms. Markowitz presided over the Nassau County Film Commission, now known as the Nassau County Film Advisory Board and chaired as its Executive Director.
Serving four administrations during her 33-year tenure, Ms. Markowitz had steadily increased production of movies, television programs and commercials that were shot in Nassau County, logging over 1,400 production days and over $150M in positive economic impact per year. She began when studios were a dream, and left with three-fully functioning NYS approved soundstages and a forth on the way.
Ms. Markowitz serves as President of the Long Island Film-TV Foundation, Long Island’s most established and largest not-for-profit agency dedicated to the support and promotion of independent filmmaking. Under her directorship, the Foundation spawned the Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE). Heading into its 28th year, LIIFE enjoys enormous popularity, attracting short and feature-length independent films from around the world, spotlighting films made on Long Island and concluding with a star-studded award celebration.
An enthusiastic filmmaker herself, Ms. Markowitz is an award-winning writer and director who has won awards worldwide. Several of Debra’s films and screenplays have been accepted to Academy Award qualifying film festivals. Her screenplay, Just Look Into My Eyes, was a quarter finalist at HollyShorts and Flickers RI, both Academy Award qualifying film festivals. Debra’s feature film, The Only Woman in the World, is screening on Prime Video, Tubi, The Alice Channel on Xumo and has been requested by several other steaming platforms.
Debra’s current projects:
*Welcome to Belle View – Series pilot – Director – in production
*Horizon – Short film – Director – in production
*Wait List – short film – Writer/Director/Producer – in post production
*Wait List: A Love-ish Story – Writer/Director/Producer – in post production
*Brimstone – Short film – Writer/Director/Producer – in post production
*Brimstone – Feature film – Writer/Director/Producer – in preproduction
*Yule Tides – Feature film – Writer/Director/Producer – in development
*Couple of Guys – Six Episode Limited Series – Writer/Director/Producer – 4 episodes completed, developing the final two while fundraising.
Debra teaches actors’ workshops as both director and casting director at the New York Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts. She has been a judge on the LaGuardia Arts panel for potential incoming drama students as well as for the Locust Valley High School Student Film Festival. Debra is a past recipient of the Town of Hempstead’s Woman of Distinction Award. Ms. Markowitz is a proud member of the Film Fatales, New York Women in Film & Television and Women in Film, Debra was on the LaGuardia Performing Arts High School Drama and Technical Theater Advisory Board (the FAME high school) and currently serves on the CTE Board of LIHSA (the Long Island High School for the Arts Technical and Advisory Board) and Five Towns College. She is a former member of the Discover Long Island Tourism Board and a former member of the Westfield International Film Festival.
Debra Markowitz is a freelance writer and novelist, having written the Karmic Wind trilogy: Naked in the Rain, Sarah and Caleb, and Karmic Wind.
Ms. Markowitz’s name can be found on the Long Island Press’ Power List, 50 Long Islanders Who Control Our Lives (2006 and 2012); Beverly Fortune’s, Fortune 52 (2006); as the recipient of the prestigious George M. Estabrook Alumni Award for Distinguished Service (Hofstra University, 2011) and the 2012 Long Island Arts Council honoree as its Outstanding Advocate for the Arts.
You can follow Ms. Markowitz on Instagram (@debramarkowitzfilm) Twitter (@debramarkowitz) and Facebook at www.facebook.com/DebraMarkowitzWriterDirector You can find out more about her, her films and her company at www.IntentionFilmsandMedia.com and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-markowitz/ For more information on the Long Island International Film Expo, please go to www.LongIslandFilm.com
Debra was one of the originators behind The Master Shift Global Meditation event, which now has over two million followers on Facebook. She is an avid yoga practitioner and a Reiki Master. She lives with her husband and business partner, John Marean, and their rescue dog, Tracie Hope. They have four adult daughters between them.
