Deb Havens(III)
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Deb Havens is a screenwriter, producer, and television host. She started Traveling Moon Productions to provide quality services to the film and television community in West Michigan.
A former educator, Deb Havens holds degrees from Western Michigan University, the University of Florida in Gainesville, and a doctorate from Eastern Michigan University. She's taught in public high schools and as adjunct professor at Grand Valley State University.
She's also had a second career in television production that started at WZZM TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan as Associate Director of Public Affairs. She was later appointed Show Producer for the Grand Rapids edition of PM Magazine, and from there was recruited to Executive Producer at PM Magazine at WNEM TV in Saginaw, MI. Her promotion to Consulting Producer at the PM Magazine National Office took her all over the United States and launched her free-lance career with major corporate sponsors including Walt Disney World.
In 2000, Deb created the curriculum for the Communications Arts Academy at Southfield-Lathrup High School, and supervised the construction and programming for the in-school studio and student production classes. At the same time, she chaired Jennifer Granholm's Education Committee during her 2000 nominating campaign for Governor; Deb also researched and wrote her dissertation in preparation for her doctorate degree in Education Leadership from Eastern Michigan University.
Deb founded Traveling Moon Productions and the West Michigan Film Video Alliance (WMFVA) in the mid-2000s. She chaired WMFVA for a decade and worked with state legislators from both parties to create innovative ways to stimulate the economy during the early years of the Great Recession. She also completed her doctorate. After teaching script writing at Grand Valley State University, she organized the first-ever Conference of US Women Governors. Sponsored and hosted by the GVSU Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies - and co-sponsored by the National Governors Association - the 2017 conference hosted 7 women from across the United States who had been first-time female governors of their states. Deb also ran for the Michigan State Senate in 2014, concerned about the future of education, environment, and the economy of her home state.
Deb received the peer-generated 2017 Hyperion Award for her contribution to building the media production industry in West Michigan. In 2018, Traveling Moon Productions completed a feature-length documentary, "The Abandoned Bride," produced by Deb Havens and her sister Lynette Doele, which was submitted to several film festivals and screened in Europe. Deb's documentary work is inspired by long-kept and sometimes unsettling secrets in Deb's family past which carry important lessons for today. Her screenwriting interests are focused on stories that feature strong female leads and families facing unique challenges.
A former educator, Deb Havens holds degrees from Western Michigan University, the University of Florida in Gainesville, and a doctorate from Eastern Michigan University. She's taught in public high schools and as adjunct professor at Grand Valley State University.
She's also had a second career in television production that started at WZZM TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan as Associate Director of Public Affairs. She was later appointed Show Producer for the Grand Rapids edition of PM Magazine, and from there was recruited to Executive Producer at PM Magazine at WNEM TV in Saginaw, MI. Her promotion to Consulting Producer at the PM Magazine National Office took her all over the United States and launched her free-lance career with major corporate sponsors including Walt Disney World.
In 2000, Deb created the curriculum for the Communications Arts Academy at Southfield-Lathrup High School, and supervised the construction and programming for the in-school studio and student production classes. At the same time, she chaired Jennifer Granholm's Education Committee during her 2000 nominating campaign for Governor; Deb also researched and wrote her dissertation in preparation for her doctorate degree in Education Leadership from Eastern Michigan University.
Deb founded Traveling Moon Productions and the West Michigan Film Video Alliance (WMFVA) in the mid-2000s. She chaired WMFVA for a decade and worked with state legislators from both parties to create innovative ways to stimulate the economy during the early years of the Great Recession. She also completed her doctorate. After teaching script writing at Grand Valley State University, she organized the first-ever Conference of US Women Governors. Sponsored and hosted by the GVSU Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies - and co-sponsored by the National Governors Association - the 2017 conference hosted 7 women from across the United States who had been first-time female governors of their states. Deb also ran for the Michigan State Senate in 2014, concerned about the future of education, environment, and the economy of her home state.
Deb received the peer-generated 2017 Hyperion Award for her contribution to building the media production industry in West Michigan. In 2018, Traveling Moon Productions completed a feature-length documentary, "The Abandoned Bride," produced by Deb Havens and her sister Lynette Doele, which was submitted to several film festivals and screened in Europe. Deb's documentary work is inspired by long-kept and sometimes unsettling secrets in Deb's family past which carry important lessons for today. Her screenwriting interests are focused on stories that feature strong female leads and families facing unique challenges.