Eamon O’Rourke is a director and producer for the screen who has worked on films such as “Asking For It,” “Walkaway: The Movie,” and “The Immigrant.” O’Rourke is also known for his work with music videos and documentaries, most recently directing the documentary titled “We’re Going To Need More Wine,” which premiered at SXSW in 2018.
O’Rourke ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to help fund the making of his second feature film, Walkaway: The Movie. As a philanthropic activist, he has supported many causes, including LGBTQ equality and human rights, through PSAs. Eamon O’Rourke has been honored with awards such as the Indie Impact Award in the 2014 Big Vision Empty Wallet Film Festival.
Eamon O’Rourke was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, US. He is openly gay, was raised by Irish American parents who were devout Catholics, and once worked on a church stage crew. He attended Southern Illinois University for his undergraduate studies, then went on to receive his MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design. While at SCAD, he worked as an associate producer for Brandon Camp Films on films such as The Great Buck Howard, Extraordinary Measures, A Single Man, and The Girlfriend Experience. O’Rourke also wrote, produced, and directed the mockumentary Hunter & The Bear, which premiered at the 2009 Los Angeles Outfest Film Festival.
In 2016, O’Rourke made his feature film debut with the coming-of-age drama “Asking For It.” It screened at many festivals, including Outfest, BFI Flare, and Frameline, before being distributed by Wolfe Video. In 2017 he directed a music video for Troye Sivan called “Bloom.” Bloom was nominated for Best Music Video for a Golden Globe in 2018. Also in 2018, O’Rourke filmed a documentary titled “We’re Going To Need More Wine,” which premiered at SXSW that year and received critical acclaim.
O’Rourke is credited with creating the first gay PSA for Crunch Gym as a part of their “Body Positivity” campaign in 2016. O’Rourke shared his own story and developed the concept in order to help create positive change.