Nelson Downend is an award-winning screenwriter, director and lighting designer based in New York City. His work explores emotional and psychological trauma and the power of the human connection in the aftermath. Informed by his experience as a lighting designer, Nelson’s work often employs a grounded surrealism that enhances the visual storytelling.

Nelson's character driven projects include dark dramas, psychological thrillers, mysteries, and dramatic comedies which have advanced to later rounds in various screenwriting programs and contests including Sundance, the Austin Film Festival, the Page International Screenwriting Awards, ISA, Roadmap Writers, ScreenCraft and Final Draft’s Big Break. He currently has several projects on Coverfly’s Red List. Most recently, Nelson worked as a screenwriter on multiple TV projects being developed by Little River Entertainment.

Nelson's directorial work has screened at various film festivals, including The New York Shorts International Film Festival, New York CineFest, the Garden State Film Festival, the Lighthouse International Film Festival and the Richmond International Film Festival. He has also been a Semi-Finalist in the Rhode Island International Film Festival, the Prague Underground Film Festival and the Brooklyn International Short Festival.

Nelson received his MFA in TV Writing from Stony Brook University and holds a BFA in Lighting Design from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.