Est. 1999 · Pacific Northwest
Dead Gentlemen Productions is an independent film studio from the Seattle/Tacoma area of the Pacific Northwest — and the creative engine behind some of ZOE’s most beloved properties. The group met at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA in 1996–97.
Between 1998 and 2000 they produced two feature films — Demon Hunters and its sequel Demon Hunters: Dead Camper Lake — to great acclaim. In 2001 they shot The Gamers, a comedic short following college students whose tabletop RPG adventures play out on screen. The film gained worldwide attention at gaming conventions and film festivals, and became a cult classic among tabletop roleplayers everywhere.
With that success, Dead Gentlemen Productions, LLC was formally founded in 2002. DG went on to produce The Gamers: Dorkness Rising and The Gamers: Hands of Fate — completing a trilogy that cemented The Gamers as one of the most beloved franchises in tabletop gaming culture. DG also co-produced the Demon Hunters Roleplaying Game with Margaret Weis Productions.
In 2010, DG founders Ben Dobyns and Matt Vancil — along with Kat Ogden — founded Zombie Orpheus Entertainment to expand the universe they’d built. ZOE fully acquired Dead Gentlemen Productions and all its assets in 2018. Under the DG banner, ZOE has continued the legacy with Gamers: The Series — The Shadow Menace and Gamers: The Series — Attack of the Pwns. All DG films are now produced and distributed under the ZOE banner, and you can find everything right here.
