Ian Holt

A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Ian studied creative writing, dramatic arts and acting with intensive character development and script theory under the late great Stella Adler. Seeking more creative control over his work, Ian left acting behind to pursue a career in screenwriting. A Dracula/Bela Lugosi fan since childhood, Ian acquired the rights to and developed a screenplay for the 1972 best-selling non-fiction book, "IN SEARCH OF DRACULA," by Fulbright Scholars Prof. Raymond McNally and Prof. Radu Florescu (Prince Dracula's descendant) that Francis Ford Coppola used to research his 1992 film, Bram Stoker's Dracula. McNally and Florescu became mentors to Ian who toured the country with the professors giving lectures, appearing on news programs and writing scholarly papers on the life of the historic Prince Dracula and the cultural implications and influence of Bram Stoker's novel on western society. Based on his travels with McNally and Florescu, Ian was asked to join The Transylvanian Society Of Dracula and attend their First World Dracula Congress in 1995 in Romania—a gathering of the top history and literature scholars from around the world to discuss the fantastics influence on the arts, specifically horror stories and films. While in Romania Ian spent the night in the ruins of Dracula's Castle in Poenari and traveled to his palace in Tirgoviste where he stood on the balcony of Dracula's Chindia tower. It was from this balcony that Dracula, the great Impaler himself, looked out upon his Forest Of The Impaled—forty-thousand impaled Turkish prisoners. Ian even visited Dracula's birthplace in Sighisoara and his "empty grave" at Snagov Island Monastery. Ian's life changed forever when he was invited by the world's premiere Bram Stoker and Dracula authority, Prof. Elizabeth Miller to speak at DRACULA'97 in Los Angeles—a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the release of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, "Dracula." It was at this monster mash that Ian delivered his "legendary" paper among Dracula scholars, HOW DRACULA MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. It was also at Dracula '97 that Ian dreamed up the idea of doing a screenplay sequel to Bram Stoker's immortal novel. From connections made at Dracula '97, Ian, five years later, met Dacre Stoker —Bram's great-grandnephew. Dacre also had dreamed for many years of ideas for a new Dracula story. It was a match made in heaven. Dacre suggested the proper way to go about a sequel and honor Bram would be to not write a screenplay first, but a book. Ian agreed. After years of research and dedication, the result of Ian and Dacre's labors became their first novel, Dracula The Un-Dead.