Damien grew up in Launceston, Tasmania: pop: 60,000; cinema: 1. As a teenager he joined the local film society with his grandfather, forging a lifelong love of movies. After completing an Arts/Law degree in Hobart, he moved to Sydney to join the Classification Board (the Australian equivalent of the US MPAA ratings board or the UK's BBFC). Soon after Damien arrived in Sydney he started making short films, and went on to study an MA in Directing at the Australian Film Television & Radio School (AFTRS). Damien's first feature, the survival thriller Killing Ground, had its international premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in the iconic Midnight Section where it played to rave reviews: 'a straight-up, stripped-down suspenser' (Variety); 'knife-edge performances and a terrifying premise executed with airtight verisimilitude... beautifully made and utterly disturbing' (The Guardian); 'an impressive, not-for-the-fainthearted feature debut that clever plays with narrative chronology and your central nervous system.' (Rolling Stone) Damien's second feature, No Exit, was produced by Scott Frank (Queen's Gambit) for 20th Century Studios and premiered on Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally on 25 February 2022. The Wrap called it 'An uncompromising nail-biter.' 'A propulsive thriller... gripping and relentless.' (Bloody Disgusting) Damien has also written and directed award-winning shorts that have screened at festivals worldwide including Venice, Busan, New York Film Festival, Sydney and MIFF, as well as online in YouTube/Scott Free's inaugural Your Film Festival.