David L. Paterson

David Lord Paterson (born 1966) is an American screenwriter, actor and producer. He is the son of Katherine Paterson, the author of "Bridge to Terabithia".
When Paterson was a boy, his best friend, an eight-year-old girl named Lisa Hill, was struck by lightning and killed. His mother, Katherine Paterson, used this real-life experience to write her children's novel Bridge to Terabithia. David Paterson produced and co-wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of the novel released in 2007.
He graduated from The Catholic University of America in 1989 with a BA. Paterson held a special advance screening of "Bridge to Terabithia" on February 1, 2007, for members of the CUA community at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland.