In 2005, Verb Productions shifted focus and became the production company for the inaugural Decatur Book Festival. 
Daren served as the Founding Executive Director, overseeing all aspects of the event until he stepped down in 2017. Under Daren’s guidance, the DBF grew into the largest independent book festival in the country, drawing as many as 90,000 annually to the small Georgia town east of Atlanta. At its height, the DBF was considered one of the most important cultural events in the Southeast.