So more and more people are coming forward and telling their stories and shifting the narrative to one that is more forthright and accurate. Even The Ellen Show got caught out – despite being the “Happy Place” was anything but for anyone actually doing the day to day drudgery that kept the show running year after year. The good news from the #metoo movement and the subsequent outings of sexual harassers and now the bullying class with the likes of Scott Rudin finally being kneecapped is that the facades are falling. So my main point to this particular question is that many outsiders don’t really know just how much a performer’s, studio’s, entity’s “brand” is actually a false front to some of the really brutal tactics they employ while perpetuating their success, whether through take no prisoners negotiating, bullying, sexual harassment (yes, it still goes on!), and just obvious hypocrisy when it comes to the societal issues they claim to champion as a cause. Through their PR managed answers for public consumption they help perpetuate a brand and idea of the industry that is false for the most part – no matter if one is dealing with the Studio system or independent film scene. So my perspective on the industry comes from an outsider place and also one in which I can speak a bit more freely than many due to their perceived ties to prospective employers or investors. What amuses me and also annoys me when I come across the sunny side up answers many give for publication is often times these very same people when in a one on one discussion will spew the most awful rhetoric about the industry, the studio system, the actors they have to deal with and on and on. So I’ve had some degree of success bringing my ideas, scripts and films to life and to audiences although I only have what I would consider a fledgling career. I’ve had films at the Telluride, Tribeca, Seattle, Sydney, Outfest, Frameline, Hawaii and many other Int’l Film Festivals and won awards at many of them and even got nominated for Best Short Film (The Visitor) at the Australian Film Awards. I’ve made films in Los Angeles, Mexico City, France, and Australia – all independently financed out of the Studio system. I’ve been a filmmaker since the late nineties and before that worked as an assistant at some of the major studios, PR firms and an independent distribution company before starting my own company with a business partner who I had worked for in the past. When I read articles and interviews about the film industry and I come across this kind of discussion I’m usually disappointed by the rote answers that put an empty, generic, positive spin on the workings of Hollywood and the independent film industry. Hi Dan, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of? We had the good fortune of connecting with Dan Castle and we’ve shared our conversation below.
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