We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vincent McDaniel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Vincent, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

As an aspiring actor based in Albuquerque, New Mexico you would often find yourself in a room full of familiar faces waiting to be called next by the casting assisant to see if you can book this auditon. After 5 years of auditioning with the biggest casting director in New Mexico I finally booked a role through this group. I found out I was a substitute for someone who couldn’t make it due to scheduling. I realized by year two that me being a star was a long shot so I had to think about a faster way to climb the ladder to success.

I met a man that would soon change my life and my trajectory. I met Steven Milburn Anderson the writer and director of the cult classic “South Cental” through a mutual friend that changed my life forever. Once Steven found out I was an aspiring actor that wanted to learn how to write scripts he took me under his wing. We would meet me at Starbucks once a week to review what I was writing. Once I got the hang of things he sent me on my way.

I now had another asset that could propel me forward in this game that went beyond acting. Before, I could’ve just went to LA and joined the countless others on the quest to be a start. I found the short to sucess, I was now able to create my own work. So now, having the ability to create my own projects, I found myself in a different state of mind. This new mindset opened doors that I couldn’t imagine opening up for me before. Since that door opened up, I produced over 9 films in the past 5 years. This past April I was fortunate enough to shoot a film that I created, co-wrote along with Henry C. Byrd, Asif Akbar and Koji Steven Sakai produced and will have a supporting role alongside Mel Gibson and Curtis 50 Cent Jackson about the serial killer that took the lives of 11 women and 1 unborn child titled “Boneyard”.

One of the most essential skills is learning how to captivate an audience. If you can keep viewers guessing and on the edge of their seats, you’ve done your job. I find that the only obstacle I have is time. The longer you live the more you learn. I still have a lot of living and learning to do.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a creative, I officially came into the game around 05 when then GM for Telemundo, Gabriel Zavala gave me the opportunity to create a show to fill his 5pm Sunday slot. I came up with the show “Mega Mundo”. At the time there was a station on ClearChannel that played Hip Hop and Regeeton (Mega 104.1) that we partnered with. This union was able to give Telemundo a voice on radio while giving the radio station a face on TV. Hence, Mega Mundo.

My company “Dream Team Productions” is a one stop shop for production needs. We develop & write scripts, we have a full production team availible to shoot anything from a short to a feature film/TV series. We have a music division that creates custom needle drops for film & TV. My passion for perfection is something I strive for dealing with each client I encounter.

Bringing your stories to life is our mission. When that is accomplished, everyone is happy. We take pride in creating work that will last a lifetime.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As an artist, I’m thankful for my creative side. I don’t have to depend on auditons or agents I can just create something then put it through the process of getting made. Also having a network of investors that believe in you projects makes life a lot more easier when it comes to producing.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best way to get new clients is to network and to always be honest and do your best for every client. I believe that goes a long way while building you personal relationship with each client. When someone is honest and reliable, they tell others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Dreamteamproduction.org

Image Credits
Vincent E. McDaniel