We were lucky to catch up with Dakota Gamble recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dakota, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
There have definitely been some tough times, especially back during the pandemic. I always found different means to network and freelance my services while also working with several agencies and regular customers before and after Covid but during that time where I wasn’t needed as much I sat down and worked on marketing my demo reel and tailoring my discography so people can see I do more than just take pictures and video on my Sony.
Dakota, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I was taking theater and film/video classes in college and I always loved learning about movies as much as I did watching them. I made some independent shorts and music videos and features for classes and even submitted some into festivals for some recognition and feedback so I could improve and see what my competition was at the time. I had so much fun working with talented, like-minded individuals because I felt like it was a nice big vacation with friends working on something we all loved doing. I made sure to have people on set to meet all needs (ie. a masseuse for muscle tension relief, therapist for stress, medic/military veteran for safety concerns). Every set I worked across all forms of media taught me so much and showed me what it’s like to find passion and thrill at the same time as “working” with others who aspired to do better as well.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I really believe that there should be more networking and open-invite opportunities because that’s where I first got my feet wet with producers and talent from all over. Sure, I tried FB pages and online recruiting sites for cast and crew hiring but there’s nothing like meeting them in person and sharing a brief but thorough conversation to see if you can work with them and TRUST them with your dream project. I’ve worked with several people from my cast and crew over the years many times because I believe in their evolving talents and know-how to help me where I may be lacking.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I just want to entertain people in any way I can, whether it be through printed works in a magazine or through original music or memorable moments in a music video or thrilling scenes in a movie. I just want people to see my artistic vision split up into the many departments of people who helped bring it to life and broken down by the many eyes and ears that consume it for their own pleasure. That drives me to do better and inspires me to adapt to the times for more surreal memories via art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.flowcode.com/page/dakota_gamble
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dakota.gamble/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dakota-gamble-003a611b5/