We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daniel Merino Villavicencio a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Daniel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

In my industry there is somewhat of a stigma against being a multi-hyphante creative.

When I was starting out I had no idea what job I’d want to focus on in the film industry.

Camera, Lighting, Writing, Editing, Production Design, I loved so many aspects of these departments and I couldn’t imagine only sticking to just one.

The thinking behind focusing on one field is usually that you’ll get more work in a specific job if you label yourself appropriately.

But I think limiting myself in that way is a disservice to myself and my work.

I’ve been inspired by several myltihyphenate friends like Nicole Rinaldi and. Charlie Gillette who are immensely talented in multiple roles.

I’ve found that specializing in multiple filmmaking roles only enriches and informs the overall work.

In 2024 I started making a short film every month, for these films it’s usually just me and my actors, so I’m doing all the production roles myself.

It’s certainly not the only way I want to work but I really enjoy it and I love having the ability to work one on one with my actors.

I believe that committing to being a Directer, Producer, Writer, Editor, Cinematographer, Production Designer, etc. Has only imporved and informed my work.

And when I do collaborate with others in these roles I’m able to communicate with them much more effectively.

I think this stigma is beginning to change as it becomes harder to gain success and filmmakers need to do more than ever to make themselves stand out.

Daniel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a Cuban American Filmmaker based in New York.

I’m obsessed with all things geek; Fantasy, Anime, Video Games, etc. I grew up an outsider so I enjoys telling stories that highlight second chances, underdogs, and overlooked characters with stories begging to be told.

My first short film “Sweet Pea & Glass” a stylized animation/live-action hybrid, won him the Festival of Cinema NYC’s Audience Choice Award for best short film.

I’m committed to consitently practicing his craft. I specialize in no budget to low budget filmmaking. I can help clients bring their ideas from start to finish.

The thing I’m most proud of is how far I’ve come as a freelancer. My career has been built entirely based on word of mouth.

And I can trace back almost every gig I’ve ever gotten back to two or three gigs I got while I was still in college.

Something I’m looking forward to this year is telling more geek inspired stories. The industry hasn’t done a good job representing anime and video game IPs and it’s a real shame.

If you look at HBO’s The Last of Us you see the potential these IPs have.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

A resource I wish I took advantage of earlier is one I think all filmmakers need to pay more attention to.

YOUTUBE.

Especially when it comes to short films there are so many different effective story structures that aren’t the standard 3 act structure.

So many of us learn about film structure in school but it’s almost always in reference to feature films.

This isn’t going to be much use when you go to make your first short films and try to force 3 acts worth of information into 1-10 minutes.

Film is a visual medium and we need to be able to tell stories that incorporate more visuals. Studying youtube shorts I often find incredible examples of how 5 minutes of diaolgue is replaced with one impactful visual.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe the most important aspect of being a filmmaker is having a strong work ethic.

I believe it’s far more important that being talented.

If you can be someone who shows up early, maintains enthusiasm toward your work, doesn’t complain, etc. People will want to work with you again.

We’re working 10-16 hours with people per day. We want to be around people who keep us positive and energized.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://danthemanvil.wixsite.com/merinoproductions
• Instagram: @dantheman.vil
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19D57Xxivr/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-merino-villavicencio-004565141?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dantheman-vil