We recently connected with Dave Hondel and have shared our conversation below.

Dave, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I knew I always wanted to be in the entertainment industry and specifically a director. I first became interested when I was in high school in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN. I was part of the school’s first TV Production class. We had a brand new studio built and we had a very small class size. One of my classmates was actor, Steve Zahn. Steve, along with my other classmates and I would create newscasts, interviews and music videos for class projects and we all loved being there. I remember another friend in the class, David Webber. David, Steve and I made pro wrestling interviews on camera and had an absolute blast. Steve went on to act in Hollywood, David went on as a popular professional wrestler and producer and I went on to direct music videos. That class really had an impact on all of us.

To continue learning the craft, I would go on backlot tours at the various studios in Los Angeles and seeing the ways movies were made. I would rent DVDs and go right to the “Behind the Scenes” and watch the entire footage of how it was made and listen to the director’s narrated version. I was obsessed with being part of that world. When movies started to be filmed in my hometown of Minneapolis, I would audition for background parts and was lucky to be able to work on both D3: The Mighty Ducks and Joe Somebody starring Tim Allen. While on set for Joe Somebody, acclaimed director, John Pasquin invited me to sit with him as he directed scenes with Tim Allen. I learned so much just from that experience.

I purchased a camcorder, wrote a couple of shortfilms and made friends with the owners of a local Minneapolis recording studio to create soundtracks for my projects.

I was also a new father and was a young married man, so I had to work two and sometimes 3 jobs to make ends meet. It was definitely an obstacle to find time to not only work on projects, but also made it difficult to afford classes on filmmaking, so I bought any magazine I could find on the subject and read article after article to learn as much as I possibly could on the craft.

I knew that I had a skill that would help me as a director, the ability to lead a large group of people on set and be able to get their buy in for my vision. I think that showing appreciation to the cast and crew was incredibly essential to being successful as I became a music video director and later as a podcast host celebrating independent artists.

Dave, 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 grew up in Minneapolis, MN, where as an artist it’s a great place to grow your talents and nurture your craft. I grew up during the rise of Prince and Purple Rain. At that time, several bands were really coming into their own. I went to high school with artists that went on to have succesful careers in entertainment, including the 80’s music group, “The Jets”. I was surrounded by talented actors and musicians that helped me secure my interest in the arts.

After writing and producing a couple of shortfilms, I needed music for my films, so I found a local recording studio, AtomicK Records and Productions, where Karl Demer and Atom Troy watched my movie and scored an amazing soundtrack for me. They were incredible to work with! What I later learned was that they also produced and engineered the albums for multi-Grammy winning Sounds of Blackness. As a “thank you” for helping me with my music, I wanted to repay their kindness and offered to film the bands they worked with at their studio so they could work on their stage shows. This is were I began to produce and direct music videos. I eventually began to attract bigger work in the music business and was fortunate enough to produce and direct several music videos for multi-Grammy winning artist, Ann Nesby. One of the videos I directed supported her Grammy nominated R&B song, “I Apologize”. The project was my first video that had extensive national television air play. Two other videos I directed for Gospel Artist, Roosevelt George were part of separate CD/DVD internationally distributed sets that both independently made it to number two on the Billboard charts. This also would prompt a call from RZA of Wu Tang Clan who wanted to work with me on a music video for the group’s reunion album. They wanted an animated video, so I did not get the job, but it taught me a valuable lesson, say “Yes” to every big project and figure it out later!

After moving to New York City in 2011, I quickly became friends with music mentor, Ann Ruckert, who invited me to be a part of the Songwriters Guild of America Pro Shop she ran in the Upper West Side. I met so many talented songwiters and Artists while in New York, including International Italian Tenor, Micheal Castaldo, who I’m still close to today.

While in the New York area, I met my second wife, Griselda and eventually moved to the Philadelphia area. I began a podcast called The Stage Door Show. I wanted to showcase some of the amazing independent artists I met or heard about. After learning about the struggles some of these artists were going through, I felt I had some resources from my time in the business that would help them achieve their goals. I built a studio in our basement, bought a microphone and joined some streaming services and went to work. Although I had showcases highlighting the independent artist, I reached out to several celebrities to come onto the show to share their professional journey and give advice to the listeners. During Covid, I really spent every minute of the lock down with little to no sleep building my brand. I also secured a trademark for my show’s name, “The Stage Door Show”. As I posted more and more shows and the celebrities promoted the show on their platforms, my audience grew. Last year, my wife and I moved to the Miami, FL area, where I built a home studio and my show is now on all platforms including iHeart Radio. I work with several PR firms representing several Hollywood actors and musicians that really love to come onto the podcast to help out the independent artists that listen. To date, some of the guests have included Ed Asner, Don McLean, Deniece Williams, members of NSync, Toni Basil and several more industry professionals. The support of friends and family has had a tremendous impact on the growth of my podcast, especially my wife Griselda, who is always giving me feedback and ideas, not to mention sacrificing time together to encourage my craft.

The artists that listen to the show often tell me that they appreciate the advice given by the guests and that they apply what they’ve learned to their craft. We often speak about the business end of the art, which is often forgotten about by younger performers and it can ruin a career before it ever starts. We also often speak about how to treat people in the industry and the importance of being a good person to every person you encounter. These are lessons that are not only valuable in the entertainment business, but also in life. I often hear from the PR firm directors telling me how much the celebrities enjoyed being on the show and wish they had this type of resource when they were younger. Many ask to come back as guests again.

One of my biggest joys is that all of our kids are either in the performing arts or have a deep love for film and music, so I know that they will keep the passion of the arts alive for years to come!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission and platform as a podcast host, is to celebrate the independent artist, no matter the genre. Actors, musicians, dancers, authors, painters, they are all welcome on our platform. We want every artist to succeed. We often have celebrities and industry professionals join our show and they share their own journeys and are very forthright with their advice to our listeners. We also showcase new artists and follow their careers and follow up with them often to keep encouraging them on their path.

I started this podcast from my own lessons learned in the music business, working with artists that were not always treated well by big record companies and let them know that with the right guideance, they can make it as an independent artist and be their own business person.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I believe it starts in our schools. I’m not saying that all schools or school districts give a back seat to the arts, but many schools are very sports driven and when budget cuts are on the table, the arts are the first to be cut. Drama, band, dance, any creative art programs are vulnerable to these cuts. I think as a society, we need to reflect and think where our entertainment comes from, where our favorite song came from. What we think about when we remember our past growing up is usually something related to the arts. I believe if society takes a moment to think about this, we will make great strides in preserving the arts for a long time to come.

It also starts locally. We speak aboout this on many of my podcasts. People should support their local artists. Visit galleries, go to a club showcasing a new band or DJ or go to the local talent show and share it on social media promoting the artists. I can tell you that it goes a long way with these artists and performers.

Contact Info:

• Website: davehondel.com
• Instagram: @TheStageDoorShow
• Facebook: @TheStageDoorShow
• Twitter: @TheStageDoorsh1
• Youtube: @TheStageDoorShow
• Other: iHeart Radio and all other streaming platforms, our podcast can be searched and followed: The Stage Door Show. IMDB.com/DaveHondel

Image Credits
Personal Photo: Kayla Arroyo Backlot Photos: Elliott Ramsdell