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

Hi Dave, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

One thing I love about interviewing celebrities and industry professionals is that I can find out what drives them. Every person who has a passion for what they do has something that pushes them internally to advance their talents. I am a true believer that regardless what makes people good at their craft, there’s someone out there who’s life will forever change in a profound way because they witnessed the greatness of another person who holds a talent that they share with the world.
The main comment I get from my guests is that though there’s a talent present, they would not have made it without sacrifice and endless hours of training and hard work.

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 began my journey as an independent filmmaker in the late 90’s. I wrote and directed a couple of short films that screened at film festivals, but the process that intrigued me the most was the soundtrack and how the music really affected the emotion of the film. After becoming close with amazing sound engineers and music producers, like Karl Demer and Atom Troy, I became interested in making music videos, which gave me the ultimate creative opportunity. After working with several award winning artists over the years and being a part of Grammy winning songs and Billboard charting projects, music became a big part of my creative journey.
As my journey continued into the 2000’s, what really began to be a calling, was helping independent artists get to the next level. One way I could use my platform was to start a podcast. The Stage Door Show was born. I quickly gained a following on Instagram and artists began listening to our shows where we celebrate those artists and often speak with celebrities and industry pros to really probe into their careers and solicit important advice for the independent artists that will help to advance and inspire a long career in the industry.
What I’m most proud of is getting praise from those in the industry that have had major success. Some celebrities that have commented on our podcast for our devotion to new artists have been Ed Asner, Chris Kirkpatrick (‘NSYNC), Toni Basil, Erik Estrada, Melba Moore, Deniece Williams, Thomas Ian Nicholas (American Pie), Don McLean among others.
We encourage artists to listen to the podcast. They can gain such valuable insight to the business from the stars themselves.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I find a great reward in watching the journey of an artist that we’ve had on the show and seeing them flourish as an independent artist. The amount of work that goes into being a DIY artist is mind-blowing, and to see the success achieved by a new indie artist makes me smile. My goal is to always be an advocate for new artists and creatives to reach their ultimate potential.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think some people may wonder why I spend so much time preparing for my guests and why I stay up late recording a podcast or why I’m so passionate getting stories out to my listeners. I would answer that I believe every human has something that triggers a great memory from their past. Whether it’s a favorite song, a favorite line from a movie or an amazing performance they witnessed. Every human has been affected by art at some point in their lives and I believe some people take it for granted. Music, TV, Movies or a stage performance is all art created by creative(s).
It is my great pleasure to promote those creatives because without art in our lives, we would be void of all that is great in the world..

Contact Info:

• Website: Davehondel.com
• Instagram: @thestagedoorshow
• Facebook: @thestagedoorshow
• Twitter: @thestagedoorsh1
• Youtube: @thestagedoorshow

Image Credits
-Main headshot by Andrew Risch, Grammy winner, Ann Nesby and Tim Lee taken by Trevor Cooper -B/W Picture of Dave Hondel (full body) taken by Jessica Hondel -Picture of Dave Hondel sitting in chair. Taken by Griselda Castellanos.