We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David Bell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with david below.

David , appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Sometimes, you must jump out the window to get the desired results. Common sense tells you no. Your family and friends told you no, and looking in, they are right. You shouldn’t jump out of the window if you don’t want gravity to take action and send you flying to the ground at an alarming speed. In films, the fall is always shorter, or a soft bush outside catches our hero. Maybe they’re secretly good at parkour and flip from tree branch to tree branch. In my life, I like to think it is the perfect syncing of both; sure, gravity exists, but so do strangely soft bushes that could stop a 183-pound falling object from the 5th floor from breaking anything.
After the summer of diversity in 2020, I felt the need to create. I was finally making money from some side gigs, and my unemployment was slowly coming in. There was only one thing I could think of doing: shoot a short film. My friend has a great place, and I have a great story. I build a team of creatives through mutuals and friends. Our first project, “Things Could Be Worse,” did great; we got into local and national film festivals. We shot another short and a music video, which gave me the confidence to do what most would never do: Crowdfund, a feature film. Here are the reasons why you should not crowdfund a feature film without having the backing of a production company already:
1. you will run out of money fast.
2. you could never know how much everything cost
3. Any sane director or filmmaker would never use their own money, which some of it was.
5. the room for success is small. It’s very easy to make a terrible movie.

And yet, I took on the challenge with my friends. At this time, I’m still new to production and don’t understand the role of a producer and what I’ve taken on. Everyone else around seemed to see it. The team I built was confused about how I would get enough money through the crowdfunding campaign under Seed& Spark that I had started. We were gonna get shut down before we even started. I had posted post after post, and I was 4 days and $5,226 short of our $10,000 goal. There was only one thing I could do. Take a chance on everyone, like they were taking a chance on me. If it failed, it would be on me; if it went through, I could uplift the team I was a part of. My AD became my co-director. I gave in to My Director of photography, who had been pushing against shooting with an iPhone. Before I knew it, the Angel investor we needed was right before us. (if you ask me, I’ll tell you :))
) On the first day of shooting, one of our producers dropped out. He told us to find someone else to do it and that we could no longer shoot in his apartment. He was out. It left most of the scheduling and logistics on my shoulders while I had to direct and act. At the same time, the bank had lost my card in the mail for the production company I had started. It was 2021, so there was still weird shit going on with banks and mail because of the pandemic. All that to say, I had no backing. Any money or credit used would have to go straight through my bank account. These are more signs that a sane person would step back and wait or downscale. A friend had asked me if it would make more sense to shoot a short film instead. Shoot a proof of concept, and hope to push that out. I’ve seen it done successfully, and with $10,000 secured, we could make a beautiful 2-5 min proof of concept, but who the f*ck wants half of a f*cking story. Again, I ignored the caution signs because I knew a bush could catch me right outside that window. All I had to do was jump.

$Broke Boi completed filming a month and a half later. Most of the crew, Myself included, were depleted and sick and couldn’t function. It took us another year and a half to finish editing. We premiered at The Harlem International Film Festival in 2023. I probably ran out of money and worked myself to the bone 7 times over with my only other producer, who was left at the end. I don’t know where I would be if I never took any of those risks in a time when I had everything to lose. It was one of the most stressful times in my life, and I will be doing it again as soon as I write a story or two more.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into Film and television by way of Improv. I studied at UCB and a few other comedy theatres from 2015 to 2016 before ending up in an acting conservatory, Maggie Flanigan Studio, for two years. The people I encountered there altered how I approached the craft forever. It implemented a work effort I still draw from today in all that I do, not just acting. It also gave me an ethos as an artist: Find the truth, come from home. In all that I do, I work at the root to find the truth in every situation and explore its origins. As I have begun to work in the commercial space, I have found myself being able to provide clients with a raw and unfiltered look at their product in real-life ways and how it can apply to their target audience. What drives me is my commitment to always being ready to change and inspire new ideas or ways of thinking to a client.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect is being blessed enough to get to create. It is truly a blessing anytime you are afforded the opportunity to express yourself creatively. For work or your soul. The hard work you put in when no one is watching. Those moments when you can step out and show yourself, there is no better feeling.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I think there is a future for them. They might have been promoted pointlessly, but I can see long-term value in an artist taking control of their art. It just takes one person to break the collective hate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bellinyaear.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellinyaear.films/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@davidbell5815

Image Credits

Liz Mealy