We caught up with the brilliant and insightful David Haack a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
David, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
What better way to kick this off than to tackle an existential question facing a whole lot of us working creatives right now, huh?! The current landscape is… bleak. But the hope is that things are always darkest before the dawn, right?
I’ve been in Los Angeles working as a professional actor since 2005. So, I’ve seen a lot of changes happen in our industry throughout my career, and I’ve had to ride those waves as they come.
I’ve been a bit of a journeyman creative in my career, in that I’ve not landed “that” gig just yet. I’ve had a lot of opportunity to do a lot of different things – from acting as the lead in an indie, to composing scores for different projects, to loads of voice over opportunities from commercials to dubbing to looping, to guest and co stars on tv, to having my songs placed in films, to most recently writing directing and producing my own material. Throughout all of those opportunities, I’ve had to have survival jobs along the way. So I don’t have to look very far to know what it would be like to have a “regular job” because I’ve lived it pretty much continuously, because living in LA is expensive as all get out, and the jobs we do don’t pay what I think the general public assumes they do. Bottom line, it is really hard (and pretty rare) to be one of the few percentages of people out here to survive solely on their creative gigs.
This past year, I did well enough for the first time in a while to feel like I could let go of my survival jobs at the time, and then the industry fell apart with the (devastating but very necessary) strikes from this summer on. My timing was not the greatest there… but the lessons I’ve learned from it are continuing.
Throughout this year of uncertainty, I’ve taken this time to keep on creating, and develop my own work ethic and schedule for a consistent output of creative material, and I’ve never been happier. My hope is that all this hard work paving different potential paths for success – from creating my own stop motion studio to playing a character for the current NFL season on TikTok to dreaming up and creating more worlds, stories, songs, and the like – will allow me to be so ready for that “yes” that’s just around the corner that things will all still work out.
But… I’ve had more thoughts this year about “maybe I should do something else” than ever before, and that’s precisely due to the landscape of the industry right now. It’s tough. The only thing I know how to do is keep creating because that’s what makes me tick and feel worth the air I’m occupying day in and day out surviving on this planet. No matter how hard I try to convince myself on certain days that I could be a “fill in the blank job” instead of a creative/artist, it always comes back to, “but I’d rather play that role in a project or write that role and direct someone else.”
Creativity is a drug I cannot live without, and I’m learning every day how to make my living at it in an ever changing landscape. I’m fortunate to have some very successful mentors and an incredibly supportive support system of family and friends, along with my rock – my fiancé Alli, to get me through the days where I want to give up.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is David Haack, and I’m a creative. I moved out to Los Angeles in 2005 to pursue both acting and opportunities to play and perform as a musician. I have worn many different hats in my creative journey, and continue to learn new skills and tackle new opportunities each new year of my career. Where I’ve gained the most traction with work has been in voice overs, where I’ve been fortunate enough to work in commercials and theatrical work consistently throughout the years. I’ve also composed scores & music for multiple short films and many video projects. Over the last 5 years or so, I’ve also started to stretch and tackle writing opportunities, and now most recently, directing. I was lucky enough to have a manager at one point who read a script I had completed, and really encouraged me to keep going cause he saw something in my writing. Never underestimate the power of those who will encourage you in this line of work! It can be the difference between showing your work to people or hiding it and keeping it to yourself for fear of negative feedback or just because of imposter syndrome. I’ve had a ton of opportunities out here over the years, and in many different facets, but what I’ve found most recently has really opened my eyes to what I think my best contribution to the world as an artist might be, and that’s through writing and directing.
I recently tackled a proof of concept short film for a pilot and series concept that I wrote, along with a group of really talented producers who also are friends of mine. I cannot stress this enough – if you find a community of people you enjoy working with as a creative, hold on to them with everything you’ve got. Your circle will equal your potential for opportunity, and like putting a puzzle together, each piece/person satisfies something you couldn’t on your own. I had such a beautiful time on this project, and we are now ready to pitch the series to different networks and production houses to roll the dice and see how it goes. I believe in this show with every fiber of my being, and feel that it deserves an audience and that people would love this show if they are given the opportunity to see it. The script has received amazing feedback on The Blacklist, and actually bringing to life an idea that was born from a blank page and a blinking cursor was the most magical experience I’ve had in my professional career. To see the images in my imagination, to putting them to paper, and then realizing those dreamed images by shooting the project and editing it was amazing. Directing the other actors in this project was magical, working with the other creatives in the crew was magical… it was simply an incredible experience that I cannot wait to have again.
As the strikes have taken hold and the industry has been in a bit of a turmoil, (and because of that I’ve not been able to pitch the series yet), I also have kept myself busy by working in content creation this year. I developed my own stop motion studio and wrote, directed, produced, shot, edited, composed music for, and performed the voices for quite a few projects over the summer with a company I created called The Alien Donkey. It was a catalyst for me finding my own workflow of taking an idea into production, and then releasing it, and staying consistent with it. This self-driven opportunity led to working with my fiancé Alli Elizabeth on her youtube channel, as she’s a professional makeup artist who recently began using that platform as well. I edit her long form videos and compose music for them. I also perform as a Chicago Bears Superfan character I’ve named Dave Swerski on TikTok, which has been my most recent dive into that same workflow of writing, performing, editing, etc. It also gives me a place to live out my Bears “Superfandom,” and the emotional roller coaster that goes along with that.
I’ve just tried every way I know to keep my skill set sharp (and growing) as things get sorted out, to be beyond ready for any opportunity that comes my way once the strikes are sorted and we can all go back to work again.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Unfortunately, I have so many stories throughout my career of “almosts” that it kind of haunts me. But, for the purposes of helping someone else who’s gone through it too and needs to hear you’re not alone, here goes! In my acting career specifically, I’ve been told no a whole heck of a lot more times than I’ve been told yes. I have tested for shows that would have completely changed my career. I’ve signed contracts to be paid more money than I’ve ever made in my life and then not been chosen for them. Time and time again, actually… There’s a series of movies I was up for the lead in – went a different way. A lead in a teen drama – went the other way. A contract role on a soap – went the other way… The lead in a movie opposite Tom Cruise – went another way. Lead in a huge musical on Broadway – went the other way. I’m starting to get dizzy so I’m going to leave it there, but needless to say, I’ve been on the wrong side of things more often than the right one.
BUT – and there’s a big lesson in this but – all of that tested my resolve to NOT give up, to keep going, to keep believing, and to know that eventually, it will all work out.
I’ve been able to still make my living as an artist and creative despite not booking those aforementioned roles. Would they have been nice? You betcha. But who knows how it would have worked out had they gone my way. The way it did work out, I met my creative partner and soulmate through the opportunities I DID book, and I’ve learned so much through the other experiences and through the rejection that I’ll be that much more ready for when my time comes to experience even more opportunity than I’ve had already.
Bottom line is, there will be rejection and downs that go with the ups within the journey – you’ve just gotta keep going. You never know what’s around the corner tomorrow.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
We live in a world and time where nearly everyone has an entertainment device in their pocket, and the access to the work of creatives is instant and vast. I think that can sometimes cause people to forget how hard it is to dream up ideas and make them for that instant consumption. I worry a lot lately about the implementation of AI and the instant access to manipulate and not have to think about it. I would just like to avoid humanity becoming the realization of one of my favorite movies, “WALL-E.”
I love technology and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the partnership with technology, but there’s something about having to get the shot right in camera vs being able to manipulate it afterwards, to brainstorm and choose the right words yourself instead of having them chosen for you, you play the instrument and not program it, that makes what we consume magical. The human-ness of it all – the choices creatives make in the process that move you when you watch/listen/consume – that’s what is so special and what’s so needed to continue.
Doing stop motion animation experiments for me really put this into perspective better than anything else I’ve done. The amount of time and effort it takes to make minimal movements for a character and capture it all with hundreds and hundreds of pictures to just get a few seconds of action is kind of insane. And it’s not meant to be perfect – it’s meant to be art. Art can be messy, uneven, and still be beautiful and life changing. I hope artists keep that perspective as technology continues to change the way we create and consume creativity. And I hope the general public thinks about that from time to time too, to keep them interested in the art made by people for people.
I also hope the public who is not creative continues to value artists and support them. Now, there are so many ways to create and share that work with the world without needing as many of the gatekeepers that have been required for the industry even just throughout my career timespan. YouTube, social media – these are avenues where if you dream it and make it, you can put it out for the world to see. I think that’s an incredible opportunity to find your own voice and put it out there. But the requirement for this to be successful is the support of the public – so if you love someone who is creating for you, show them your support.
Lastly, it shouldn’t be this hard to make a living at something that you devote your entire being to on a daily basis. People NEED entertainment to make it through this life – I truly believe that. But we are in a time where the balance between the people making decisions in this industry and those doing the artistic work is way out of alignment. Those at the top make more money than they could possibly know what to do with, while the artist struggles to get from job to job and be picked to make enough to hopefully afford healthcare. It’s wrong, and it needs to change. I hope through this 2023 summer and fall of labor movements in the industry, it will shake those at the top to acknowledge these facts. Pretty much every artist and crew member I know simply wants to do the work they love, and be able to pay their bills and not have to worry every day doing it. Being rich as a result would be great, but honestly speaking for myself, I just want to make enough that I can keep making stuff without worrying about how I’ll pay my electric bill. It shouldn’t be so hard to reward the hard work of the people making the “product” for the businesses profiting off of the work. And we MUST keep humans at the center of the process. That is essential. Technology can make things easier and faster, but it should never ever replace the human piece of this art – whether that’s an extra, an editor, a writer, a makeup artist, or anyone else who wants to contribute their unique talents to a piece of art. The reason it moves us if effective is due to the contributions of all the different humans coming together to create something special.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.davidhaack.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/davidjhaack
- Youtube: youtube.com/davidhaack
- Other: IMDb – www.imdb.me/davidhaack Music on Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/us/artist/david-haack/250811438 Music on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/33UT0tY5rHJu3ewQvAl5jM Direct.me link tree – https://direct.me/davidjhaack