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

David , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I had many a friends, both classmates and coworkers, and teachers whom were pursuing or pursed the same convocation as I. In the business of filmmaking it is all about who you know for by knowing them I gained both opportunities, experience, knowledge /skills I wouldn’t had ever known. In terms of speeding it up probably reaching out more often and taking time to build up even more connections which would further enhance my range of opportunities. In terms of obstacles I have been hit with writers block many a times, lack of confidence here and there while also conflicting schedules.

David , 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 began my pursuit into filmmaking ever since I was a child but it didn’t kick off until around my Junior year of high school. That isn’t to say I didn’t have a hand into it. ADHD, perhaps looked upon as a curse in many a situations, enabled pattern recognition in scripts, hyper focusing on my task as a filmmaker and honing my craft. HFA on the other hand, though creating some complications in understanding social situations, enabled me to learn how to mimic such behaviors so I could better perform or in other words helped me to become a better actor.

I studied filmmaking both as literature as a craft in Sr. High, joining my broadcasting class which enabled me to shadow some filmmakers and more with Lifeway and get introduced into further work etiquette in the marching band at the same time, which ironically was where the connection to my mentor Howard Klausner came to be.

Being able to apply both to marching band and filmmaking at the same time helped me learned how to balance such things while also attending to schoolwork. It wouldn’t be until my senior year of our little highschool serial that my breakthrough into filmmaking slowly came to be as throughout my days in college where I met with Howard Klausner, got the chance to PA and work with greater like Denise Richards and Reggie Vel Johnson via a friend of my father.

Besides it simply being all about who you know I learned about simply having the guts to go forth and seize the opportunity. It is because of this I have gotten more chances than others and intend to continue on doing so.

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

Create opportunities for all parties rather than a few. It is easy to get distracted in the now and create openings only for the selected few rather than the whole. At times, this can be in response to a growing demand for social acceptance and new social norms. But in opening up one door for others it is easy to forgot to not close another door in response. Otherwise it defeats the purpose of creating opportunities and merely switches who is available to seize that chance. It denies talent it denies connection and it denies resources at the disposal perhaps never taken into consideration beforehand. Opened bequeaths opportunity and as such allows for a higher rate of success.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

If at first you do not succeed, then fail again, and again and again. Until with time, and bit of luck, and bit of experience you fail a little bit less and succeed a bit more. Until eventually you became a failure at failing. For it is only when you quit that you are truly defeated.

A lesson I learned within my pursuit of film. I learned how to deal with it via Getting over creative block- the artists way by Julia Cameron.

As an artist you are going to, it is guaranteed, hit writers block or burnout. The stagnation that deprives oneself from progress. It’ll happen, more than once. How one deals with, determines whether or not they can get back to it. The book has helped me in tackling the times I am without the oomph to get to into the game. Sometimes, after so many rejections, periods of lack of initiative, or simply spans of no opportunities at all, makes it feel as if I have put myself into this hole. Sometimes it feels like I have stayed there for scores of days. Through this book I learned how to turn around and manage to climb out to seize my chance again.

I have learned how not to quit. I have learned how to push forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected] (email)
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@djones5663?si=c_BB8Yc_TIAWPLQY
• Other: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvFYnlnJFc4Of_fQk4PWGDIsKYNSEfkMS&si=B9cu7BO6BEMapYb0

  Various films I have helped out with as P.A. & Talent