We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dominique Mouton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dominique below.
Hi Dominique, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
Being exposed to many different types of literature and film at a young age filled my head with a myriad of voices. As a screenwriter, learning to channel the experiences and POV of others is everything.
Both my parents always encouraged reading. I don’t remember learning how to read; seems like I always could. As a kid, I was surrounded by books. There were the usual Golden Books and Berenstain Bear books but there were also books on Swahili, books of poetry, an illustrated copy of “The Art of War”, an abridged “The Count of Monte Cristo.” They weren’t always mine, either. I often found myself flipping through my mom’s astrology books or my dad’s college textbooks, always curious about the worlds that existed inside them.
And then there were the films. My dad really liked showing my siblings and I the movies he enjoyed. Often, those were horror movies like Night of the Living Dead and The Exorcist. We were terrified, fascinated. We’d treat going to the movie theaters like a ritual, collecting every ticket and storing them in scrapbooks. I’d write up film reviews in my journal; I became a very tough critic.
Intentional or not, my parents’ encouragement to read and watch the human experience absolutely instilled a sense that I too could create worlds.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I moved to LA in 2016 to pursue the UCLA Professional Program in TV Writing. I wrote several scripts during my time there, including a pilot called “The Lower Bottoms.” A couple years later, I met a podcast producer who read the script and felt it would translate well in audio-only format (i.e. podcast). So I re-wrote the script to make sense for this format and we recorded it with a group of amazing actors. A few months later, we pitched the project to Will Packer Media and they loved it! The rest is history. We created two awesome seasons of “The Lower Bottoms” and just this year, it was nominated for a Webby Award for best writing.
I’ll admit, it’s been hugely gratifying to work on a project I truly love. As a writer, it’s pretty rare to be able to have the kind of creative control that I’ve been allowed and I’m super grateful for that opportunity.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
At this point, AI tech is both awesome and scary. Unfortunately, as it develops, it’ll be tempting for the powers that be to cut out the creatives from the creative process. Which is insane. Society and individuals can support artists and creatives by 1) supporting union strikes (e.g. WGA, SAG etc) and 2) supporting human-made creations whenever possible. That means jewelry, paintings and artwork.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Collaborating with other creatives is one of the best parts about being a writer and producer. Whether it’s with actors or other writers, there’s a real sense of belonging that comes with working closely in a community of like-minded individuals. In fact, I find it far more gratifying than the writing process!
