We recently connected with Dora Endre and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dora, thanks for joining us today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

I do not believe that one is able to make truly ”bad investments”, whether it comes to time, energy or money. Professionally and personally. Obviously, I have experienced losing all three along the way, sometimes with no obvious constructive outcome. For instance, dedicating much to a project that eventually fell apart, spending time on education that turned out to be less useful than not, hiring and paying people who did not really contribute to our team’s work. I know it might sound like a cliché but I see none of that as waste. I have learned a lot along the way, and now I am doing my best to put that into practice.

Moreover, I am sure I myself have made mistakes that affected others negatively. It is possible that other people think they have made “bad investments” due to something that involved my actions, words, decisions. That cannot be ignored. I hate to cause any harm to others directly or indirectly. We all have responsibities for each other and for ourselves. That is life.

I think it is important to be self-critical to a healthy degree, take a step back and reflect on matters. I do not mean dwelling, I mean reflecting. Even though today’s society “supports” cognitive dissonance and victim mentality, it is healthier to do internal work, and put our egos aside. There is always a bigger picture.

Without a doubt, it is all a balancing act. For instance, both as a director and as an individual, learning how to balance coming across as caring yet not to sugarcoat things to an unconstructive degree, has always been a challenge for me. Most producers appreciate me being straightforward, pointing troubles and options out. Normally, that is the only way to fix problems fast and make a production work.

I personally appreciate when people around me have a similar attitude. To me that means I am in safe hands, people care and respect me. I think it is huge when others are willing to take on a conflict or difficult days for our project’s or for my personal sake. However, on some occasions, this leads to conflict, small-scale or seismic ones. 

We all function differently as human beings. I think as long as we do things from a place of love, it all works out well. We can always discuss things, draw conclusions and move forward with a more conscious and comprehensive mindset. This way there is nothing unspoken, no differences or hurt swept under the rug. With awereness and love, there are no “bad investments” only building new bridges and understanding.

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

I am a writer-director. I have been lucky enough to work on film and stage projects in different countries, to meet great people in the industry and learn much from them. So far, I have contributed to plays, musicals, pieces of movement theatre, musicals, short movies, music videos and commercials. I penned a number of screenplays, articles, reviews and a children’s book (Magical Meadows). Currently, I am a member of SDC, IFTA, the Young Vic’s Creators Program and a voting member of Film Independent (Spirit Awards).

I consider myself to be a curious and passionate individual who enjoys being creative, goofing around, challenging herself, making things and stories up. Playing innocent pranks on people is one of my specialties. I like to see people smile. 

To me it is a great source of inspiration to spend time in nature, observe passengers on the train, do sports, explore new hobbies and places. It is vital for me to feel connected to people, especially after the past few years. Admitting hardships, bad days, venting and sharing grew into being even more significant for me. Loads of people only follow others on social media, perceive through distorted lens. There is much comparing, stalking, building facades and not nearly enough meaningful rapports and deep honest conversations. Sipping tea, snacking, listening to music while discussing daily successes and sorrows, paying attention and showing support to a friend is simply the best. That is real fuel! 

Currently, I am in editing for short film projects, including „Comma” that is based on a short story by the late great Hilary Mantel. I am also publishing articles and reviews in a number of magazines, and recently shadowed a new German play. I must say, I am somewhat lagging behind these days, I am supposed to be constantly watching movies. Our voting window for this year’s Spirit Awards opens soon. Excited and grateful to be a part of it.  

Moreover, with other creatives we are tackling new projects under the umbrella of DE Productions, my own company focusing primarily on video services. We also offer webinars covering such topics as current marketing trends, funnels of distribution and legal matters concering the film business. From my website, you can also download a completely free PDF pocket guide to the most important film biz terminology. It is a great little asset for learning the industry’s bizarre jargon useful in marketing and selling your projects.

As a career starter, running from lawyers to bookkeepers, from paralegals to agents just to gain some insight, is beyond frustrating. I had found the lack of reliable, straightforward sources and business classes at art schools to be appalling. So, now my aim is to give back. To provide the information, I wish I had earlier.

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

There are so many! Making something new on a daily basis, sparking a thought or a conversation through projects, expressing myself in a free form, bringing people together – as an audience or as collaborators. When you are in charge of forming and leading a team, it is great to see how friendships and future collaborations spear from those shared experiences on set or in the rehearsal room.

Another aspect I enjoy, is being in the flow while working. When your focus, creativity and energy form almost a tunnel-like vision. It is wonderful to see that, after long hours on set or in brainstorming, your collaborators are in the flow too. No distractions, no negativity, no doubts left. There is no need for coffee. There is lightness, passion and energy moving you towards your goal while you experiment, inspire each other, and enjoy the process. That is beautiful.

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 have been trying to keep up with the emergence of WEB3, Metaverse, cryptonomics as well as the virtualization of ownership with traded NFTs. The market and trends change so rapidly!

It is important for me to educate myself on tech empowerment and how digitalization has been turning into virtualization. I believe AI has much potential, virtual experiences are advancing fast. In education, I consider it to be a very useful and exciting new tool. Imagine being in a literature class at high school. With the help of augmented reality, you can walk around, meet and interact with characters from The Cherry Orchard, for instance. What a colorful, dynamic new way of learning.

More and more creative professionals I know are trying to get ahead of the curve when it comes to new technologies. Many claim that in the near future, AI will take over most roles in the industry, from screenwriting to acting. Well, with the sudden spurt of Deepfake technologies, they seem to be quite right. For instance, I have recently come across this YouTube channel where a Deepfake version of Tom Cruise sings, dances, occasionally does horrendous things. The resemblance is truly misleading and to me, scary.

I am not sure if I see much value behind NFTs, skins and virtual ownership though. And as we all know, there have been a number of money laundering and fraud claims when it comes to prominent participants in the NFT market.

There is definitely a new form of monetization, creation and connection coming. I am eager to see what these new trends bring. However, I prefer real to fake, even if it tends to be far from looking, sounding or being perfect.

I doubt that I would be happy to see my child spend half of their lives playing video games, buying products or conversing with friends and (potentially dangerous) strangers in Fortnite or on social media. I think biking around the neighborhood and getting dirty from head to toe in the playground are much healthier alernatives for growing up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.doraendre.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dora_endre/
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dora-endre/
• Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user79413201

Image Credits
Menno Mans, Bela Attila Kovacs, Gianni Chiarini, Dora Endre