We recently connected with Drake Dalgleish and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Drake, thanks for joining us today. 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?
I have been extremely lucky with my career to almost never have to work in anything that wasn’t related to the arts. I got to be a Stage Manager of a couple soundstages in LA (Shout out to Nick and Venus over at Nvisionate Studios), teach drama and improv to middle and high school students, a content creator for Harlow Wealth, and countless sets in many different positions where I learned so much. While I do work as a Paraeducator I still get to work in the theater department and get to work with many gifted aspiring artists every day!
Drake, 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 am a Filmmaker / Teacher in Training from Longview WA. I graduated with a Bachelors in Filmmaking from The New York Film Academy and I sent 5 years working on a lot of different film sets (indie and studio) as well as a stage manager. I recently moved back to my home town to earn my masters in secondary teaching while also working as an assistant director with my old high school thespian troupe #699 at Dana Brown Mainstage Theatre.
Some of my recent accomplishments include my latest film project “Another Blood Sucker” being nominated for Best Short Comedy at The Montreal Independent Film Festival, winning Best Dark Comedy at ISA Los Angeles, and winning Best Director at the L.A. Shorts Awards in 2022. Above all that, I’m super proud to have started the very first Student Film Festival at R.A. Long High School as I’m a big believer in promoting indie artists work, no matter the skill level.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Well like I mentioned I am a teacher in training. After 5 years of living in LA I was starting to feel a bit defeated. I had 3 jobs and still struggled to afford rent and groceries while sharing a two bedroom with 3 roommates (Shout out to Miguel, Ricardo and Johnathan!). Despite living with some pretty cool people, at that point I just felt like I was kinda existing, not really living. I knew at a certain point I wanted to be a teacher, but after giving it some thought I decided to pursue that journey a little sooner. So I moved back to Washington and got a job as an editor and a para educator for a theater program while earning my degree! It was certainly different from LA Film Sets, but it was more consistent and I get to work with some great people!
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
You know the phrase “My dad always told me to do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” I don’t know if my dad ever said that, but my parents have always been super supportive of what I do and I took it to heart. I’ve tried every day to live by that. Sure, some days are long and there are always going to be days when I’d rather be at home, but art is so important. In a world of uncertainty of where we are heading and how long we have, I don’t want to waste a second doing something I dislike. I feel in control when I’m editing a video, I feel inspired teaching future artists to perform, I feel happy being an artist and as long as I have support of my loved ones that feeling isn’t going away anytime soon.
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