We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dusty Dale Barker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dusty Dale, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?
I actually love this question. Something that I think all of us are guilty of is playing out the the “what if” scenarios in our heads; or “if i knew what I know now”. There are certainly some changes that I would make, but the real answer to this question is at the bottom.
I would clearly define my goals, and if I didn’t really know what they were, I would take some sort of steady job that allowed me the financial security to figure those goals out. If an opportunity came up that I knew was good for me, even if I couldn’t see the end result, I would take it. It’s tough to know how the future is going to play out, make sure you are taking care of yourself in the here and now. I wouldn’t be afraid to put myself out there, again and again, and fail spectacularly. Failure sucks, but it is always… always a learning experience.
Being a creative, and building a company in a creative industry can be really tough; because at the end of the day it’s not just business… there is a fair amount of personal lumped in to it. I can tell you, what I’ve learned is that I wouldn’t do a single thing different. I’m a story teller, and if life and business would have gone perfectly to plan, I wouldn’t have the stories that I do. The hardships, the ups and down, and the struggle define who you are and ‘build character’.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve got a bit of a random background. I went to college for business and had always planned on going to law school eventually. I worked for my university as a recruiter for a few years, I even prepared for the LSAT, shadowed judges, and prepped for a life in politics. And then one day I was walking down the street and thought, I really just want to make films. So I quit my job and moved to Nashville. There wasn’t a huge film industry in Nashville in 2012, but it felt right. It felt like where I was supposed to be.
I got sidetracked for a bit in music, and at some point I held almost every job in the music industry. I ran a venue, worked at a label, managed an artist. I toured with musicians worldwide, filming BTS content, taking photos and building brands. Along the way I started directing music videos, and every time I stepped on a film set as a director, I realized that this was exactly where I was supposed to be. That’s a hard feeling to describe unless you’ve had it, and I hope every one does. But I knew that’s where I needed to go. I’ve had my photos and videos published in around the world, in many outlets you’d know. But i was always just behind the scenes, and I felt comfortable there.
When the global pandemic shut down the music industry in 2020, I was able to take a step back and realize I wasn’t where I wanted to be. So I took the new found free time to study, research, and learn everything I could about storytelling in film and narrative structure. I’ve always had idea banging around in my head, and needed to start finding direction for them.
in 2021, I entered the 48 hour film competition in Nashville. The first time I wrote a full script and directed a narrative short… and I won. That film went to the Nashville Film Festival and started a journey for me. A few months later I joined an improv class, which lead to me joining an acting studio the next summer. Then, I did the 48 hour film challenge again in 2022, and I won again. It solidified that I was on the right track.
I took years of storytelling experience from music and started applying it to my own projects. I stepped out from behind the curtain and started focusing on myself and what I knew I wanted to do. And for almost the first time I can tell you that I know exactly what I want and where I want to go with my career.
I have big goals, and big ideas, and I’m actively bringing them together in the films and shows I want to make. In the mean time. I still direct music videos, take photos and help artists build their brands in the music industry through my company VAYLL. VAYLL being named so because it actively works behind the veil of entertainment.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
To me, the most successful things in film revolve around the director being a great leader. Coming in to a project with a clear, creative vision, is a must for the job; but if you want your project to succeed, you have to be able to openly communicate with your crew.
I think a film is only as good as the team that is making it. I genuinely want every person on set to feel wanted and know that I have their back. I’ll never ask more of someone than what I, myself am willing to put in, and I want to make sure they have all of the tools at their disposal to succeed at their job. I need them to trust that I can see the finish line, and know how to get us there. The best way to accomplish that is to clearly define your vision and being able to tell people where you’re trying to go. I keep open lines of communication because I have to know what my team needs in order to accomplish what I’m asking. I never want to be off limits to any of my team members, and I’m open to any and all ideas. At the end of the day, I need them to know that I take every thing in to account and make the decisions so that we can get to the best outcome.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding thing as a creative is seeing a project come to life. Every project begins with a simple idea that develops into a complex series of gears necessary to move the machine along. When all of that comes together, and I can sit on the other side and see something tangible that was just an idea once…. ahhh that is a feeling that is very hard to beat.
Contact Info:
- Website: vayllnashville.com
- Instagram: dustbar
- Facebook: Dusty Dale Barker
- Linkedin: Dusty Dale Barker
- Other: https://vimeo.com/vayll
Image Credits
2nd photo (headshot) Sara De La Haya