We were lucky to catch up with Dylan Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dylan, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
I’m one of the brains behind SECOND HAND HENRY FILMS – a brand new collaborative film group focused on amplifying diverse voices and new ideas.
Last year, a group of hungry recent grads got together and Second Hand Henry, or affectionately Henry Junior, was born! We are non-profit production art house designed specifically to be a laboratory for breakthrough film and theatre makers to experiment with their form. Since our birth, we’ve focused on indie shorts and sketches – and now we are transitioning into feature and short form films – this includes our short film WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE DOMESTIC DOG? (streaming on our site beginning Halloween 2024) and our first feature PEOPLE EATER (currently in pre-production).
We make movies because we love movies, quite simply. We love seeing narratives on the screen that we always wanted to see growing up.
Our motto: Don’t be afraid to try something new.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Dylan Davis and I’m a filmmaker, director, writer, and occasional actor from Louisville, Kentucky. I’m an alumni of Northern Kentucky University (BFA) and SCAD – Savannah College of Art & Design (MFA); both of which I studied theatre with a focus on acting and direction. When I was in college, I was obsessed with becoming the idea of a “renaissance artist” – which to me meant mastering as many mediums as humanly possible. While mastery was out of the question, what my big eyed curiosity really provided me was an appreciation for every form of art you can think of – especially the experimental and “weird.” During this time, I was studying primarily as an actor – which also shaped my trajectory as a director in so many ways. Being an actor and learning the perspective of an actor is the best directing class you could ever take.
My post-grad professional focus has been on film and theatrical directing: a passion of mine that’s bounced me around from Savannah to Chicago to Cincinnati back to Atlanta. My calling is telling unorthodox stories by exploring elements of surrealism and absurdism in everyday stories – I want to see how many different ways to tell a story there are. When I approach a project, I don’t look at it as a “two sides to the coin” problem – I look at it like it’s a six-sided die.
Me and my likeminded friends got together to build SECOND HAND HENRY FILMS as a way to navigate this dream of ours and build a community of weird, diverse, and outgoing artists.
In rehearsal, I like to say to myself “What would Nicolas Cage do” and go from there.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
At Second Hand Henry, we don’t act like a studio – we’re a band. From our creative team to our PAs to whatever cast we’re working with – that’s the band. And you don’t have to be auditioning for us or holding a microphone to do that either. Our overall goal is to build a community with our audience. If you contribute to our crowdfunding campaign, you’re in the band. If you follow us on Twitter or Instagram, you’re in the band. If you come to a screening and buy popcorn, you’re in the band!
Our brand is like a party and everyone is invited.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
When I was a kid, I always had this itch when it came to the movies I watched. Movies were everything – but there never was the perfect movie for what I was feeling in any given situation. The beautiful thing is that there never will be – people are too complex for that. BUT at the time, I felt alienated – I thought I was the only one in the world who felt certain ways about certain things because I wasn’t seeing these ideas on screen. I realized, before long, the only way to scratch that itch was making the movies myself – the ones I wanted to see.
This journey started in the theatre and – to my surprise – people got it. That was when I realized there’s an audience for everything, and no matter how weird I thought I was, there’s always other people that understand. You have to dare to be different so that the people too afraid to will find the courage when they realize they’re not alone. And you have to live loudly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.secondhandhenry.com
- Instagram: @henrymakingmovies
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557965596617
- Twitter: @handfulofhenry
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDMwUcfFgspiBo3QArBOj5A
- Other: TikTok: @handfulofhenry
Personal Site: www.dylandelroydavis.com
Project Crowdfunding: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-fund-people-eater-a-future-cult-classic/x/37334149#/
Image Credits
1) Me, directing a production of COWBOY MOUTH (2023)
2) Our Production Logo (designed by Trevor Browning)
3-5) Stills from WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE DOMESTIC DOG? (2024)
6) PEOPLE EATER poster
7) WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE DOMESTIC DOG? poster