Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Neil D’Monte. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Neil, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
When I graduated from ‘SC in 1995, I totally thought that having an art degree and knowing how to draw fast and well would guarantee me a job as a comic book artist right out of school. At that time, comics were in the “speculation era”. MANY books by independent companies were being mass produced with variant covers (at that time highly collectible) and comic book companies were hiring pretty much anyone who could draw and paying them up to $1,000/page rate. I thought I had it made! But a few weeks after I graduated, the whole thing collapsed and I could not get anyone to even look at my portfolio much less give my fledgling career a gig.
I went to a temo agency and got the “special assignments”. You know what that means, right? “No skills and $7.00/hr max”. I did everything from data processing to stuffing envelopes to answering phones to driving cars at an auto auction. My computer skills were not up to par and I was not the fastest typest at the time either so life really sucked. My landlord used to call me singing “Where is the rent?” whick used to give me a lot of anxiety.
Yet, deep down inside I KNEW that I did now really want a full-time/9-5 job.
I got lucky and landed a gig teaching at-risk youth how to plant trees and paint murals from 9a-5p through a former friend. The pay was enough for me to make bills but not much anything else. I would do the job during the day. Then I would go home and stay up till 6a EVERY DAY working on my portfolio while tightening uo my art skills so that I could evetually do storyboarding and concept art for feature films. I would show up to work every day very sleepy and I did get the job done. But I put in minimal effort as I just wanted to devote my art at night to film. Even though this was an “art job” there was a lot of bureaucracy and eventually the staff asked me to devote my time to them and not to my “night job”.
After a few years of doing the mural job, I started getting storyboarding and concept art gigs that started paying a lot more than what the mural job was paying so I eventually left.
I have had a very lucrative career thus far, working on films such as Batman V Superman. Star Wars and Jurassic World and even getting a Golden Globe nomination for Palm Springs. These career highlights would have never happened if I did not take that initial risk.
Neil, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I got into the industry through Dean Jones who is an Emmy Winning makeup artist. He liked my work and started giving me small assignements, designing masks for his halloween line and sketching up creature designs for films he was bidding on for makeup work. I got a quick reputation for being accurate, being able to “read a room”, being courteous, LISTENING TO CLIENTS and for being very, very fast. These skills really added to my brand and I have a very good list of clientele because of it. Working in the visual arts helped me as a producer/director now as they really taught me how to be a leader and also a team player. Clients always ask me to solve problems in new and creative ways as I have always been an outside the box thinker.
One things that sets me apart from others is that I do almost all of my work by hand and I do not use digital formats. Most people I work with now started collecting my original art as it actually “exists”.
I usually use the environment to create my work. The term is called contextualism. When designing art or setting up a shot, everything should be a character including the actual set. So I incorporate everything in the surroundings when designing.
I am most proud of being able to make a decent living doing what I am passionate about. You can read a ton of self help books but truthfully focus, determination, SELF-DISCIPLINE and commitment are all you really need,
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I just want to leave back a legacy once I complete my current journey. I want people in the future to go back into theaters and keep rewatching my work over and over again like I did when I was a kid. I don’t plan on having kids so, in a sense, leaving back a legacy or work would be my contribution to society and to keep our family name alive.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Yes. It has NEVER been about the money. It is about following/creating your own path and doing what you are passionate about.
Would you rather have a 9-5 that you have to to go every single day to keep your house and new car while not enjoying what you do or live a modest lifestyle if you could do what you LOVED and BREATHE for?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.clanofthevein.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clanofthevein/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neil.dmonte
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-d-monte-61631134/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/neildmonte
- Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1548702/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Image Credits
Credits are listed under each photo: MAIN – JETHRO ALABA Addl Images: Renard Garr Chelsea Newman Glenn Francis Jethro Alaba