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My career as a Producer has equipped me with the skills to beautifully capture the stories of others. Yet, when it comes to telling my own story, I'm just terrible at it. I either overshare or edit out all the juicy stuff for brevity. I believe everyone has an interesting journey that led them to the exact moment in time when they're asked, "Tell me about yourself". So, here's my attempt...

TL;DR... Child actor who produced FM radio / audio content until becoming an Integrated Producer. Won a few advertising awards before discovering the intersection between creativity and analytical thinking. That realization led me to expand my purview to encompass Creative and Design Operations. Southern California born and raised but the San Francisco bay area is home.

ONCE UPON A TIME...   My professional career started as a child actor with small roles in film, television, commercials and theater productions. At the age of 15, I accepted a part-time job as a board operator for a radio station in my hometown of Palm Springs, California. I was hired to support advertising production teams, and run the audio board for syndicated radio broadcasts of the Los Angeles Dodgers, CBS Football, and Casey Kasem's American Top 40 Countdown. I was eventually given an opportunity to host my own on-air shows. All while balancing a demanding high school life. My responsibilities in radio later expanded to include Production Director, Imaging Producer and Assistant Music Director.

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My background in radio led me to be hired as an audio mixer in the sound effects department at CBS Television in Los Angeles, where I worked primarily on network promos. Occasionally, I would be assigned to the television shows that taped on the lot, which at the time were "Bold and the Beautiful", "Young and the Restless", and my ultimate favorite, "The Price is Right"! I was lucky enough to have been able to work on "The Price is Right", or as it was called by the crew members, "Price", back when Bob Barker was host and Rod Roddy was the show's announcer. Oh, and the rumours are true - Bob Barker was so mean to people (especially to the models), he even yelled at me a few times, then again I was new and didn't know what the hell I was doing most of the time. But, Rod Roddy was very nice, one day during rehearsals he used my name as the placeholder name for his famous, "______ come on down, you're the next contestant on the Price is Right!" - I can close my eyes and still hear him saying my name. 

I remember my first day working on the show, the SFX Mixer area was awkwardly situated next to the area used by the contestant producers who had the unholy task of telling winning contestants they now had to pay taxes on all of the prizes they just won. A thin faux-velvet curtain is all that separated my area from the folding table and chairs where happy winning contestants ran off the stage after hugging Bob Barker and sat down to learn they have now become tax debtors - as a teen growing up before reality television, I was fascinated by it all and totally consumed by the drama. Both areas were located stage left, next to the audience and hidden behind those famously cheesy red curtains with the CBS eye icon in a step and repeat pattern. THIS was the game show I would fake sick just to stay home from school to watch, and here I was NOW in charge of pressing the magical buttons that played the sound effects for the yodelling climber in the Cliff Hangers pricing game and the *DING* after each bid was given by a contestant standing down in "contestant row". At one point, the SFX workstation was repositioned next to the music engineer who was the one who actually hit the play button on the DigiCart tape that played the iconic theme song at the beginning of each show. I stared at her finger hitting that play button for the theme song with the same vigor that other people have when they watch NASA rocket launches at Cape Canaveral. Still fanboying over that entire experience, so I'll stop before I begin to hum the theme song.

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I continued my career in radio / audio while also taking production management jobs in television, I consciously let the acting opportunities fade into the background while I maintained my steady stream of voice over work to help pay the bills when freelance production work was slow. I eventually spent more time working behind the camera than in front of it, which was more exciting to me anyways. My list of Producer / Director credits exceeds 130 projects and include digital content as well as a healthy amount of national television commercials and broadcasts + cable network shows for HGTV, CMT, and MTV. I became known for my work in unscripted content because of my ability to holistically look through a user experience lens and identify strategic opportunities to create genuine moments with customers that allow them to share their unique stories connecting with a brand, product or experience. My work with customers as testimonials is reflected through my Producer / Director reel where I led story development, drove the conversation with real customers as the off-camera interviewer, as well as directed editorial and post-production. Here's where you can also view my journey through the art of storytelling.

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Dylan and Denise DuBarry

My career was forever changed when I met Denise DuBarry, an accomplished tv / film actress and the talented CCO for a global direct response company responsible for launching new consumer brands into retail through DRTV, home shopping television and new emerging digital media channels. One day, Denise heard my voice over work in a television commercial and asked her producing team to, "find that voice". When they eventually tracked me down through my agent, Denise auditioned and then cast me to be the voice over artist for two of her national television campaigns ("Body Vibes" and "Resolution Clear Skin System"). I later worked as a freelance Production Manager for a few of her film shoots until Denise eventually offered me a full-time role on her creative production team as a Unit Production Manager (UPM) and Associate Producer. This opportunity applied my creative production skills to product + brand programs, and allowed me to work alongside and / or direct legendary talent like Joan Rivers, Ed McMahon, Mr. T, Suzanne Somers, Nicole Ari Parker & Boris Kodjoe, Tanya Memme, Paul Rodriguez, Monty Hall, George Wallace, William "Bill" Asher (Director, I Love Lucy), Barbara Eden, Quincy Jones, and Carol Channing to name just a few. Denise was a beautiful human whose energy lit up any room she walked into. She was a strong leader, savvy business mind and a brilliant mentor who helped mold and shape my career within creative production, operations management, brand building, strategic storytelling, as well as product marketing. I am so grateful Denise was channel surfing that day when she stumbled upon that random tv commercial with my voice.

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I would later serve as an Executive Producer and PMO lead for the largest direct response creative agency in North America where I was personally responsible for multi-million dollar production budgets and driving creative and marketing strategy for consumer brands like Comcast, RosettaStone, vacuum brands ORECK, Hoover and Dirt Devil as well as P&G Beauty [ producer reel ]. Several of my broadcast spots were nominated for awards through the Electronic Retailing Association. I took home four awards for my brand work and even received special recognition from my peers and leaders within the Direct Response industry.

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Behind the Scenes Production Shot: Flavorwave

Dylan (Supervising Producer) with Mr. T (Host) and Darla Haun (Co-Host)

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Dylan (Producer/Director) for broadcast spot w/Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Kodjo

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Behind the Scenes Production: RosettStone

Dylan (Producer) with Tracy Gallagher (Host) and Duane Sider (Director of Learning for RosettaStone)

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Behind the scenes shot of Dylan directing a broadcast commercial shoot w/ David Oreck, founder of ORECK vacuums (on location, Oreck HQ in Cookeville, TN

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My uniquely diversified experience working as a creative, collaborating with creative and managing creative within both studio, agency, and corporate environments provides me with the optics to successfully drive operational strategy and improve efficiency for high-performing creative teams. I partner closely with creative talent and leadership to build and manage programs that allow creatives the space to be creative.

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Creative & Design Mgr

Walmart, Inc.

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Lead, Creative Services

WB Interactive / Games

When I'm not stuck in back to back Zoom meetings, I enjoy gaming, photography, getting lost in nature and aggressively trying to lose the pandemic weight (*sigh*). I also like animals more than people, but I digress ;)

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THE END... for now anyways

MY JOURNEY

Journey Return
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