Daemon Hillin of Hillin Entertainment: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A Founder
An Interview With Doug Noll
If you truly love what you are doing 100% of the time, you won’t burn out. You have to keep your mind and will strong in order to follow a goal that you love.
As part of our interview series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A Founder”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Daemon Hillin.
Daemon Hillin is the founder of Hillin Entertainment. A Producer and a visionary especially equipped to handle the new age of movie-making, his credits include Pernicious, Maneater, and Battle of Taipan. Known for his business savviness and creativity,Hillin quickly garnered a reputation as one of the top independent producers in the United States and Southeast Asia.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was in finance and real estate back in 2008, when the housing marketing crashed, and I ended up losing everything in my name. I knew at this point I needed a fresh start, and found something I could truly fall in love with. It just so happened that one of my real estate investors wanted to get involved in a Hollywood production. This ended up leading to my first production which showed me this was what I was meant to do. Not long after I ended up starting my own production company, Hillin Entertainment.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?
In the first five years I did not have any money to my name, eating chilly, barely being able to afford my rent, and was not even able to afford coffee to meet with clients.
Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
The drive came from my 100% commitment and knowing that this is what I wanted to do with my life.
So, how are things going today? How did grit and resilience lead to your eventual success?
I am absolutely blessed in my career at this moment. Last year I was able to complete 5 movies under the Hillin Entertainment banner.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I learned at the very beginning of my career to not chase the rabbit, and when you hear something that is too good to be true, it usually is. Put your time and effort into something that you are 100% about.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Being one of the industry leaders in South East Asia, my company is completely run by female leaders. We are constantly traveling to SouthEast Asia to make unique genre films for companies like Paramount and Saban.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
If you truly love what you are doing 100% of the time, you won’t burn out. You have to keep your mind and will strong in order to follow a goal that you love.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
There are two people who have helped me on my journey to where I am. First would be the real estate investor who believed in me, Charlie Quinn, who always told me I had a golden ticket. The second, Ryan R. Johnson, who took me under his wing and put the time and effort into teaching me everything he knew about film, financing, and packaging.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I love being able to provide jobs for thousands of people every year. I also love the ability to donate to causes like Community Thrift LA, due to my success.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started leading my company” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Don’t chase the rabbit — because if it is to good to be true, it usually is
- Be resilient is key — you will get told no more than you will yes
- Thicken your skin — this is one of the hardest industries in the world to break into
- If you don’t love it don’t do it — at the end of the day it is only you working hard
- Surround yourself with people who are better than you — so they will challenge you to grow
Can you share a few ideas or stories from your experience about how to successfully ride the emotional highs & lows of being a founder”?
Make sure you have a healthy outlet for dealing with the difficult kinds, running and surfing have gotten me through the difficult years.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
We live by the philosophy of diversity and continuing this will only make the industry stronger.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Instagram: @daemonhillin
Website: https://www.hillin-entertainment.com/
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.
