Dan Merchant: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker
“There’s magic in the fifth draft.” I used to think typing “THE END” meant I was done writing. Eventually, I learned writing was a craft that requires patience, devotion and intent. Writing multiple drafts isn’t a failure of the first draft. That first draft is the doorway to what the project will eventually become… provided you keep going.
As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dan Merchant.
Dan Merchant is a veteran writer/director/producer best known for SyFy’s zombie comedy Z Nation and his indie documentary feature film Lord, Save Us From Your Followers, which humorously explored the collision of faith and culture in America. Dan has two new series’ making their debut on PureFlix this summer: the tender drama Going Home and Live + Local, an irreverent alt-comedy set in the world of local morning radio.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?
I hail from the suburbs outside Seattle, Washington back in the day when there was only one Starbucks. Typical late ’70s: latch key kid, a couple of awesome younger brothers, playing tag and Nerf football ’til the street lights came on (that’s how we knew to go home). Slumber parties, crank phone calls and doorbell ditching were big thrills. Discovering Beatles’ records in grade school and then finding FM radio in junior high expanded my world dramatically. I loved the visceral creativity in the music and I was inspired to find a way to express myself to the world. Also, I was baptized four times… I had to be sure that it stuck (Perhaps a byproduct of that whole “eldest child seeking perfection” thing).
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was the kid who showed up to summer camp with comedy skits already written and ready for the final night-of-camp talent night. I would make notes throughout the year with an eye toward that single summer week that would climax with a live, on-stage performance for fellow campers and the assembled counselors and parents. I remember writing and re-writing the skits until they were ready for camp week. I suppose that was my first crack at writing material with a specific audience in mind.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
I’m a big fan of the British rock group The Who and while shooting a series for VH1 called Strange Frequency I had the chance to work with Roger Daltrey, the legendary singer for the band. We were on location in a theater and during a break to adjust the lighting on the stage I found myself sitting next to Roger out in the theater seats. Roger had grabbed a guitar from a prop guy and was killing time plucking out old Creedence songs. Inside my head, I’m freaking out like any good fanboy who came of age at the end of the ’70s would, “That’s ROGER DALTREY! From the WHOOOOOO!” Anyway, I work up the nerve to show off my rock knowledge and offer, “You know what’s a good song, Rog? ‘Dreaming From The Waist’”. He stops playing and stares at me a moment, that album track would be a bit obscure for the average rock fan so I hoped it would prove my qualifications to Roger. After a beat, Roger breaks into that broad grin of his and his eyes twinkled (yes rock stars REALLY DO have charisma), “Yeah, that’s a good one ‘innit? Nobody writes ’em like Pete.” Then Roger starts to play the song, begins to sing — my own concert — I sing along (proving I know the words — ha). Here I was, shoulder to shoulder, on my set, with a rock legend who had helped inspire me to find my way into a creative life… for about five seconds I felt like his peer. That was a pretty cool feeling.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I have had the pleasure of working with a wide range of talent across a variety of projects and one of the thrills of directing is searching for ways to connect with an actor to help them find their way to heart of what we’re trying to do. Everyone’s approach is different. Strengths vary but sometimes all you need is to be the traffic cop or cheerleader. I worked on a show once with Duran Duran’s John Taylor, a terrific and charismatic guy, who had spent more time making epic music videos than doing TV or film, so my job of directing him was different than what, say, film and stage vet William Sadler (Shawshank Redemption, etc.) needed from me on Z NATION. Working on GOING HOME with pros like Cynthia Geary (Northern Exposure), Cozi Zuehlsdorff (Dolphin’s Tale), Charisma Carpenter (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Concetta Tomei (China Beach) and Tom Skerritt (Alien) was very exciting — each part was, obviously different, and the technique and breadth of experience each actor brought to their role was very specific to them. It was a wonderful, life-affirming experience to partner with each of these actors, try to understand what they needed from me, share with them what I needed and, you know, still make our day without hitting overtime. Ha. Directing would be easy if you had all the time and money in the world but, really, it’s like turning over an hourglass and trying to make magic while the sand slips away. But what a dream to have worked with such a group that is so dedicated to their craft.
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 about that?
Growing up in the Seattle area I was familiar with a local sketch comedy show that aired on the NBC affiliate KING-TV called Almost Live!. I had made the acquaintance of one of the cast, a funny, quirky comedian named John Keister who went on to host the majority of Almost Live’s fifteen year fun from 1984–2000 (or so). Anyway, the Monday after I graduated college I arrived at John’s office for a meeting — with three carefully crafted comedy skits in hand. I was introduced to head writer Jim Sharp, who became a mentor and occasional producing partner, and out of the goodness of their hearts, they decided to buy all three skits at $50 each. So, my first day in the grown up world I was a professional writer. Wow! This is so easy! Ha. I would go on to contribute a few more jokes and skits to the show over the next few years, making friends with a variety of enormously talented people, many whom I still call friend and work with whenever I can… including Pat Cashman who stars in my upcoming PureFlix comedy series Live + Local.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Hmmmm. I guess my favorite life lesson quote is probably “Love One Another” — Jesus. He has some other good ones in his bestselling book but in my life experience when I focus on that one all the other stuff seems to fall in line. Also, this one fits nicely on a bumper sticker or can be clearly understood even when shouted through elevator doors as they close. Works pretty good too. I’ve fielded tested this whole Golden Rule thing quite a bit and, while it often isn’t my first instinct, when I do manage to treat others the way I want to be treated it can be transformative and the petty stuff often falls away.
I am very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
The first reason diversity is important in entertainment is that film/TV is hugely influential. What we portray, how we portray it has a distinct and profound impact on the culture. Sometimes the impact is as inane as everyone spending the summer shouting, “Whazzz uppppp?” (dating myself) or it’s as insane as everyone spending a pandemic repeating conspiracy theories. So, #1 Influential. #2 there is a huge opportunity to LEARN from/learn about each other by presenting stories about people who are not like us. As a white guy from the Pacific Northwest, my life experiences are wildly different than, say, a young woman who fled Cuba in the 1970’s and grew up to run a nightclub in Miami. That’d be a cool show AND I would also get a new perspective of what it’s like to live on this planet at this exact time. #3 Diversity in entertainment REMINDS us that we are all human, our genetic make-up is identical, that we all react to fear, love, hope, joy in oddly similar ways. Wait? Are we more alike than we are different? Can this be true? The stories we see in TV and film give us a chance to experience this vicariously for ourselves. This REMINDER is a gift.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
GOING HOME debuts on June 2nd on PureFlix starring Cynthia Geary, Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Charisma Carpenter is beautiful, moving series about hospice nurses caring for their clients and families in their final chapter. These actresses are at the core of a surprising series about life, love, family, hope and, yes, death… which rather inconveniently is a part of life. The big surprise to me is how relevant the show is to everyone who worked on it or has seen it. Of course, we’ve all lost loved ones and one day we’ll depart as well, but there is profound beauty and deep value in facing this honestly, directly and compassionately. I suppose in the wake of Covid-19 death has become more present in our day-to-day experience and I believe GOING HOME will be encouraging, cathartic and helpful to us in dealing with this in our own lives. On the lighter side, on July 7th, LIVE + LOCAL launches on PureFlix. This show is an energetic comedy hybrid set in a local radio station that is part-behind the scenes mockumentary (a la The Office), part-on-the-air of the morning show on KHUGG FM-109 (a la Howard Stern) and part interview show with real guests like comedian Leanne Morgan, rocker John Cooper of Skillet and producer/director Dallas Jenkins (to name a few). The show stars Dave Coulier (Full House), Emily Pendergast (Veep), Pat Cashman (Almost Live!) and newcomer Kendra Ann Sherrill. It was so much fun to create jingles and commercials and community news events (thanks Jeremy Birdsall, Mike West and Bob Nelson) to bring the KHUGG-FM radio station to life.
Which aspect of your work makes you most proud? Can you explain or give a story?
I like the teamwork and camaraderie. I’m proud when a disparate group of people come together; writers, crew, actors, artists, technicians, extras, etc., all lending their talents toward a singular goal. I feel good when people understand how appreciated they are, when everyone is empowered to give their best and feel good about what they’ve accomplished. Filmmaking is a team sport. I enjoy the synergy, I love when we make each other better and I love when we come together to tell a story to impact and enrich the audience. I feel some pride about that when it works.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1.“There’s magic in the fifth draft.” I used to think typing “THE END” meant I was done writing. Eventually, I learned writing was a craft that requires patience, devotion and intent. Writing multiple drafts isn’t a failure of the first draft. That first draft is the doorway to what the project will eventually become… provided you keep going.
2. “It’s all pretty much impossible anyway, might as well try your own crazy idea.” This is my version of “write what you know”, I guess, and also a warning to not chase whatever idea/genre is hot at the moment. Maybe stories about mismatched buddy cops or wise-cracking lawyers aren’t your thing even if they are popular, but take heart, even if you chase the fad success if difficult to achieve… doing your own crazy thing doesn’t decrease your odds by much and it’s way more satisfying to bring your own fresh idea into the world.
3. “Practice the lost art of humility.” Learning and excelling at a craft like writing/filmmaking is hard enough without wasting energy trying to convince everybody how great you are. Ha. In my younger years when identity and career were intertwined in an unhealthy way time was wasted on ego when that energy would have been much better spent improving my craft.
4. “Learn everyone’s name.” It’s good manners and is a gentle reminder that, as a filmmaker, you are utterly reliant on every person on your set doing their individual job to the best of their ability… accordingly, treat your teammates with the respect they deserve.
5.“Be open to making adjustments.” Your shooting plans are based on best available information, as that information changes, say, once production begins, be prepared to update your plans. Be present, be nimble and keep your eye on your destination but be open if the route to get there may change.
When you create a film, which stakeholders have the greatest impact on the artistic and cinematic choices you make? Is it the viewers, the critics, the financiers, or your own personal artistic vision? Can you share a story with us or give an example about what you mean?
That’s a really good question. The answer is a bit of a “yes… and…”. I suppose it starts with my vision. This vague feeling/idea in my heart and head that I’m trying to express. The exciting kernel of a story that could become a TV series or film that could touch other people and be of some benefit to the viewer… if I can somehow get that idea out of my head and intact through all the processes (pitching, selling, writing, casting, pre-production, shooting, editing, marketing and distribution). There is a great distance between, “Hey, you know what would be funny?” and an audience watching the show. My belief is, if I can succeed in making the show I’m dreaming of then it will find its audience, if I fail to realize my vision, doesn’t matter anyway. Additionally, and I suppose next in the sequence would be those who have trusted me with their resources like a studio or financiers. They signed on because I convinced them that my vision was worthy so, by nailing my vision I’m also honoring their trust.
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. :-)
Nothing new to offer but I’m happy to paraphrase and amplify LOVING KINDNESS ACTUALLY WORKS. As a species, we sure are good at division but I’ve never met anyone against love or kindness. Why? Because it works and it’s transformative. Try it three times today, on purpose, with intention, and just see what happens. Loving-kindness actually works.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. :-)
Another good one. I’d sure enjoy a private breakfast with Steve Kerr or Greg Popovich or Pete Carroll, three coaches, leaders of men who are smart, funny, fascinating guys who weave their personal principles into their professions in an inspiring way. They seem comfortable in their own skin, don’t suffer fools gladly, have a joy and enthusiasm about them and are generous of spirit.
How can our readers further follow you online?
Follow PureFlix on Twitter. Both GOING HOME and LIVE + LOCAL will be debuting on the PureFlix streaming platform this summer.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.
In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.
Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.
With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.
