Dave Ragsdale of HB Content: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
Learn the difference between a client and a grinder. It’s an old-school philosophy that comes down to understanding who is worth your investment as a client or who is not. How is the business and creative relationship mutually beneficial and productive? Clients are worth moving mountains to make their projects successful. Grinders cost you time and opportunity. Several old-school internet parody videos are out there that explain what I’m referencing. Check them out.
As a part of Authority Magazine’s series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker”, we have secured a one-on-one profile on DAVID RAGSDALE (Director, Producer, Writer, Editor).
After a twenty-year career producing and directing for many of the world’s biggest brands and most recognizable names, Dave Ragsdale has successfully released his first independent feature film, Pink Opaque, to critical acclaim. To date, the film has garnered over twenty-five awards from numerous prestigious film festivals around the world. Ragsdale states, “With Pink Opaque, we wanted to lift the curtain of the struggles of chasing your dreams in Hollywood and highlight genuine everyday issues Angelenos face like homelessness, economic stress, professional success and pitfalls, family, and love.”
Leading up to his breakthrough film, Ragsdale has worked with major celebrities and household brands such as The Rolling Stones, U2, Beyonce, Tommy Hilfiger, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Disney, Universal, FX Networks, Live Nation, FremantleMedia, CBS, Pepsi, and SAP among many others.
He has created television programming, commercials, digital content, feature films, documentaries, domestic & international live multi-camera broadcasts, and assorted branded content projects for tech, corporate, fashion, & entertainment clients.
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?
Thanks for having me! Wow, what an honor to be included in your 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker series. Very excited to share some of my journey with your audience.
I grew up near Cape Cod and was exposed to film, writing, and theater at a very young age by my parents. My father was a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist. My mother is an entrepreneur who owned an art school, single-screen cinema, gourmet ice cream shops and is now a published author of several novels.
I learned early about the work required to produce something worthwhile from nothing. Beneficial insight to help shepherd Pink Opaque from script to distribution with 1091 Pictures.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Like most, I have my moment when it sparked. I was a kid, working at my mother’s art-house theater, The Bijou. I sold popcorn, swept the floors, and learned the ins and outs of the projection booth, notably how to get a film back on-screen when something goes wrong.
During a matinee of The Wizard of Oz, I heard the snap of the film reel and jumped into action, swapping out the reels, lined them up on the splicing table, glued the clean frames back together, and worked as swiftly as possible to get the print cued and rolling.
I sparked the arc-light projector and hustled over to the preview window to make sure my efforts were successful. The audience was back to enjoying the show. I looked to my left and gazed at tiny specks of dust dancing in a golden light beaming from the projector. I stared at this beautiful glow between the projector lens and the booth window. At that moment, I promised myself that somehow, someway, one day, I would create that light.
I’ve worked toward this goal my entire life, and I’m very thankful for the team who helped create Pink Opaque and 1091 Pictures for distributing our LA-indie to the world.
In many ways, it’s a lifelong dream accomplished.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
By far the most interesting was filming Pink Opaque. We had so many talented folks come together to help tell this story. When you have that level of positive energy and egoless all hands on deck mentality, you are bound to have fun and make a better film.
We filmed everything on location, we couldn’t afford sound stages. It was exciting to explore Los Angeles and find the perfect backdrop for our story. It was the best and most exciting filming experience of my career. The amount we all learned, it’s off the charts!
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I’ve been fortunate to work with many talented professionals that have helped shape global pop culture for decades. Often, I pinch myself and ask how I arrived in these situations, creating content with arguably the most famous personalities on the planet.
I’ve done things as extreme as being on stage with The Rolling Stones, to as intimate as sharing a quiet working lunch with Bono. I’ve had my chops busted by Joe Pesci & Martin Scorsese and worked closely with Tommy Hilfiger. It’s been a blessed journey of hard work and learning from every opportunity along the way.
Working with movie stars, rockstars, fashion designers, and top executives has taught me that zero substitutes replace hard work, dedication, and integrity if you want to make something special happen.
That’s what it took to pull off Pink Opaque. We endeavored to create an independent film that pushed at the edges of possibility without support or financing. We worked hard to avoid the tropes of indie micro-budget filmmaking. We challenged ourselves to raise the bar and hopefully inspire other independent filmmakers to get out and tell their stories regardless of budget.
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?
Cliché, but I have a few that helped me immensely along this path.
First, my parents. As mentioned, they helped me discover creative outlets as a kid. They both fully believed in me and the life I wanted to create.
Second is one of my college professors, Rylan Brenner, who genuinely taught me how to maturate from a kid with a dream to a creative professional. He showed me the ropes and how to climb, and I’ll forever be thankful for his influence.
The third is my wife, Alison Spiriti, who is a top-shelf live entertainment producer. Without her support, Pink Opaque would not have been possible. Imagine sitting down to ask your life partner if you can stop earning an income and pour every ounce of your time, energy, and resources into creating an indie film. She is the real hero behind me having this opportunity to help carry Pink Opaque from a draft script all the way through distribution.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I love the Stanislavski quote, “Love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art” I try to bring that philosophy to work every day. It works!
Producing & directing projects that you are proud of is an extraordinary opportunity. Not everyone can enjoy this. His quote reminds me of why I started this journey as a kid. It’s all about the work, not the reward.
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?
Travis, our main character, says, “cinema is a reflection. There’s no other art in which we can see so much of ourselves.”
To me, this is a cornerstone statement of why we created Pink Opaque. I believe this reflection is incredibly influential in normalizing diversity. Simply said, the more people see their reflections mixed with others, the faster they will embrace difference as beauty. With Pink Opaque, we wanted to create that reflection and show authentic characters and their struggles in this uniquely LA story. Hopefully, audiences will see a little of themselves and their personal journey.
I believe telling authentic stories rooted in compelling characters, settings, and circumstances can help bridge the growing divide in the world. The only way to successfully tell these stories is by celebrating diversity and leaning into it. Similar to the world we live in, these stories require authentic texture. The more people see how beautiful diversity is, the less afraid they will be of difference and the more accepting they will become.
So to me, diversity is everything on the screen and behind the lens. You can not tell the stories I want to create from one POV. It takes a kaleidoscope of experience, background, and culture.
Sorry, not sure if that is three reasons, but that was our reason to create Pink Opaque and why we are working to develop follow-up projects that continue down this pathway of inclusion and authenticity.
A stranger is no longer strange when you become friends. Right?
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
We are developing several films across a broad spectrum of genres, including a sports underdog story, holiday romantic comedy, gritty border crisis thriller, and even a cirque-themed horror film. We believe authentic and diverse stories are gaining traction as more eyeballs evolve from the theatrical experience and continue to look for streaming content.
Which aspect of your work makes you most proud? Can you explain or give a story?
As mentioned, I believe it’s an honor to have the opportunity to do the work I’ve done over the years. I’m lucky, and I’m thankful for that.
With that said, I’m most proud of how hard I work when it comes down to rolling up my sleeves and making a project happen on set and in post. I’m a hands-on content creator. I’ve worked hard to develop the skills required to helm a production’s entire completion cycle from original concept through distribution.
I can do it all, and that is because I’ve worked hard my entire life to learn everything I could when it comes to creating that light from the projector lens I fell in love with as a child.
Nothing worthwhile is easy, and that is certainly true when it comes to filmmaking.
Okay 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.
Wow, okay, the meat and potatoes of the interview. Love it! I hope I don’t disappoint.
Here are my top five things I wish someone told me when I first started running my production shops.
#1 — Learn the difference between a client and a grinder. It’s an old-school philosophy that comes down to understanding who is worth your investment as a client or who is not. How is the business and creative relationship mutually beneficial and productive? Clients are worth moving mountains to make their projects successful. Grinders cost you time and opportunity. Several old-school internet parody videos are out there that explain what I’m referencing. Check them out.
#2 — It’s not a race to the bottom. If you think the only way a client will hire you is to lower your rates, please refer to #1 on this list. I always work with my client’s budgets, but if they only want you because you are the cheapest, what does that say about the relationship?
#3 — Pursue suitable projects. Very important to identify what opportunities are the right fit for your core capabilities. You don’t need to box yourself in, but you need to find the spots to best contribute to the projects you are working on, both for the benefit of the production and the development of your craft.
#4 — On-the-job training is how you learn. I like working on projects where I’m learning, and I love seeing my collaborators learning alongside as we film or edit. That’s when you know you are creating. I never went to film school, but instead, I jumped into on-the-job training. My mom likes to joke that it’s where I earned my master’s degree.
#5A — It’s an ecosystem. Simply put, we all need each other in this medium. It’s a team sport. If you respect those around you, together, you can create a better product. Be respectful and trust your team.
#5B — Feed your cast & crew. A little bit of genuine concern for their wellbeing goes a long way, and it’s the right thing to do. Not suggesting anyone spend recklessly, but the saying “where there’s a Will, there’s a way” truly applies here.
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?
It depends on the project. One rule, whoever is paying the bill and putting it all in motion, their opinion matters. No production exists without some funding. Even if that is just Costco crafty, it’s still real money, which plays for sure.
When we created Pink Opaque, we only cared about the core team and what we all believed would be a story worthy of hitting the screen. We wanted to make a film that reflected Los Angeles and its beautiful diversity. We worked hard to create a modern LA story that highlights many of the issues facing Angelenos every day, and we hope audiences will enjoy this lifting of the curtain on life in LA.
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. :-)
I would not say I’m a person of great influence, but I’ve worked with many who are. I do love this question, and it’s a simple concept for me to get behind.
I would focus on children and providing a stable and inclusive platform for every child to explore opportunities to invest in themselves. No kid can choose their parents or circumstances. I’d love to level the scale. Have generation upon generation of children with access to opportunity. An organized effort to fund programs for kids to explore education, arts, trades, or whatever they want to learn. Who knows what positive contributions could come from a kid with a dream. Pretty solid track record for society to date. I think that would be a fantastic society to be part of.
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. :-)
It would be Francis Ford Coppola. I’ve only met him once, but it was a significant pivot point on my journey. So much so that I wrote my first screenplay, “Coppola Called,” about the experience.
I obviously would chat him up about his on-set magic moments, but I would mostly want to understand his process to get Jack Kerouac’s, On the Road produced. I believe it took him from 1979 to 2012 to get it from book to screen. It would be astounding to learn what it takes to love a story enough to have that level of dedication to get it made.
When I was twenty-nothing, I auditioned for Mr. Coppola for the role of Sal Paradise in a basement rehearsal studio at Lincoln Center in New York City. I made the cut from a blizzard-struck open casting call where hundreds, if not thousands, showed up in the snow for a shot at the next Outsiders. That was 1995.
The film was released in 2012. What a master of the long game, and I would love to learn whatever I could from him.
How can our readers further follow you online?
The best connection with me is Instagram, @dave_ragsdale
More info about the film is also on Instagram, @PinkOpaqueFilm.
All things 1091 Pictures is on Instagram as well, @1091pictures.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to chat with you and your audience.
It’s an honor to share my experience with you and to have 1091 Pictures distributing my indie film. I genuinely appreciate your support and hope anyone from your audience who checks out Pink Opaque feels the love we put into telling this story.
