Meet Daniel Fox | Production Designer & Prop Master

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniel Fox and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I wanted to create a business that fostered creativity in those who don’t consider themselves to be generally creative. While at the same time creating a place for professional creatives to come practice their craft and expand their skill sets; even in a dense city like Los Angeles. There is such a wealth of creatives here in the city to collaborate and learn from. And I saw an opportunity to create a community made up of everyone from Creative Professionals and Producers to DIY’ers, Hobbyists, and Party Planners. A custom fabrication shop / rental house was the business I landed on. Because the ability to create and build things is a huge priority for me, if not one of the most important. This model would support fabricating one-off builds for sale but also have a stream of rental revenue coming in to support the periods in between. Not to mention this model supports working artists by providing a resource for them while on jobs or for their personal projects. I knew there were others like me. I also knew rent was only going to keep going up for everyone and affording a place to build whatever, whenever you want was going to become harder and harder.
So finding that niche between the entertainment production world and the custom fabrication world was a challenge at first; but ended up being the thing that makes our approach work. As my freelance work evolves and North Pole Props keeps developing we will eventually move into a space where we can increase the number of in-house artists we have and we can launch our subscription service to newcomers who want the opportunity to learn new skills in fabrication and art department as well as discover new things. But taking the right approach on the business side is so important in preserving the quality and scope of support we’d like to offer creatives in Los Angeles.
Having a place to just go wild with whatever project you have going on, professional or personal is our goal for North Pole Props. And I’m very excited for the years to come as we grow into a robust and exciting creative resource.

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I’ve always found it hard to define my art specifically. I was driven towards visual storytelling but have been a maker and a crafter since birth. Creating worlds inside the context of movies and television is something I fell in love with early on and it helped steer my focus growing up. But through all of that, no matter how hard I try to define it as something else, what really drives my passion to create art and stories is: gift giving.

From an early age I became obsessed with making/ giving gifts. Getting to know someone well enough that you could take something from their life experience, dreams or passions and solidify it into a physical thing that provokes emotion just to receive it…. is an unparalleled feeling. The consistent exploration of the unknown that came along with that pursuit truly gave me life. Eventually you realize giving a gift goes so far beyond making or buying something for someone. And when you get to that point the real art really begins. Because it takes a certain intuitiveness and level of communication to really understand what someone wants. The skills that I knew as gift giving led me to a world of endless exploration artistically. Any medium is up for grabs when you want to create something custom for someone specifically. From screen printing to CNC machines to plumbing and all the way to party planning; I have gained so many skills over the years in the pursuit of the perfect gift. And the challenge was then, how to make a living doing it.

My wide skill set landed me in Art Department work as a Production Designer and Prop Master in the entertainment industry. While studying filmmaking I discovered that my talents could be used to tell stories; and build the worlds within them down to the last detail. To empathize with someone’s life experience and to project their needs into reality is a learned skill that’s intrinsically linked to the human condition. Someone’s truth is often ineffable. But to get close and to use that understanding as inspiration to create something new is absolutely incredible. So whatever my art was, I know it’s to explore that space in between nostalgia and character. Afterall, thinking about a character in a story and what kind of watch they would wear is not that far off from thinking about what kind of watch your best friend might like for their birthday. Every gift is in itself a story.

I can now call myself a designer, craftsman, and a producer. Am I any closer to figuring out what my art is exactly? Yes… maybe, probably not. I’m going to keep changing and the overall realization of my art changes with that. Right now I’m focusing a lot on custom home & decor pieces like outdoor tables, vinyl record shelves, card games etc. This shift from predominantly production to more custom fabrication/ event work came from an important realization about my personal drive.

My drive to create comes from a deep inner need to celebrate our world and experience with one another. To make people feel seen in ways they weren’t before. After all, communication oftentimes is in itself a gift. Anyone who has met me can attest to this. I care deeply about my work and everything I put my mind to. Creative professionals are where they are for many reasons. For some their bridge to creativity is escape, rebellion or validation. And while I do feel those influences in me, the best way I can describe my art other than gift giving… Is a celebration.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First thing I would take them to is Chromasonic in Venice. It is an immersive light and sound experience that opens creative doors in your mind I never expected. It’s one of my favorite things to do in LA. And while you’re in Venice we would go to Denmother, which is a wellness center and spa. We would do the sauna-to-ice bath Hot-Cold Therapy and afterwards enjoy a drink at their bar. If you like road trips I really enjoy the drive up to Red Rock National Park in Cantil, CA. It’s about a 3 Hour drive but the park is a great place to stretch your legs out and hike some awesome desert trails.

Food wise I have one major recommendation: De La Nona in central LA. Order a gluten-free pizza and a glass of sparkling Lambrusco… CANNOT go wrong. For drinks I would take us to the Tonga Hut in the Valley. Amazing cocktails and one of the oldest Tiki Bars in LA. It was my go-do place to get wrap drinks with my team after production.
Lastly I would take you for a sunset drive down the PCH in my old pickup truck; it’s a great experience.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Obviously I wouldn’t be anywhere without all the people who knew to reach out to me for their projects. I have been gifted with a lot of challenging and interesting jobs that have taken my creative problem solving to the absolute edge; and I love that. It’s hard to fit in all the thanks I have to give to everyone that I’ve worked with, but nothing inspired me more than people. One person specifically, I have to shout out is my best friend from my hometown of Johnsburg, IL: Marian Nusser. She was here when I moved to LA and helped me get my first job as an after school substitute teacher. A while after I left that, I turned her onto the production world in the Art Department and she has by far worked the hardest to bring in outside business to North Pole Props. She is now gone union for Production Design and honestly that’s what it’s all about. I couldn’t be more proud to help a friend find a career and a new creative outlet in life. And with that said Marian has done more for me and North Pole Props than she could know.
I also have to thank my business partner Jay Dizon. While we are both creative professionals in our own right; we have very different ways of doing things. That has informed the development of the business in a really positive way and I’m very grateful for that. He has also stuck by North Pole Props throughout all kinds of ups and downs. We wouldn’t be where we are today without Jay and his belief in me and the future of the business.

Website: https://www.instagram.com/northpoleprops/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fantasticmrfox11/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielclayfox/

Other: https://vimeo.com/danielclayfox

Image Credits
Dave Wilwayco, Marian Nusser, Meranda Carter, Laura Seaman, Gabe Ovalle