Meet Chris K. Daniels | Filmmaker, Founder & Entertainer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris K. Daniels and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris K., why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I always refer to it as a “creative curse.” On one hand, it’s this beautiful, thought-provoking, constantly-enthralling pursuit to make amazing things. But on the other, it’s this perpetual addiction. A fix that never quite scratches the itch. The itch just gets itchier… So I guess to answer the question, I think I was desperately searching for a way to scratch that itch. I didn’t know what the itch was. It was this sort of impending emptiness when I was very young that didn’t fully make sense to me. But eventually, once I found YouTube, there was a way to scratch it. Then that evolved into the entire craft of filmmaking, writing, producing, etc. It was this newfound, consistently-challenging desire to always keep going. Onto the next, onto the next. It was an illusion of purpose, and since then, I’ve never looked back. It’s the only thing that brings me waves of satisfaction and feeling like it’s all worth it. Hopefully that’s not too dark. But it is the truth!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My whole goal has always been to find a consistency in “style” without ever getting too attached to one medium. Of course, it’s story and filmmaking that is my general focus across life: but forcing that to be simplified into one box was never my desire. Whether it be a story made into a YouTube video, a feature film, a Tik Tok, a Netflix series, a podcast or any other future story-based medium that we can’t imagine yet. My love has alway been for creating. with that: building, improving and immersing others into whatever strange world I’m actively trying to bring them into. I’m working mostly in feature films right now for the foreseeable future, though I’m always open to any canvas dying in any moment. If movie theaters all shut down, I love streaming. If streaming platforms all crash and crumble, I love mobile content. The point is, it’s all the same. A great series is a great story, a great feature film is a great story, a great short film is a great story. As long as I’m making things that feel (to me) worth making, I’m going to keep making them, no matter where they end up in the end.

I think this philosophy has helped a lot in getting to where I am today. I read in a filmmaking book long ago that one should come up with their “mission statement” early on in their career. I struggled with this one for a while, because it felt like that would trap me. It was a phrase that would limit experimentation that goes beyond it. Though in actuality, that ideology is what eventually led to this one that I described above. So in turn, I’d say that there is my mission statement in a sense. Perhaps that’s the lesson here.

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?
These days I’m a big fan of somewhere that finds that sexy balance of quiet enough to hear the people you’re with, while still being cool enough that people are there making a stir. A nice lounge on the right night tends to hit that spot.

I spend a lot of time in Hollywood and West Hollywood these days, so I love a lot of the nighttime spots around this area. Places like Bar Lis, Harriet’s, The Aster, Grandmaster Recorders, The Chateau, and most recently, Petit Ermitage has become one of my favorite places in Los Angeles. Also let me “The Chap” on the list as an underrated gem.

For food, switching it up between over-the-top fancy and parking lot tacos is the move in LA. Mother Wolf in Hollywood is top-tier, Ardor in West Hollywood, and the Taco truck across the street from Target in East Hollywood.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The top of the list, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is my Mom. Anna Daniels, that is. Fortunately, she’s been on my side since the beginning. And in the beginning, it was not an easy process to be on my side. I’ve always been this neurotic, OCD, self-doubting mad-man with a whole lot of passion and a whole lot of annoying quirks. So she put up with me, and beyond that, she supported my every move. From the early YouTube days, to the early production, small crew days, to the chaotic, large-crew, constantly-stressful, high-paced, hefty-workload days. She’s always been the constant. She’s a problem-solver in every aspect of life, and that’s the most valuable thing I could’ve possibly learned early on.

With that, I have a circle of incredibly inspiring, intelligent, helpful and selfless friends that have been invaluable across this whole career pursuit of the last seven or so years. I’m a big believer in surrounding yourself with people that inspire you. Jim Rohn has that quote “we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with” and I think about this often when it comes to people I get close to. Trust is hard out there, so finding a person you really feel it for is a huge gift in life.

Website: https://chriskdaniels.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/iseechrisd

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