Meet Dan Gomez | Audio Engineer, Writer, & Editor for Film.

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

Hi Dan, what principle do you value most?
Work Ethic. Plain and simple. I think at a very young age, observing my father, and somewhat by osmosis, I learned that whatever you do in life, do it well. My dad famously used to say to my two brothers and I, “Even if all you become in life is a manure shoveler, be the best damn manure shoveler in the business.” So that’s what we all did. It’s important to me at least, that even if you’re not being noticed or rewarded, there is definitely some personal satisfaction in just doing the best job you can in whatever it is you do in life. Eventually, someone will notice. But even if they don’t, you should always still bust your ass. It builds character.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Music has always been a huge part of my life and I just couldn’t imagine much of a life without music in it. So I played in a lot of bands growing up, recorded some demos, played some shows and this eventually led me into pursuing a career in music. But I knew I probably wasn’t going to be making a living as just a drummer in a band. So I weighed my options and decided to pursue a career as an audio engineer. I was very fortunate to work on a couple of great albums: a couple of gold records, a platinum record and even a Latin Grammy winning one. My experience in audio engineering eventually led me into the field of audio post production for film, editing sound effects and stuff like that. That eventually led me into editing picture too and here we are today. Writing is something I always did as a hobby growing up, loved it, and was even pretty good at it. So when I decided to go back to college in my 30’s, I got my next degree in Creative Writing and well, since I was already working in film, I figured I’d just try my hand at screenwriting. But none of these things would have ever been possible had I not gone back to the most important lesson in my life: work ethic. You don’t achieve great things in life without just working hard. And I’m not talking about achieving greatness financially, but doing something more for your soul, something that fulfills you inside, gives you great pride. That’s the stuff I’m talking about, the stuff you can’t measure.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I just love being outdoors and I’m not talking like kayaking, mountain climbing or anything like that. I mean, like literally just being outside. I love just being in the yard with my dog having a cup of morning coffee. I ride my bike 10 miles a day through the park and on a lakeside path, but I don’t wear headphones or anything else that can distract me from just the sounds of nature and the beauty of just being outside under the sun, feeling the warmth on your skin. So I think I’d just show my best bud how to hang out in the beauty of the outdoors. Go on a hike, jog on the beach, eat at a quaint sidewalk restaurant, pound a few craft beers at the hundreds of great beer bars in town or just sit in the backyard and do some BBQ’ing. I’m simple like that.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Family is everything to me. Whether it’s my mom, my brothers, wife, or dearly departed dad, they’ve all had a hand in who I am today and the person I became, both personally and professionally. My mom always taught me to do whatever I wanted to do in life and forget what everyone else may think. This is an important lesson, especially today, with everything going on in the country that continues to divide us as a people. My brothers always had my back and thus instilled in me that important quality… loyalty. My dad I already mentioned in an earlier statement and my wife always gave me the room and understanding to go out and do whatever it was I needed to do to improve myself and our way of life. It didn’t always work out the way we wanted it to, but at least I always had the elbow room to find out on my own.

Website: http://hemlockshortfilm.com/

Twitter: @draconocturne on X