Meet Dana Mackin | Actor & Producer

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

Hi Dana, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
At the end of the day, after considering grit, strategy, or likeability, I always lead with integrity – and as a creative I really feel that integrity and authenticity are synonymous. In the entertainment industry, there’s this overwhelming sentiment of “fake it until you make it,” but when you’re on camera or onstage, that just doesn’t ring true; people won’t connect, they won’t resonate with it, and the project won’t succeed.

I produced my recent feature film Laced by necessity – I wanted the opportunity to dive into a big acting project, I was tired of waiting for someone else to cast me, and we didn’t have the budget to bring on an “experienced” producer. When I thought of “producer” the first image that popped into my head was someone who had all the answers, so you can imagine how panicked I was to have way more questions. But as someone who values integrity and authenticity the most, “fake it ‘til you make it” wasn’t going to work for me, and I knew that, in order to make this project happen, I had to rely upon the authentic confidence that acting with integrity brings.

Something magical happens when an actor performs with integrity and authenticity, and I’ve found that extending those same values into the more logistical or monetary aspects of filmmaking has attracted a like-minded community of creators that have mutual trust and genuine interest in one another’s success.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was recommended to Shoutout LA by my close friend Kyle Butenhoff, who was the director of the indie feature film I recently starred in and produced called “Laced.” First off, I’m majorly, insanely proud of that project. I’m grateful that we had the confidence to start the project, the grit to persist, and the resources to complete it.

When we started pre-production for “Laced,” I had this vision of what my career as an actor would look like after starring in a feature. I anticipated that I’d get better auditions, be cast more frequently, or get signed on to a “top ten” agency. Some of that vision has come true – the vast majority of it hasn’t. But, I have gained something significantly more valuable than an onslaught of “open doors” into the industry – making this indie film allowed me to look down and realize, “Oh, sh*t! I have hands! I can open doors myself! I could build a door, if I wanted.” It’s a convoluted metaphor, but what I’m trying to say is that as an actor, as any kind of artist, we can’t wait for permission to create. No amount of connections, positive reviews, top ten lists on iTunes (this is a brag), or articles written about myself online are going to quiet the inner critic that says being creative is a waste of time. Or that being an actor is self-indulgent. So the only certainty I have, and the thing that I want the world to know, is that I’m giving myself permission to be an artist, to act, to tell stories, just for the sake of creating. Assigning value to creativity regardless of “success” is the only way to exist in the film industry without burning out. So, go make pottery or something just to do it, and give yourself an hour to stop obsessing over the cost of groceries.

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?
Well, first of all, we’re not going to the beach. Sorry y’all, don’t pack your swimsuit if you’re coming to visit me, the water is freaking cold and there are sharks. But I would set aside time to drive along the PCH playing music with the windows down and yelling “LA BABY” like we’re in an early 2000s movie. My favorite bit of LA is Loz Feliz, so we’d go to the Los Feliz Flea to find overpriced but expertly curated thrifted clothing, then pick up some Maru coffee and go lounge in the sun at Barnsdall Art Park. If my visiting friend was a woman then I would try and skip the line with her at Davey Waynes to go dance to seventies music, because I STILL love that bar. I’d take them to an improv show, whether they like it or not. We’d have to do a day at the Getty, and get so full at a KBBQ dinner that we have to cancel our plans afterwards. Oh, and I love creeping along Mulholland Drive, looking at all of the amazing houses, and making up stories about the cult murders that probably happened in them. After we do all of that then maybe we can go to the beach. Maybe.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Anyone who has made an indie knows that it’s impossible…until “somehow” it’s not. I know for a fact that the “Laced” team’s “somehow” was our insanely generous family, friends, and mentors. We edited and recorded the ADR in my friend Kimmy’s guest bedroom, my brother helped edit our investment proposals, Zach Tinker ate one of those insanely spicy chips on Instagram Live to raise money for post-production, our director’s aunt gave us crucial PR advice, hell – my mom made most of the food on-set during production. I could go on and on for literal paragraphs about how many members of our community took real, personal risks based exclusively upon confidence in us as creatives.

It’s easy to put our finished film up onscreen, shiny and polished, and hide behind this mysterious veil of being “professional filmmakers,” but what I’ve come to learn is that indie filmmaking is always scrappy, often messy, and humbling daily. Making this film has been an exercise in checking my ego and asking for help, and I’m so lucky and so grateful for my community.

Website: https://www.lacedfilm.com/

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

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

Image Credits
Headshot – Leah Huebner BTS photo in Blue vest – Emily Krisky