Meet Dash Dobrofsky | Film Producer / Content Creator

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

Hi Dash, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Honestly, I don’t think about ‘work’ and ‘life’ as two mutually exclusive things. Perhaps that in itself a sign that my scales tip towards work and need to find more balance haha..but making a film sort of becomes your lifestyle (at least until the film is finished).

Think about it: Your best ideas will come up in the middle of a night through a dream and you’ll try to write it down on a notepad before you forget, or you’ll come up with a creative post-production transition while at dinner and need to jot it down on your phone in the middle of a restaurant! All of this is to say I’ve found it challenging to strike a perfect ‘work/life’ balance when it comes to making movies, if that’s what you’re choosing to do for a living.

Making movies doesn’t feel like “traditional work” because the process is so unpredictable, challenging, and ever-changing on a day-to-day basis. It requires an all-in mentality to finish a film, which can mean the work/life balance will be lopsided for the time being.

Having said that, there are times when you burn out on a certain creative process, or get frustrated when trying to crack a challenging edit/scene…and in those instances it is very helpful to mentally engage in something non-creative & find that ‘balance’ if the ideas aren’t flowing.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
As a producer, what got me where I am today was 1) I love the content I am producing, 2) I have the drive/discipline to get it made, and 3)I have the guts to put it out into the world.

I don’t say those things to brag, but to portray the honest reality of what it takes to produce content for a living. There will be times where the production goes haywire, when something goes wrong on set that you need to fix on the spot, or if you’re generally just having a day where the ‘creative juices’ aren’t flowing…these are the times where you have to dig deep and give it everything you have to make sure what you had initially set out to accomplish gets accomplished. Sometimes there are brutally hard days where you ask yourself “why am I doing this?”

And I’ve discovered that the only way to maintain the inspiration (or find the drive) to “keep going” on those days is when I love the film I’m making or the message behind the content I’m producing!

Making content for a living — whether it’s film or social media content — is a 24/7 grind that is incredibly rewarding but can also break your heart.

The hardest part of producing a project is finishing it, letting it go and putting it out into the world…and so you’ll see a lot of creators resist actually putting their pieces of art out into the world. Why? Because it’s scary to get negative feedback, or even worse, scary if nobody sees it!

None of us want to feel like a failure, but I always say, you’re guaranteed to fail if you don’t put anything out into the world.

The only way I’ve learned if my content was connecting with audiences was to release it into the world, whether that be putting out content on your phone, getting a script into an actor’s hands, or debuting your film at a festival. All require a lot of risk — but that’s where the reward comes!

Lessons I’ve learned: I’ve produced a lot of content over the past couple years, from launching a TikTok news account that generates several million views per month to producing a Horror feature film with a cast that includes Academy Award-nominee Eric Roberts, and Doug Jones, who starred in ‘Shape Of Water.’ The overarching lesson I’ve learned from these two entirely different ventures — but one that applies to both — is learning to cultivate an unwavering commitment to finish the project (whether it be a 1 minute video idea or a feature film) — even when it feels impossible to pull off. Discipline is key!

I hope people come away with a sense that if you have some sort of creative dream project in your head, or a business idea that you thought could be a winner — go out and make it. Don’t overthink it. Just make it and do it. If it fails, that’s good. Have the courage to do what your inner voice tells you to do with your life. It’s advice I remind myself to follow every day!

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?
I love Koreatown and Thai Town — I could shamelessly eat Korean/Thai food for every meal! One of my best friends from Hong Kong has introduced me to several great (secret) food spots across East LA (They have the best food in all of Los Angeles, in my humble opinion).

Also, the delis here in LA are unbeatable (Nate ‘n Als, Canters, Fromin’s).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shout out my awesome girlfriend, Isabella, whom I met in the middle of production. As corny as it sounds, she has been my rock throughout the whole process. Always supportive, inspiring, and has put up with a lot of the crazy ups-and-downs that come with making a movie, which she has now grown very familiar with!

Of course, shout out to my parents who are always in my corner sending love & shout out to my brother/partner-in-crime Spyder — for writing a kick-ass screenplay that attracted such an incredible cast and for his tenacity to break creative barriers on ‘Down Below.’

Website: https://www.thegenzperspective.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DashDobrofsky

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dashdobrofsky