Meet David McCracken | Writer, Filmmaker, Educator

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

Hi David, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Learning to say “no.” So much has been made about saying “yes” to everything. I was raised Catholic in the Midwest, so saying “yes” to everything was burned into my DNA. Saying “no” made you feel guilty. Saying “no” was rude. Even to this day, I still feel like I need to give a reason for saying “no,” as if “no” isn’t enough. But saying “yes” to everything inevitably leads to being overwhelmed, to that terrible feeling of drowning. You very quickly lose your compass and become your work. I love my work. But loving my work and *being* my work are wholly different. “No” keeps me from becoming my work and allows me to be me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve always tried to be practical about my creative work. Even before I write a single word of a script, I’m thinking about how I would bring the story to life. Budget concerns, filming logistics… if I’m going to spend countless hours outlining, writing, revising, and developing a script (time… yet another practical concern), I want the movie to have the best possible chance of getting made. While this may seem a little cold and calculating to some, my ultimate goal is to make a movie that audiences can watch and enjoy. I particularly enjoy making genre films—they’re a rich playground to explore deeper thematic material while not being too preachy. Genre films tend to be more “entertainment forward,” I guess you could say.

A lot of the work I currently do on YouTube has an added educational component. So, in addition to being entertaining, the work also has to be well-researched and well-argued. My channel, THE STEPHEN KINGDOM, is not only about Stephen King and his works, but about the various topics and issues raised in his work, which can range from school bullying to prison reform to gun control. It gives me the opportunity to talk to a lot of knowledgeable people in a variety of fields. Education has always been an important aspect to what I do. If it’s a genre movie, the “education,” if you want to call it that, would be more oblique in dealing with deeper issues and themes. But my more directly educational work in YouTube is more informed by my past experiences as a university professor and writer for PBS, as well as my current role as Executive Director of an educational services company for students with special needs and learning differences.

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.
First off, I would hope my friend’s visit would time out with a few choice screenings from the American Cinematheque, most especially at the Egyptian, one of my favorite LA theaters. But to me, no theatre matches the Academy Museum’s David Geffen Theater, so we’d spend at least one day exploring that wonderful museum and cap it off with a screening there, preferably something in 35 or 70mm or nitrate. Nothing like watching a movie while being haunted with the fear of blowing up. But LA’s a beautiful sunny city, so I wouldn’t want to spend too much time cooped up in a dark movie theater. The perfect middle ground would be enjoying a show at the Hollywood Bowl. Then we could fully commit to the outdoors. There are countless beautiful hikes, and I tend to prefer the ones around Calabasas and Malibu. You wouldn’t think you can get lost in LA, but believe me, you can. A trip to Catalina is a must, and if I could convince my friend to do some scuba diving with me, a boat dive in Catalina or the Channel Islands would be unforgettable. Food-wise, I’m a cheap date. For sandwiches (my favorite food) you can’t do any better than Cricca’s Italian Deli in Topanga Canyon. New York Chicken & Gyro will blow your mind (and they’re open late). And for some great beer, you can do no wrong at 14 Cannons Brewery in Westlake Village (bonus if you can make it to Trivia Night).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Dad, for introducing me to movies and then supporting me when I went off to make my own. Ever since he passed away, I make sure to put his stuff into everything I do. He loved making props for my various movies and short films, so those always make an appearance.

Instagram: @mrpicturesfilm

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/davidemccracken

Twitter: @demccracken

Youtube: http://youtube.com/thestephenkingdom

Image Credits
Mr. Pictures