Meet Gabe Shane Dunn | Writer, Director, Podcaster

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabe Shane Dunn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabe Shane, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
There’s two. One is “Not everyone has to like you, you don’t even like everybody.” It helps me with content creation because I’m not worried about appealing to and reaching every audience. I only care about making what makes my audience happy and engaged and what gets them thinking. There are plenty of shows I don’t like because they’re not for me. If you’re chasing newer fans, you’re not fulfilling the people who love you and stick by you.

The other is “It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be done.” That’s for first drafts and also sometimes for anything I’m making. If I obsess over whether it’s perfect I’ll never put it out. That’s not to say don’t have high standards, but that is to say that overthinking and overdeveloping can kill creativity.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a queer and trans writer and director whose most recent film GRINDR BABY was selected as one of five Frameline Festival’s 2023 Voices for Emerging LGBTQ Directors.

I’m also a New York Times bestselling author and served as a writer on BIG MOUTH (Netflix). I spent 10 years developing original television pilots with MTV, 20th Century Fox, Freeform, and FX. I also wrote and acted in a YA drama Apocalypse Untreated which was released by Audible Originals in 2020.

In the podcast space, I’m the host and creator of the podcast, Bad With Money, where I have interviewed guests like Suze Orman, Roxane Gay, and Elizabeth Warren. A non-fiction book based on the podcast was published by Simon & Schuster in 2019 and went into three printings.

I co-wrote the novels I Hate Everyone But You, a New York Times bestseller in 2018, and the sequel Please Send Help… published in 2019, along with my debut original graphic novel, Bury The Lede, in partnership with BOOM! Studios. 2019 was a crazy year!

I also co-host the Just Between Us and The Knew Guys podcasts. My most recent TV project is The Daring Life and Dangerous Times of Eve Adams at Universal TV, which I am writing and producing.

My newest project that we’ve shot a proof of concept for is my debut feature film, “Oh Sugar!” I wrote and directed it. It is a feature film created in defiance of the supremacy of cis-directed, trope-laden, trauma-centric trans stories in film history. An enemies-to-lovers narrative featuring two trans leads showcasing palpable, hot, and creatively passionate chemistry, YAIYAM is a two-hander, evocative of A Star Is Born, Once, and Music & Lyrics. Max is a privileged, newly sober ‘punk’ wanting to prove himself to his father, a record label CEO; Ashley is a struggling pop star whose career nosedived after she transitioned. Their relationship blossoms voyeuristically in the tight quarters of the recording studio, redefining intimacy through a vulnerable music writing process punctuated by an all-original soundtrack exclusively featuring LGBTQ+ artists. I am particularly proud of my career-long ability to create rich and nuanced queer characters and stories.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I really love LA in totality, but I live in West Hollywood so keep that in mind!

Drink: Motherlode, Gym Bar, Revolver, maybe Micky’s for Drag Race viewings on a Friday. Outside of Weho, The Black Cat, The Bullett, 4100 Bar, Cantiki (they have great karaoke). Maybe karaoke at Max Karaoke downtown.

Eat: Night + Market Song, Guisado’s, El Compadre, Hugo’s Tacos, Hugo’s restaurant, Gyu Kaku is fun because it’s Korean barbecue so it’s interactive.

Hang out: Ginger Rogers aka the gay beach, a drag show literally anywhere but maybe one on the east side so it’s a bit more alt than West Hollywood. Gay Asstrology dance party, Alamo drafthouse to hang, do trivia or see a movie. I just walked around Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills with a friend and it was good exercise and also really beautiful, great view of the city and haunted for sure. Maybe Vidiots or Whammy Analog to see movies too. Dayglow Coffee in Weho. For thrifting, the street in Burbank that has It’s A Wrap which is an awesome shop that has clothes worn in movies.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people. I think my first editor at the NYTimes Adam Sternbergh, my third grade teacher Mrs. Kol, my first agent at Gersh Justin Masterson, people who saw talent in me. Sam Dingman who helped me develop and grow Bad With Money into what it is today. Allison Raskin who I do my other podcast with. My aunt Michele Baker who was the first person to tell me what a writer does. So many people gave me so many opportunities over the years.

Website: https://gabesdunn.com

Instagram: gabesdunn

Youtube: https://youtube.com/justbetweenus

Image Credits
Shanley Kellis – headshot
Ashley Watts