Today we’d like to introduce you to Dash Kolos.
Hi Dash, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Moscow in the 80s, my fascination with photography began at the age of four with my dad’s film camera. Right from the start, my main point of interest were people and their stories. My mother introduced me to Russian theater and French Cinema. Quite naturally, the curiosity for storytelling and moving images translated into my decision to pursue acting and filmmaking.
Before immigrating to the States, I spent some time traveling around Europe, then six months in London were followed by an adventurous year in Egypt. After my return to Moscow, I ran a successful production company SnowFork that focused on editorial and commercial photography, creating cover stories for Elle Ukraine, L’Officiel Ukraine and Playboy just to name a few. After that, there was a successful endeavor titled Dash’s Soul Kitchen, a music movement that brought Moscow’s best rnb and soul artists together. It continues to exist and thrive under a simpler name Soul Kitchen.
Through all of that, I never lost my focus on acting and storytelling. In 2010, I relocated to Los Angeles to study under Gregory Berger-Sobeck, Yale Drama School graduate and faculty member. After six years on the West Coast, I moved yet again, this time to New York. Now I split my time between beloved Los Angeles and Brooklyn, where I find a lot of my stories and endless inspiration.
Fast forward to 2022 – twelve years in the States, quite a few acting credits under my belt, including CBS’ Scorpion, FBI: Most Wanted and MacGyver, NBC’s The Blacklist: Redemption, my main point of interest remains the same – people and their stories. With acting still being as important as breathing, more time now is dedicated to photography, screenwriting and directing.
In the summer of 2020 I had my debut as a cinematographer, creating a full-length documentary Inside Color, It featured NY-based artist Cavier Coleman and was released in 2021 with some festival nods.
In the summer of 2022, with my amazing LA team, I began pre-production and fundraising for my upcoming short film CROWN that will be shot in New York.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
A smooth road will make a very boring story. So no, I truly doubt a road of an artist can ever be smooth. Even if it presents this way on the outside, one goes through endless evolution inside. Growing pains, challenges of rediscovering oneself can present somewhat of a struggle. I am an immigrant. I moved to LA with 2 suitcases. Starting a life over in a new place is always a challenge. Not having a family to rely on is a much greater one. But the biggest struggles came from within, the imaginary limitations that I’ve adopted in my early years. Dismantling them, slowly but surely, one by one – is my biggest achievement. I strongly believe my journey is shaping me into a decent artist. I hope to become a great one, someday.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a lot of things. I am an Actor, Photographer, and Filmmaker. Storyteller to sum it up. In my work – be in narrative or documentary films, fine art, or street photography – I always look for small imperceptible moments. My desire is to turn those moments into subtle, meaningful stories.
I am most proud of not giving up. I am proud of allowing that quiet voice inside my head more volume each day. I am proud of picking up a camera and taking photographs when I had no clue what I was doing. Sometimes I still feel this way. I am most proud of finishing my very first screenplay when I thought I could never write a page. Now, I have more than 10 screenplays with that sweet “CUT TO BLACK. THE END” mark. And I find myself being in pre-production for one of these stories. Proud of my cinematographic debut for my full-length documentary. I am most proud of learning to say “SO WHAT?!” time and time again and keep going.
I truly believe we are all so unique, so talented and so beautiful in our own ways we don’t really need to worry about setting ourselves apart. We are here to complement each other and learn from each other. Inspire one another. But there is no other person with the journey like mine that in itself sets me apart quite a bit.
What are your plans for the future?
Oh man, isn’t there the most genius proverb in the history of mankind that goes like: “if you want to make God laugh, make a plan”? The last couple of years definitely proved that to be quite accurate – so one day at a time, one project at a time. Right now, I am putting all my heart, soul and a lot of work into my next short film CROWN. I am definitely looking forward to that. I wrote it, I am going to direct it. Not going to act in its thought, but I have an amazing LA team of actors and creators to help me bring it to life. So all my efforts, at the moment, are toward raising the funding (find me on Seed&Spark). I have a very precise and ambitious vision. Cinematography will play an important part in my story and we are going to shoot it on film. I am extremely visual, I feel with my eyes and I want the audience to feel with theirs.
Where is CROWN Film going to take me? I am excited to find out. As for a big change, I have been thinking about getting a dog. It feels like it could be a big change.
Oh and all the amazing auditions my team have been getting for me – that also could be a big change any day… The life on an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dashkolos.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dashdizzles/
Image Credits
Models: Bianca Espinal E-Jay Adakole King Kayak Dakaibo
