Meet David Hartstone

David, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My career in the film and television world began like so many other great origin stories: getting a camcorder for my dragon-themed Bar Mitzvah and creating homemade knockoff Jackass content and Requiem for a Dream parodies centered around an addiction to Myspace. In the beginning, acting in front of the camera was more of a necessity than a desire, starring in my own films just to ensure I’d be able to get it done alone. I edited in-camera, playing with camera tricks and filters available on the old MiniDV tapes. (Am I aging myself out already?) School came fairly easy for me, but as I got older, I was much more interested in doing my own thing and messing with the system than maintaining my GPA. (Even though at this point I still wanted to be a plastic surgeon who practiced paleontology on the side. C’mon Dave, get your act together.) I wanted to live every life I possibly could; so it was inevitable that by the end of high school, I chose to quit academia and focus on being an actor full time. I was three weeks from graduation, utterly lost, no interest in going to a normal school for a normal life. And then, by sheer force of will and writing an email everyday until the end of summer, I was finally accepted into the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in NYC. I had never even been to the city before, but I was gonna show up with a suitcase and a dream and make an artist out of myself.

Three and a half years later, with an MFA equivalency in hand and a penchant for Shakespeare and Chekhov, I did the only logical thing I could think of and left the theater world. I hopped on a plane and came to LA (another place I had never been). And since then, it’s been a never-ending process of growth, destruction and rebirth.

From becoming a Jr. Talent agent, to playing a coke dealer on ABC Family (what?), doing some “questionable” movies (like a superhero foot fetish movie that I PROMISE you can’t find on the internet), and to finally, writing, producing and directing my own movies while running a self-tape/coaching business out of my studio apartment. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Has it been a smooth road?
To say it’s been a helluva ride already is an understatement. And sure, I’ve had all the normal LA hang ups. Lost good friends for shitty reasons. Talent agency folds just as you get a big break. Crash your car when you need it most. The bittersweet end to that tumultuous (yet incredible) long-distance relationship with a Dutch baroness…

But the biggest challenge in my life came smack dab in the middle of my time in LA when I lost my father to ALS. He was diagnosed just as I was about to leave home for New York City. He was given six months to live, and I wasn’t going to be home again till after that. It was the hardest decision I have ever faced, but my dad refused to let me stop my life. He encouraged me selflessly to live my dream, and I like to believe that sharing my journey with him every day, mixed with the incredible love and support of my unbelievable mother and siblings, kept him going for years longer than any doctors could have predicted. When I lost my Dad, I lost my reason for being out here. I had seen how the sausage got made while working in the talent industry and I didn’t want to be an actor anymore. I was depressed, I gained weight. I lost my confidence. Relationships around me seemed to disintegrate at an alarming rate. I was problematic.

I found myself afraid of happiness. Unable to accept any peace or goodness in my life. I had to travel to the very bottom of what it meant to be alive to find a new reason for being here. So I sold anything I could live without and produced my movie ‘Enlightenment Now!’ A comedy/horror story where the “evil villain” is the concept of Nirvana and a cynical man loses everyone and everything around him in an effort to hold on to his deep-seated sadness. Through my pain, I had found my calling. I was going to be a filmmaker after all.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
My entire life and career has centered around the notion of putting out the best energy possible to get the greatest product in the quickest and most cost-efficient way. I work as hard as I possibly can and give my fullest to anyone and everything in my circle, and in return, I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by the most talented, beautiful and forward-thinking friends and confidants I could hope for. I’ve found a passion for creating music videos, shorts and feature films that center around super-unique world-building and unexpected storytelling.

Despite a global pandemic and being hospitalized for 20 days due to an unrelated medical emergency at the beginning of 2020, I’m proud to say that ‘Enlightenment Now!’ has finished it’s festival run, my new short film is exporting as I write this, and my next project is being cast and in pre-production to shoot by fall of 2020.
Simultaneously, I offer coaching and self-taping sessions for auditions and films, and I’m currently in the process of founding a new production company with my creative partner, Lexa Gluck. Ultimately, I write, direct, produce, act and I’m always looking to expand my Rolodex of talented collaborators!

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The truth is, between the COVID Pandemic still in full swing and the myriad of social and political issues that desperately need to be addressed, anyone who says they know exactly what comes next is at worst lying and at best, speculating. I do think we will ultimately go in a similar direction the industry was always heading, though. Continued use of CGI for world-building, especially while the real world isn’t safe. And continuing the high profile limited series strategy, which I think is super effective for quality entertainment. Overall, content creation is key. People will always need something to watch. Especially now.

While major productions are slowed to a halt by endless bureaucracy and constantly shifting safety guidelines, we’re seeing more and more people turning to social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and IGTV for an endless stream of entertainment. This is the perfect time for smaller independent creators to assemble small, safe (COVID tested) teams to develop their crafts and show the world what they have to offer. It’s cheaper and easier than ever to create quality, important stories and I think we’ll see some incredible art come out of these tragic world events.
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t use this platform to make a few remarks that cannot and should not be overstated. Black Lives Matter. Trans Lives Matter. Climate Action Now. Believe Women. Defund Police. Fund the People. Always Hope for World Peace & A Brighter Tomorrow.