Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Brawer.
Hi Dana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m a writer, producer, and director for film, TV, and comic books. Right now, I have an action feature in active development with Automatik that I’m super excited about. I was in the room of George RR Martin’s NIGHTFLYERS, where I wrote many of the show’s virtual reality episodes, and I’ve been in the room as writers assistant/script coordinator on a mix of TV dramas and comedies including FBI: INTERNATIONAL, FBI: MOST WANTED, NEXT, and BIG MOUTH. I previously wrote CryptTV’s miniseries WATER’S EDGE, and I also wrote for the comic book series NEON FUTURE (created by music producer Steve Aoki) alongside Eisner-winner Jim Krueger. I currently write for and produce the award-winning sci-fi/thriller podcast series, AGENT STOKER, starring Emily Deschanel. My screenplays have placed in Final Draft Big Break, Shriekfest, Austin Film Festival, and The Tracking Board’s competitions, and my award-winning short films have played in major festivals, including the LA Film Festival and Hollyshorts. I’ve also produced a few broadcast commercials and previously ran the internal media department at a substantial neurotech startup. So, my story’s kind of all over the creative map but I wouldn’t change a thing.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been anything but a smooth road. The best words to describe my path are “turbulent” and “random”. Really high highs, super low lows, and infinite bumps and obstacles in between that I had no way of predicting. I feel like half my professional jobs have come from the most unexpected places… like I got my first comic book job when I connected with someone right as Comic-Con’s WIRED Café was closing and the staff was almost literally shoving us out the door. I never could have foreseen those circumstances. So that’s been a little tough – handling the erratic nature of the entertainment business and not always knowing when the next job’s going to come or what it’s going to be. I’ve learned to say “yes” to almost any opportunity (within reason) because you truly never know what it’ll lead to.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I write and create mostly horror, science fiction, and thriller content having grown up on pulpy, Golden Age and New Wave sci-fi – and Stephen King, of course. I tend to explore themes of rebirth and transformation after trauma or loss, usually through a female and/or queer lens, so horror and science fiction lend themselves well to these kinds of stories where characters (often outsiders) can undergo whatever crazy changes and challenges the genre elements allow. I’m very proud of my world-building chops. I always spend weeks making sure the world of any new work feels real and believable and complex, whether it’s a fantasy epic or grounded sci-fi. I put in a lot of effort to ensure the rules of my world all make perfect sense in painstaking detail, usually with weeks of prep and research before I actually start to write.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’ve had a healthy mix of good and bad luck in my career. I’ve landed on a few shows that’ve gotten canceled after one season, had promising projects fall apart at the last minute, and I know I’m not the only person to feel like Covid was (maybe still is) like a “pause” button for their career. But that’s the nature of the beast unfortunately – as I said, high highs and low lows. On the “luck” side, something I feel immensely grateful for is that I’ve made genuine friendships and connections basically everywhere I’ve worked, despite the chaos or brevity of some of the jobs. Having a supportive network of incredible folks that I’m grateful to call friends to ride the highs with me and take me out dancing for those lows has been more important than any career success could ever be.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.danabrawer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brawerpower/?hl=en
- Other: https://vimeo.com/danabrawer
