Life & Work with Dustin Green

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dustin Green.

Dustin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My creative journey is one that winds from my roots in Baltimore, MD all the way to Los Angeles over a 20+ year period. While still in college, I did some background work on “The Wire” (I can point out the episodes I’m in). At the time, pursuing a full-time career as an artist wasn’t exactly a way to make a living back home, so I decided to learn as much as I could about studio television.

I got my first job at the Fox affiliate in Baltimore, then worked as a producer for a regional sports network in D.C. In 2013, I was hired at Fox Sports 1 in Los Angeles. All the while, I still felt called to a life as a creative storyteller in the dramatic arts.

In 2016, I left Fox Sports to pursue a career as a writer and an actor. Though the years since have brought their share of difficulties, leaving the certainty of a salaried position to work in my true purpose has been the most rewarding experience of my life.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nine months after leaving Fox Sports, my manager and mentor passed away very tragically in an accident. Around that time, I was running out of money and started working all types of odd jobs to keep the bills paid: food delivery, ride share, and most notoriously as a bouncer at a gentlemen’s club. I voluntarily surrendered my car and went broke. All the while, I was unaware that God was molding me.

During this phase of my life, I began to truly take note of how people in Los Angeles were living. I met hardworking families with very little who were simply happy to be in a country that gave them the opportunity to succeed. Conversely, I watched wealthy men regularly blow an average person’s salary in one night and still walk out of the club depressed. All of these experiences gave me a new perspective on life in America – a perspective that irrevocably changed my work.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m primarily a writer these days, although I still love to act. I’m a proud member of both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. I also recently joined the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, also known as the Emmys.

I specialize in thrillers that usually have a crime or science fiction angle to them. I release short stories each week on my Substack – Digital Dash (https://digitaldash.substack.com).

I like stories that force the reader/viewer to consider the humanity of each character. We have a generation of people in this country struggling to find their purpose in life (particularly young to middle-aged men). Stories of self-discovery have never been more important.

As a Christian, I believe it was only by the grace of God that I made it this far in my journey. After making the willful decision to seek the Lord with intention, my entire quality of life upgraded. The concept of faith serving as the underpinning for each of us seems to always make its way to the surface in my writing. It’s my hope that readers and viewers ascertain something new about themselves after checking out my work.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Here are a few books I always recommend for writers:
“On Writing,” by Stephen King.
“Three Uses of the Knife,” by David Mamet.
“Save the Cat,” by Blake Snyder.

Also, there’s some really cool fiction on Substack. I highly recommend it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://digitaldash.substack.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DGdaStorytella
• Other: IMDB – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7065003/

Image Credits
Photos by Chris Rouse. Instagram: @jchrisrouse.