Meet D Hunter White

Today we’d like to introduce you to D Hunter White.

D Hunter, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in front of the TV and I knew right away that I wanted to act, direct and make movies but as a child, I had no idea of how to make that happen.

As luck would have it, my elementary school in Virginia was near a college campus and the theatre director selected me and six of my classmates to be in what would be my first play, “Miesha and the Seven Little People”. I was in fourth grade and I clearly remember asking my director if I could change one of my lines because I believed that there was no way my character would say those original lines. Well, not only did she let me change my line but we added two more lines to my character! I was ecstatic.

After several years of working in the public schools during the day and doing community theatre at night and on the weekends, I decided to invest in myself and formally study the craft of acting. I moved to California. I was accepted to and graduated from CalArts with an MFA in Acting.

Even though my acting now had a solid foundation, getting hired as an actor was not easy as what I thought it would be. I secured a full-time job writing, directing and acting in science-based theatre for a Los Angeles science museum. It was during that time that I decided to get behind the camera and learn how to make films. Since then, I’ve never lost sight of my baseline goals: 1. Always create work for myself because work begets work. 2. Always have several projects in several stages of development. If a production is delayed, I’m able to quickly transition to another project in order to keep moving forward. 3. Invest in myself and make myself as hirable as possible either as an actor or a director/filmmaker.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has not been smooth but the journey continues to be exciting! It takes time to learn how to balance the 9-to-5 job with the after work, 5-to-9 creative, side hustle. However, one of the biggest lessons I learned was to create work for myself. I share this advice to fellow actors and filmmakers all the time.

As creative artists, we can’t sit and wait for someone to give us permission to act or make a film. We have to learn how to create those acting and filmmaking experiences. I went to school to learn how to act but I taught myself how to produce, write, shoot and edit my own films. Once you have a film project that you’re passionate about then don’t hesitate to enlist the help of people you like and want to work with. Being on the set of a micro-budget film is stressful, but with the right people it can be one of the best experiences in creativity and building professional and personal relationships that last a lifetime.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
As an actor and filmmaker, I do it all. I shoot, edit and produce. On the set, I’m a one-man band with a crew of zero to two. I bring a unique point of view and voice to the table the minute I sign up for a project and that sets my productions apart from others. Further, I’m constantly on the lookout for fellow creatives to collaborate with and make films. My last two short films were written by colleagues. They saw the images I created and they reached out to me to direct, shoot and edit their films.

With that being said, one of the things I like to look for in a project is something special either in the story, the point of view of the characters, or the demographic of the characters. If the project can combine uniqueness in all three areas, then that would be best. As a goal, I’d love to specialize in stories that have meaning and that come from a place that is under-represented in film.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’m looking forward to directing my first feature film. I’ve spent a lot of time, energy and passion honing my filmmaking skills but the goal has always been to shoot a feature-length film. Everyone is making high-quality shorts and skits that you can find on every social media platform and film festivals. However, the way for me to stand out as an actor and filmmaker is to make a feature film with a story worth telling. This is a task that is easier said than done but my mindset is that the difficult can be done with ease and the impossible just takes a little bit longer.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dhunterwhite.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/DHunterWhiteFilmmaker
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/DHunterWhiteFilmmaker
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/DHunterWhite
• Other: www.youtube.com/user/DHunterTV1

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.