Today we’d like to introduce you to John Dowd.
Thanks for sharing your story with us John. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I moved out to Los Angeles in January of 2011 from Omaha, Nebraska to attend Loyola Marymount University. After being denied entry into the film school twice, I decided to enroll in the Studio Art program at the University. After graduating, I went into freelance film work on set working as a camera assistant, grip, boom op, etc. I tried to stay active outside of that work and began to produce my own short documentaries. I gravitated towards documentary film making with the intent to tell stories with an emphatic lens on subjects that exist outside of my narrow and sheltered upbringing in the Midwest. My work has taken me to Haiti, the Dominican Republic and most recently to Tijuana where I worked on a short documentary about a small group in the migrant caravan that attempted to seek asylum in the US at the end of 2018. That film is currently in post-production and will premiere early next year as part of the New York Times Op Docs section.
Around the same time after graduation, I started to develop a music project under the name Bible Belt. The project started out as a home recording experiment but has developed over the last few years to become a full band as has since recorded a studio full-length LP “The Space Between Us” produced by Neil Wogensen (Valley Queen). Bible Belt is currently working on a 2nd full-length album which will be released both digitally and physically as a cassette in the fall of 2019.
Similar to the balance of my documentary film work and my music, I have tried to stay active in Los Angeles as a member of the community and spend time on a weekly basis volunteering with a nonprofit called Share A Meal (https://www.shareameal.net/). They serve the homeless population of LA by providing food, water, and human connection to people across the city. Volunteering with this group has not only helped me grow as a person but has helped me step out of my own head as an artist and as a person who felt very lost for so long in a city so far removed from my home, my family and my upbringing.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Most of my time in LA has been filled with failures, starting with being rejected from every film school I applied to. I stumbled out of the gate and I’ve stumbled every step of the way since then but have found moments of success and built on both experiences. That said, I’m lucky enough to have worked on a number of projects that I’m really proud of and so hopefully there are signs of growth in that process.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
In my work, I attempt to tell human stories with people willing to engage with them. I’m proud to be able to make a living and I’m thankful to have the time to work on the things that make me feel the most human and the most alive.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My definition of success is malleable and has changed over time. I have found that every time I have set a goal and have met that particular measure of success, I feel proud for about two whole days and then I feel restless and unfulfilled. My criteria for success is continuing to set goals, meet those goals and then move on to higher ambitions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vimeo.com/johndowd
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john.reardon.dowd/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2M9KVmlbmNwHfwagAQxWvv
Image Credit:
Kelsey Fugere
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