Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Dunlop.
Hi Daniel, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
For 25 years I was the lead music and arts director for several large churches in the US. Feeling the sense that I had achieved all that I wanted to achieve in that line of work, I was sitting in a doctor’s office in Cincinnati Ohio one day shuffeling through the magazines, as one often does, when I saw a business magazine with the image of a production company crew on the cover. Inside the magazine was a write-up on what the production company did, how they functioned to produce large-scale business events, and the creative forces that drove how they did their work. I was enthralled by their work and I wasn’t even aware at that point in my life that companies like that even existed.
The very next day I hired a creative arts writer to help me assemble a resume that could translate the workings of my years of church experience producing large-scale musical events and leading large-scale productions and give that a business context. Within a month I submitted that resume to the same company that I saw on the magazine in the doctor’s office, and they called me the very next day. After 7 months of back and forth and beating out a list of qualified candidates, they choose me! Five months after that hire, I was producing some of their top shows in Paris, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and assorted cities throughout the US. My life had been reinvented and I loved every minute of it.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The path to “get” where I am today was never smooth, but it was always steady. After settling into my role as an event producer, working for another company I began to imagine ways that I would do things differently. It was difficult to mangle other people’s practices and philosophies when they didn’t match up to mine. When I finally took the jump and launched Dunlop Productions, it was a big step. No secure income, no clients, just a dream that I could do great work if given the chance. I began doing some small video projects and a few AV-type jobs. I was inexperienced as a business owner, but I was in my element with regard to producing good work. I learned to live on very little, never asked for money from anyone, and built the business on the belief that if I just kept doing good work and hustled enough that I could make a living from it all. It was never my goal to be the biggest, I just wanted to be the best at what I did. The drive and determination is what woke me up every day. I imagined the possibilities, even though I wasn’t sure how to get there. I am not unlike other entrepreneurs who imagine what life can be and work and drive and are motivated to get pushing forward.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Perhaps it was all those years of working in large church environments, I learned how to adapt to various personalities, how to bring the most out of creative types, and how to lead through the complexities of organizational dynamics (note that I am not using the word “politics”, but we all know that doesn’t exist inside large churches. wink).
Having that background along with the administrative and creative skill set for creating large-scale event experiences, I believe that has been one of the attributes that has made me stand out from others. When I take on a project, that client is the center of my universe. I am attuned to their needs and their internal dynamics, and they become my own. When I am an extension of their work and make them look good and succeed in front of their bosses and their bosses, I am happy. In my line of work, I work with closely with the C-suite of leaders and prepare them to succeed on stage and on camera. I provide calm, reassurance, positive coaching environments, and am not afraid to speak the truth when it is important to how to present them in the best possible way. In addition to creative skills, financial integrity and transparency, I thrive on adapting to and excelling my clients forward.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I love this question. For many, they believe that if they are good enough t what they do, the world will notice them. That works out in the movies, but that’s not reality. My philosophy of work has always been to “be real” and to “be present”. Genuinely look for ways to connect and explore how you can bring value. If you really want to be memorable, ask questions often, never lead with talking about yourself, and work to explore their world first and foremost. I listen to a lot of talk radio and I’ve studied how to have conversational interviews from some of the best. Don’t approach people as clients, when they are not yet a client. Look for ways to understand them, understand their problem points, understand the implications of those problem areas and then find ways to provide a solution. And often, that solution doesn’t come in that first conversation ( the mistake that so many people miss). Think on it, study it, and foll0w-up with an “I’ve been thinking about our conversation”. In the old ABC business acumen (Always Be Closing), that is the last thing that you want to do when working to establish a new relationship with a potential production client. The listeners, the innovators, the listeners who can zero in on the real needs are the ones who are the most successful people in the room. And once you have earned enough trust to get their business, pursue excellence in every imaginable way.
Contact Info:
- Website: dunlopproductions.com
- Instagram: dunlopevents
- Facebook: Dunlop Productions
