About

When I was 5 years old, I fell in love. It wasn't a romantic kind of love, but nonetheless it was quite beautiful. I was watching the film, Gladiator, for the first time back when I lived in Pennsylvania, and the best way to pass time was to pop on the TV. Now most would say I was one of those kids raised by television, but really, I was just having an affair with it. I'd be exposed to these films that were "forbidden" for a kid my age, however I did not look away, but rather gaze into the glossy fluorescent screen that was my future.

By the time I was 9, I had my first job. I was packaging bibles for my Uncle Bob down in Totowa, New Jersey. Eventually, I went on to work as a lifeguard, waiter, caddy, sales rep, construction worker, snowplow(er), gardener, Christmas tree seller... the list went on. No job came close to my love for film, but these experiences made me eager to search for the stories in everyone and everything.

Photography fell into my life when my mom dropped her Minolta 8000i film camera on my bed in an attempt to handle my high-energy adolescence. Although I had yearned for a digital camera, my juvenile-sized income was not enough for an affordable upgrade. As a result, my style derived from the cameras I could afford: my phone and my film camera.

While attending high school in New Jersey, I began making documentaries and short narrative pieces that went on to either win film festivals across the country, or be locked away in my hard drives forever.

In 2014, I moved from my native coast all the way to California to pursue a B.F.A in Film Production with an emphasis in Directing at Chapman University.

Studying at Chapman University's Dodge College only expanded my world of film. Instead of working with one man, I had a team behind me. My team consisted of people who loved the elements of film that I believe are the most beautiful: sound, production design, cinematography, VFX, and editing. By the end of my senior thesis, each of these creative positions had influenced my approach in film to have a "collaboration first" mindset.

During my time in school, I have had the pleasure of interning for some of my biggest inspirations, such as Annie Leibovitz, Marc Levin, and Alex Berg. It has been a dream that my passion for film has led me to an eclectic range of filmmaking ventures, travel and study abroad opportunities, and to continue in a career path that I love. May the affair never die.

(Or skip this, and just email me at dylan@dylanleslie.com).