Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Collins.
Hi Dana, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My journey to being a Senior Marketing and PR professional began over 15 years ago when I got my start in the film industry while attending the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In the summer of 2005, I had an internship with Wright/Laird Casting working on an independent movie that was shooting locally called LENEXA, 1 MILE. I fell in love with filmmaking that summer. I remember driving home from an overnight shoot, seeing the sun come up, and having that “aha” moment, this is what I wanted to do! I continued to intern with Wright/Laird Casting through 2005, and went on to freelance as a Casting Assistant on various projects.
I continued with one-off production gigs before landing at KSHB-TV as a Production Assistant. During a segment on KC LIVE, KSHB-TV’s lifestyle magazine show, I met two local publicists who were handling the CLERKS II press tour, taking the film’s stars Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson around town. The two publicists, Cindi Rogers and Emily Marrin, told me their company, Allied Integrated Marketing, was hiring a part-time coordinator, and that I should apply. I balanced working at both KSHB and Allied until a position opened allowing me to work full-time at the Allied office in Kansas City from 2006-2014. I cut my teeth as a Publicity/Promotions Coordinator and worked my way up to Publicist, handling publicity, promotions, targeted events, special advance screenings, and all other aspects of movie campaigns in Kansas City and a half-dozen outlying markets for national film and television studio clients.
In 2014, I accepted a position in Allied’s Dallas office, and was working in their top 5 market for less than a year before being courted by the Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas corporate offices in Austin, Texas. I worked as a Marketing Manager for Alamo HQ from 2015-2020, collaborating with multiple departments to execute national marketing and promotional campaigns across their 41 theatres.
After getting laid off once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I began to volunteer my time and skillset to organizations I supported for the remainder of the year, including as a Communications Volunteer with the League of Women Voters Texas; Development Co-Chair on the board of Women in Film & Television Austin; Director of Marketing and Public Relations with Downright Creepy, Crickets Podcast Network, and Panic Film Festival; and Director of Public Relations and Social Media for Shock the Vote ATX. I also continued my passion for voting rights as a Volunteer Deputy Registrar for the fourth year in a row, helping to register voters across Travis County, Texas.
In February of 2021, I began working as a Marketing Consultant with Austin Film Society, and only a few months later accepted a full-time position with Southern Documentary Fund. Although my time at AFS was short, both nonprofits provide direct support to filmmakers, so I gained valuable knowledge that I could immediately apply to my current position.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not always been a smooth road, but I am a go-getter, and love meeting new people. I naturally connect with people, and that has led me to some really great opportunities. That’s the “smooth” part.
The struggles I faced along the way were mostly financially based. I graduated college in 2006 and worked 2 jobs, always struggling to make ends meet. When the recession hit in 2007, I did not even know we were in a recession, because I was always so broke! I also did not know how to advocate for myself when it came to salary, job title, or a healthy work-life balance.
I’ve been working since I was 14 years old. When the pandemic hit in 2020, it was the first time in 23 years that I didn’t have a job. I was definitely one of those people who let their job define them. I took the time while I was unemployed to reflect on what I really wanted to do, and I now have a much healthier work-life balance, with boundaries in place so that I don’t revert back to my old, unhealthy habits.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am currently a Communications Manager, overseeing Southern Documentary Fund’s correspondence, branding, social media, PR, and grassroots outreach. I’m incredibly proud of the work I’m doing with the Southern Documentary Fund. We serve as a leading advocate for powerful Southern storytelling, providing filmmakers and artists with professional support, filmmaking grants, and fiscal sponsorship.
My position with Southern Documentary Fund is fully remote and allowed me to move back to Kansas City this past summer. Kansas City is home, and I am so grateful to be back in my city, close to family and friends. I am really enjoying getting to explore KC, a lot has changed since we’ve been away, and I love supporting local makers, adding records to my vinyl collection, and eating all the great food the city has to offer!
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risk-taking definitely looks different during a pandemic! I think risks are necessary for change. The major risk I took in my career was moving to Texas in 2014. I’d never even been to Dallas when I accepted the position at the Allied office there. I didn’t know anyone, and we left all of our friends and family behind. I am so grateful that my partner accompanied me on the journey to Dallas, then to Austin, and back to Kansas City. It didn’t feel like as big of a risk because I had him by my side.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
toofast4love - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
toofast4love - Website: https://
southerndocumentaryfund.org
