Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Allen.
Hi Dylan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City.
We moved to Lakewood in Lee’s Summit during middle school, where I ended up meeting many of my lifelong friends. After high school, I went to UMKC for film production but felt like I needed more hands-on training to really learn the business, so I transferred to Valencia College, a film school in Florida.
While at Valencia, I was very fortunate for the opportunity to work under and be mentored by DGA director, Ralph Clemente. He taught me how to professionally produce and direct, but more importantly, he taught me about leadership and how to prioritize the film over all else.
After graduating from Valencia, I worked on film and television shows throughout the country, such as American Idol, America’s Got Talent, HBO’s Treme, several WWE movies, and The Green Lantern.
After several years of traveling with large productions, I wanted to take what I’d learned in the film industry and bring it back to Kansas City. I came home and founded Blokparty Films to honor the spirit of fun and collaboration I experienced growing up going to block parties in KC.
I’m currently producing four full-length projects with Blokparty, with a wide array of people in the industry.
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?
Some of the more challenging shoots I’ve had are: I traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 2010, just weeks after the horrific earthquake, and had my eyes fully opened to what people outside of America experience.
Immediately after the BP oil spill in New Orleans, I filmed man-on-the-street interviews for a website during the protests and an extremely tense time for people. A few years ago, I traveled to Los Angeles with two actors to pitch a show.
We didn’t get the show green-lit at that time but I’m still working with partners in LA who I met and connected with on that trip. In filmmaking there are so many obstacles, I’ve learned to live by Spike Lee’s words “By any means necessary”.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a filmmaker, specifically a writer, producer, and director. I specialize in feature-length films and series. One of my current projects is the documentary: Scouts.
Scouts are the true story of the grooming and abuse that took place in the Boy Scouts of America.
I’m proud of this film because we go far beyond the headlines to dig into the how and why of the subject. It’s my belief that by exposing how the crimes happen, we’ll raise awareness of the signs and help to stop the crimes from happening.
As a director, I’ve been told that I have a unique perspective and style that really help me to stand out. I work crazy hours to make my films work and connect with audiences in a deeper way. I’ll use my film Scouts as an example. I don’t treat the issue as just another topic for a documentary.
For the victims and the people who were there, this issue truly felt like living through a horror movie, so I’ve worked hard to depict it that way – to make it more interesting and informative at the same time.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
BlokpartyFilms.com is my company site.
ScoutsDocumentary.com is the website for the current film.
My email is Dylan@BlokpartyFilms.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: BlokpartyFilms.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsdylstho/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DylanEdwardAllen/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsdylstho
Image Credits
Baron Michael Redman, Cecil Searcy, and Patrick Lamb.
