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IM BACK!!!!!

Writer's picture: Daniel WardDaniel Ward

Have you ever had a dream so big you can’t stop thinking about it? One that you’ve been chasing ever since you first fell in love with it? If you have, you probably know how I feel about making movies and working in the Film industry. 


Daniel Ward working as a 2nd AC on a 48 hour film project
Daniel Ward working as a 2nd AC on a 48 hour film project

My name is Daniel Ward and I have been passionately pursuing a career in acting and film over the past 10 years of my life. It started with basic background gigs on a Hallmark movie when I was 12 years old. I was instantly captivated by the dolly tracks, condor lighting rigs, and big intricate sets designed to make the audience believe the story they were making; but mostly, I was just excited about the endless table of crafty snacks we had in “background holding”. I didn’t even get used my first day, but that didn't stop me from doing everything I could to get back on set and in front of the camera. 


I took acting workshops over the summers and in highschool I started booking gigs in different plays around town. By the time I was in college, I had a film agent and I was auditioning for every student film project I could find to increase my level of experience. It was that mindset of seeking new opportunities in my local community that got me to where I am today. While I always strive to learn and improve my knowledge of acting and filmmaking, a lot of what I know now is attributed to Katharsis Media. As a non-profit organization committed to providing educational access and training to young and inspiring creatives like myself, I was integrated into a production studio that does everything they can to make that movie magic a reality for anyone interested in venturing down this path. 


If you have read any of my old blogs from 2022, you may already know about me from Broadway Bound Live; my first project with Katharsis Media. Up until that point, I had never realized how much work needs to go into pursuing a dream like this. It taught me how to improve a lot of valuable new skills like singing, dancing, acting and modeling, but most importantly, it showed me how committed I need to be in order to achieve positive results. 

I took that knowledge and used it to my advantage as I began networking and collaborating with many different local film companies/teams. At one point, on the last day of production for an HBO series I was a stand in for, the director came to me and thanked me for my level of professionalism during the entire production and she asked me to get my headshot and resume to her assistant in case she needs me again. That is the impression I want to make on every set I step foot on, while simultaneously observing ways to learn something new to increase my skills. 


My time here at Katharsis Media had progressed from being one of the contestants on Broadway Bound Live, to an internship in the production office where I was able to really practice my film crew experience in things like screenwriting, set decorating, filming, and editing. I even started producing a docu-series about a “trash-fashion show” and all the designers involved. I had no idea what I was doing or how it was going to turn out, but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, troubleshooting and resolving any problems as they came. That really got me excited about stepping out of my comfort zone, by learning things just by trying them. I started reaching out to people that were making independent short films around town and told them I am ready to help and learn however I can. It was this way that I got experience working as a script supervisor, 2nd AD, 1st AD, and I even started co-producing a few projects as well. 


I’m really excited to see what lies ahead for me on this career path in the film industry. I just recently returned to Katharsis Media under the Residency Apprentice Program with a focus on producing. That means I'm going to be paired with a mentor I can turn to for support while I learn how to manage and organize upcoming projects with the company. I can already tell it’s going to be a valuable and rewarding experience for me, and I’m going to be blogging about it every week in order to share what I've learned with anyone else interested in following my journey. I’ll be telling stories about my favorite highlights of each week and also include a snapshot of the 3 most useful things I learned during all of our excitingly chaotic adventures here at Katharsis Media. 


Make sure to subscribe to our mailing list to be notified of my weekly blogs. Thank you!


-Daniel Ward



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