Her Story
About Daphne
I've been around the entertainment industry most of my life, but when I turned 50, I really decided to take it seriously. I wanted to be a TV show creator since I could hold a pen - my first little script was written with some notebookers stapled together. I thought, you only get one shot at this thing, so let's do it. I opened up Twisted Reels Productions and we are innovative game changers in the field. I think it's almost because I came into the field later, and AI was really controversial and just starting to take off, and I saw that there was a lot of potential for traditional filmmaking to work with AI. I ran Twisted Reels for about 2 years, and it was doing great, but it just wasn't fulfilling me. I took on a partner, and now we just released a brand new show day before yesterday. We have about 16 on our slate that we're working on right now. We've recently opened up my actual home to a paranormal investigation location, and we have paranormal teams that come in and investigate for their own YouTube series and TV series, and we also work in conjunction by putting them on ours. I'm new to the paranormal world, but what I'm noticing is that there is not a lot of representation of women, especially of color, but even men of color, the LGBTQ plus community - there is virtually zero representation there, so we're changing that. Our space is 420 paranormal investigation friendly. We are a safe space and pride ourselves on that. We have a whole program called Stargaze where it's an LGBTQ plus friendly space to UFO hunt and look for ghosts, and we take people out on camping outings to Joshua Tree. It's been a dream come true and really just kind of falling into place. I feel very empowered as a woman being able to offer this sort of experience and living my dream of filmmaking. I'm also working with some streaming networks and production companies on another TV show. I'm a violent crime survivor and survived something that most wouldn't, which gave me a different perspective. I have a very high level of PTSD and have my moments where I spiral and meltdown, but I'm very resilient and seem to come back knowing that if I made it through all that, I can make it through this.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Daphne
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say resiliency. I'm just not one who gives up. Don't get me wrong, I have a very high level of PTSD, and I have my moments where I spiral and meltdown, just like anybody, but I would say most of the time, I'm very resilient, and I'll have moments of struggle, but I seem to come back knowing that if I made it through all that, I can make it through this. That's been my guiding light all the way through business.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
If you have haters, you're doing something right. I think from the generation that I come from, I'm generation X, I turned 50 this year. We hear a lot about women empowering one another, and I feel like we take more of the negative to heart as women than the positive. I've looked over the course of my life and how many times I just could have stepped out more. I think it's important that we do that as women, to recognize that people can be cruel. That's no reflection on you. You should just keep going. If people don't like you, then you're changing something. Keep on moving. Don't worry about the haters. As long as you have them, you're doing something right.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think, really, in the entertainment industry, we have a voice now that we never did before. I feel like a lot of newcomers in the entertainment industry really need to understand there's more support now for women than there ever has been before. Ever. And I'm not saying there's not still a boys club and anything like that, but I am saying we definitely have more opportunity, and we deserve to be in that room.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say it's very exciting to see what YouTube and Instagram and some of these networks are doing. People are able to produce full-on movies and put them up on YouTube, or do shorts to do proof of concept, and I feel like we're just living in an amazing time where the average person, the average Jane, can have an idea and then make it a reality with technology and social media. That's new. It used to be you had to pitch and all this stuff, and it's much easier now. I think that barrier to entry for the average person is starting to disappear. And it's scaring the heck out of, shall we say, the suits. It's becoming easier for people to get their craft out there and get themselves noticed than it ever has been before, really.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Immovable is honesty, even when it hurts. I've always loved the phrase, tell the truth, even if your lips shake. If there's dishonesty or duplicity in a business relationship, that's a no-go. That's a red flag for me, completely. Those are my immovables - integrity, honesty. Those don't move for me. And compassion. I will say compassion as well, that's a big one for me, and I think even in business, we can be compassionate people.
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