Daemon Hillin of Hillin Entertainment: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker
Do not allow others to deprive you of your dream — Never let other people stop you from going after something you truly want. Dreams don’t have to just live inside your head; you can turn those dreams into reality. Because if you believe in yourself enough you will accomplish anything.
As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Daemon Hillin.
Daemon Hillin is a Producer and a visionary especially equipped to handle the new age of movie-making. Striking a unique balance of creativity and business savvy, Hillin quickly garnered a reputation as one of the top independent producers in the United States and Southeast Asia. With a proven track record of producing noteworthy and financially successful films throughout the world. He serves as CEO of Hillin Entertainment, his own independent production company.
Hillin has produced over 29 feature films with A-List Talent and directors including, “Ghost House” (starring Scout Taylor Compton and Mark Boone Jr), which grossed $1.2 million dollars in the Thai box office, making it one of the highest performing box offices hits by a US independent film company in Thailand.
Hillin’s more recent producing credits include “The Long Night” (starring Scout Taylor-Compton, Nolan Gerard Funk, Deborah Kara Unger, Kevin Ragsdale, Jeff Fahey) which is being released in early 2022. Another recent release is “Apache Junction” (starring Trace Adkins, Thomas Jane, Stuart Townsend, and Scout Taylor Compton) which was directed by Justin Lee and is being released domestically by SABAN. In 2020, “Death of Me” (starring Maggie Q, Luke Hemsworth, and Alex Essoe). Notably also in 2020, “Final Kill”, (starring Randy Couture, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Billy Zane, and Danny Trejo) earned back 3X its budget solely from domestic DVD sales in the United States, a deal made possible by Hillin.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?
Thanks for having me! I am a California native, who grew up in Southern California Wine Country known as Temecula Valley. When I was younger, I was a very successful athlete, until I got an opportunity for a modeling contract to go to Italy, where I was fortunate to spend multiple years working and traveling in Europe and Japan. It was then I realized I was searching for more and decided to move back to the United States to try to find a business that I loved. This is when I ventured into real estate and finance, which eventually segwayed into film producing.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
After moving back to the United States I had a real estate investor, who was looking to venture into something creative in Hollywood, which ultimately led to my first documentary as a producer. I realized at this point that I had the drive, and the will to expand in film production, but lacked the experience, so the next thing I needed to do was find a mentor.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
When shooting my third movie, Pernicious, there was severe flooding that occurred in the only area we had available for the shoot. The original plan was to shoot the three girls arriving at a house in the middle of nowhere in a taxi, but with the floods surrounding the house completely, we had to change the opening to them arriving by boat. So we came up with the idea to build out a pier to the house for the boat to arrive on.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
One of the best things about making movies around the world is that it takes you to the most remote regions and places you would never even think about traveling to. In which, you are able to see culture and interact with the locals, and they are always the ones with the best stories and lessons to teach.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I am very fortunate that I actually have two people in my life that helped me get to where I am now. The first person being Charlie Quinn, who was the first person to ever believe in me and gave me the opportunity to make my first documentary. The second being, Ryan R Johnson, who recognized my potential, took me under his wing and taught me how to excel in making movies.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“It’s not how many times you get knocked down that counts, it’s how many times you get back up.” In this industry you get told no more than anything else, so you have to believe in yourself and keep pursuing until you achieve what you want.
I am very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
I grew up in a very cultured environment, with my mom being Native American and my dad being a philosophy teacher, so they taught me from a very young age that talent is universal. It is never about being male or female, and people’s ethnicity do not define them as individuals. The only thing that matters in this industry in my eyes is finding who is right for the project. When you’re looking at talent, and not the other factors, you tend to get the best in society.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
We just wrapped a WW2 film in Thailand, which was loosely based on American heroes, and stars Casper Van Dien, Louis Mandylor, and Jeff Fahey. We are also currently in post-production on a JAWS style shark movie, that is starring the talented Trace Adkins, Shane West, and Nicky Wheland. This year I am also planning on shooting 3–4 new movies, and details on that will come out very soon.
Which aspect of your work makes you most proud? Can you explain or give a story?
Being able to do what I love makes me proud, and there is nothing on this planet I would rather do more than make movies. This job gives me the ability to work with incredibly talented people and see the world.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- First thing you do is find a mentor — you want to find that person that can guide you from their experiences, and teach you what mistakes they have made so you do not make the same ones.
- You do not necessarily need film school to succeed in the industry — In the film industry, it’s all about drive, ability, and talent.
- Do not allow others to deprive you of your dream — Never let other people stop you from going after something you truly want. Dreams don’t have to just live inside your head; you can turn those dreams into reality. Because if you believe in yourself enough you will accomplish anything.
- Patience is required — When you are young, you make the mistake by believing you know everything and are the best, but this industry takes time.
- If you’re not having fun, don’t do it — If you are always doing what you love then it’s never a job.
When you create a film, which stakeholders have the greatest impact on the artistic and cinematic choices you make? Is it the viewers, the critics, the financiers, or your own personal artistic vision? Can you share a story with us or give an example about what you mean?
It would actually be the distributors that have the greatest impact. They have the analytics and insight on what consumers are wanting. I like to choose my own stories to fill the gap and provide both the distributors and consumers what they want to see.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
With today’s technology, I truly believe we are able to start transitioning from using blanks to utilizing VFX to create a safer environment on set.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. :-)
Elon Musk, because he is a visionary for creating the future.
How can our readers further follow you online?
You can find me on Instagram at @daemonhillin and follow our movie updates on https://www.hillin-entertainment.com/
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
