Drew B Darby is a documentary filmmaker specializing in endurance sports, traveling all around the world to capture the most impressive race performances. Drew is one of my oldest film industry colleagues and friends.
In this conversation, we take a trip down memory lane to the early film projects that got us started, ways to break into the film industry in today's day and age, how running changed his life, his process for crafting a film from start to finish, marketing yourself as a creative business owner, freelancing lessons learned, and more.
Follow Drew:
https://www.instagram.com/drewbdarby/
https://www.drewbdarby.com/
Connect with me:
https://www.instagram.com/dylangdelaney/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-delaney-9b8889a5/
My Website:
delaneyvideo.com
00:00 - Introduction & Background
02:34 - How Drew & Dylan Connected Through Film
06:26 - First Collaboration: "Angels Among Us" Short Film
08:56 - "Delivery" One-Shot Film Project
13:23 - Technical Challenges & Equipment Reviews
18:14 - Overcoming Imperfection in Early Work
22:21 - College Education vs. Self-Learning Debate
25:41 - Building Skills Through Experience
31:24 - College Experience at William & Mary
46:32 - Discovery of Running During Pandemic
53:31 - Career Pivot: Moving to Austin & BPN
55:32 - Reinventing Portfolio for Endurance Sports
01:00:00 - Going Freelance: The Two-Film Decision
01:05:09 - Why Athletes Need Documentary Films
01:17:07 - Art & Tactics: Balancing Creativity with Strategy
01:20:53 - Production Process: Pre-Production to Post
01:34:49 - Unpredictability of Race Day Filming
01:44:47 - Breaking the Mold in Ultra Running Content
01:47:57 - Lead Generation & Social Media Strategy
01:54:28 - Building Recognition in the Industry
02:02:18 - Sustainable Freelancing Without Ads
02:09:17 - Referring Work & Building Networks
02:17:10 - Contractor Relations & Fair Payment
02:26:54 - Defining Success in Freelance Career
02:35:48 - Reflections on Creative Partnership
02:37:25 - Where to Find Drew's Work
