Today we’d like to introduce you to Dakota Wortman.
Hi Dakota, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Life never turns out the way you expect it to be. I grew up in a small town named Bandera, Texas. Back in high school, I wanted to become a musician. That was my first love. I used to play guitar and sing and that’s all I ever wanted to do. After graduation, I decided to join the Army as a 25B (IT Specialist). A lot of unexpected turns happened to me while I was in but I ended up with my wife Victoria Wortman. Now we have two kids and one on the way currently.
Getting out of the Army was rough. We had no money and I had no idea what I was going to do because I wanted nothing to do with IT. I tried joining the Fire Department here in San Antonio but I couldn’t pass the entry test. I tried being a security officer and that ended up a huge mess.
I thought to myself what am I going to do? Movies. My Dad used to be in film school but he wasn’t able to finish. I love movies and that was always something my Dad and I would bond over. I can say that my Dad had inspired me. I decided to join The Arts Institute of San Antonio. I fell in love with making stories. Bringing them to life gave me life. I have about two more quarters left and I should be able to get my bachelors in Digital Film and Video production.
During my time in school, I met Ricardo Lopez and we started a company named Maek87Media. On the side, we started practicing every chance we get with weddings, music artists, and other various events. I currently have two mini-documentaries that won a few awards at film festivals including some horror shorts.
I never knew Film would be my destination on what I wanted to do with my life. I couldn’t have done it without my Dad inspiring me, My wife pushing me, and my friends believing in me.
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?
It’s never a smooth road, right? The struggles are more internal than anything. Balancing a family, school, and film is no easy task as well. Definitely worth it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Filmmaker. I write scripts, direct, produce, and edit. I really focus on my shots. My end goal is to become a Cinematographer for A24 or work for Mel Gibson one day. Some of my best work ended up being a documentary about the small town of Bandera, Texas.
It’s called “THE HISTORY OF BANDERA, TEXAS PT I” and THE HISTORY OF BANDERA, TEXAS PT II”. That was an incredible experience during the filming process. I learned so much from real cowboys. I also have a couple of short horror films out as well and while they are not perfect and a lot of people do not like them, I feel they are some of my best work.
Hopefully, what separates me from others is the style of storytelling in my films. I love the Documentary style but I love thrillers. I like darker colors and crazy twists in my films.
All my work is up on my youtube channel or searches Dakota Wortman.
What’s next?
I have a couple of short films in the making as of right now. We have “BEHIND CLOSED DOORS” directed by Ricardo Lopez and I was the Director of Photography for “10 SECONDS” which was shot and edited by the talented Raymond Ramos. I’m super excited to show you these two films!
What’s going to happen after I graduate? I honestly have no idea. I’m going to be free to film and do whatever I want.
I know the one thing I do have in mind is to film my very first feature-length film. I’m really excited about that project but that is for later down the line.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maek87media.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dakota_rhease/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008750496514
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DakotaWortman
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnaRSGxiqfemify0PFFdjxw
