Anyone who’s ever written a screenplay and attempted to get their script looked at can tell you that Hollywood is a tough place. Just ask Dano Veal, the filmmaker entrepreneur who created the DANO Network for this very reason.
Anyone who’s ever written a screenplay and attempted to get their script looked at can tell you that Hollywood is a tough place. Just ask Dano Veal, the filmmaker entrepreneur who created the DANO Network for this very reason.
So, what is the DANO Network? DANO Network comprises DANO Productions and DANO Studios. The Production side of the company produces in-house movies and television shows, while the Studio side focuses on multi-platform video games, anime, VR-Native media, and more. DANO Network then distributes all the media, including live streams of theatrical performances, to platforms via video on demand (VOD) and online TV (OTT).
As you can see, Dano used entrepreneurship to achieve his dreams of screenwriting and producing movies. We had the opportunity to sit down with him recently and learn more about his quest.
“When I entered Hollywood with my screenplays,” began Dano. “I found it was a lot harder to get my script looked at, let alone get a movie produced by a large studio. Most screenwriters have dreams of landing deals with Netflix, HBO, and Disney, but in reality, there are a lot of agencies blocking the path of unknown screenwriters and talent.”
Though this issue pushed Dano to create the DANO Network, he would later learn that the industry was like that for a good reason. Having managers and agencies in place for film solicitation and literature is vital because some films do not make the final cut.
Each film is manually reviewed before being permitted onto the DANO Network. Unfortunately, some of the submissions don’t make the cut for various reasons.
We asked Dano why that is, and he explained, “Some films weren’t really films at all and were more like social media performances, while others degraded women too much.”
And the latter is a problem that Dano Veal has noticed in the filmmaking industry for some time, leading him to create what he calls a “Queens Policy.” The policy is aimed to protect young women from harassment on the film set and degradation on film.
“Young women are easy targets for exploitation and often accept degrading gigs just to start their careers,” Dano detailed. “None of my scripts have erotic scenes in them because I feel those types of scenes are substitutions for creativity and a cheap shot to trigger the senses.”
So, what makes the DANO Network stand out? Well, aside from offering protection for young women on set, the DANO Network also pays higher ad-revenue share percentages to content creators than any other streaming platform that currently accepts unsolicited films. As videos are viewed, commercial breaks create revenue for creators.
However, the DANO Network takes it another step further. This is the first platform to integrate live theatrical and on-set virtual interaction with fans. On-set interaction gives viewers a real-time behind-the-scenes experience, allowing the viewers and fans to interact with the staff and actors via chat. In the past, BTS footage has always been one-directional and prerecorded.
In the spirit of entrepreneurship, Dano initially focused on solving two problems.
“The first is to make it easier for independent filmmakers to get distribution on all platforms. The second problem is to get a stream of revenue for film production and team up with independent content providers so that we all make money. No filmmaker is going to create an app for one movie.”
And after creating the DANO Network and explaining its purpose to a network of filmmakers, he met Shadow Dragu Mihai, the writer, and director for the upcoming Eartha Kitt biopic and the Executive Director of the International Independent Producers Guild.
The two filmmakers had a phone meeting to break the ice, only to realize that their missions aligned perfectly. Dano became an IIP guild member and ultimately joined the Eartha Kitt film project, where he now serves as Associate Producer of his first major film.
The DANO Network is currently available on Google Play, Roku streaming devices but will soon be released on other platforms such as Apple TV, Fire TV, Samsung SmartTV, and Xbox. This is one novel streaming service you don’t want to miss, so keep an eye out for upcoming releases and updates!
About DANO Network
A live tv and video on demand platform created by filmmakers.