Hi!
I hope you are feeling well! My name is Dan and I am currently writing this as a freshman in college at Montclair State University in New Jersey. My major is Communications and Media Arts and I’m absolutely loving it so far! I’ve lived in New Jersey for my whole life, but I also frequent the country Portugal, where both sides of my family are from. I am 18 currently, living through a pandemic, which is a lot to handle but I’m not alone! This is being written for class, but I fully intend to continue writing, mostly about music, film, tv, and broadway, which are my main interests. I’m an actor, photographer, filmmaker, and firstly a storyteller. My life is fully dedicated to telling stories, so this platform is perfect to do so. I love being behind the camera, in front of it, backstage, on stage, or even in the editing room. Any way I can possibly tell a story, I will try.
My main interest is acting on stage, which is currently on hold for now but was something that occupied my life for most of my high school career.
Being on stage is something that has truly changed me as a person, so this absence has made me miss it dearly. This is probably my biggest aspiration in life, to either act or direct a show. The stage is where I feel at home, and I want to be able to use my talents in the future to recreate all the wonderful experiences I had for others just like me.
I also am a big photography nut. I love it. I take photos mostly on my phone, but also on the camera that me and my mom share. Photography is something that I think I am really good at, and others think the same. It’s so fun to see the world through a lens, and it’s a fun hobby that helps me really learn to love the world around me.
Another big aspiration of mine is film and television. I am always watching something, and this year has been a big one for both those mediums for me. I finally watched (3 times this year and working on the 4th) The Office, which has quickly become my second favorite show of all time. My first? Stranger Things on Netflix. Easily the best show I have ever seen. I love analyzing the story and character arcs and simple things like camera work and lighting and how all those aspects work into the story. I’ve seen some great films as well, like Hacksaw Ridge, Hereditary (I didn’t sleep for weeks), Midsommar (why did I do that to myself I will never know), and 1917 (a rewatch because it's my favorite film of all time). Both of these things are something I hold so close to me, not only because they comfort me greatly, but because they are created by people who hold the same interest as me, telling stories.
I’m very grateful for this opportunity to write this post. I know it's long, but let's be happy I’m stopping myself here because I could go on for hours. Thank you for reading this all. I hope your day is going well and continues to do so!
