Name: Dan Kathman
Major: Telecom Productions
Year in College: Senior
Why did you choose your major?
“I planned on going to college for acting, but things happened in my life and I bailed on my auditions. I didn’t really go to college the first semester. I took two classes at community college, but I just wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do. I lived in Tampa at the time, so I decided to make my mom happy and go to college. I didn’t feel that I needed schooling in acting, but I knew I did in film. USF doesn’t have a film program, so telecom production was the next best thing.”
Tell us about your YouTube channel.
“I initially started my comedy YouTube channel as an outlet that would allow me to try out my new material for stage. It turned into something that people really liked and quoted. Most of the videos consist of me sitting in my computer chair, talking to the camera about a variety of subjects. I tend to use material that is based on truth and relatable to people who are 18 and up. For instance, one of my most popular videos is called, “Girl’s Night.” I take the audience from the beginning to the end of the night, while imitating all of the five girls and situations they deal with throughout the night. The channel would likely be rated mature if you could do that, so I don’t recommend showing your kids. I started doing stand-up when I was 18 and I love it! This channel allows me to get exposure, have quality video of myself, and perform material that I might not be able to do on stage.”
www.youtube.com/dankathman
Explain the film competition you were involved in.
“The film festival I was involved in is the world’s largest student film festival called Campus Moviefest. The festival travels to different colleges around the nation. They provide the students with everything they need to make a film: camera, tripod, microphone, and a MacBook Pro with Final Cut Studios installed. The goal is to shoot, edit, and turn in the video in a week. The first year I entered was in 2009, and I wrote, directed, and stared in our suspense/horror film, “LOL ;)” They showcased the film and we received top 16.” Dan explains.
“In 2010, I got on board strictly as an actor with Director Ryan Justice. I played the lead in his 80’s love story, “Heat of the Moment.” We received Best Chick Flick and Best Cinematography. We eventually received the wild card, and the movie showcased in Paramount Studios in LA. You can view both of them at www.CWCStudios.com under the Film tab.”
What is CWC Studios and how did it get started?
“When I was seven years old my mom gave me a video camera and I made my first short film with five of my friends. Granted, I filmed the intro to 007 Golden Eye on the TV for the beginning of the movie. When the show “Jackass” aired on MTV, it gave my friends and I the idea that we could do that. We would do things we thought were funny but were also a little dangerous. I thought we needed a name for our group, so we called ourselves CWC- similar to the group involved with Jackass, CKY.
I was an athlete my entire life until I moved to Tampa when I was 16 and I sustained an injury that didn’t allow me to play anymore. I got involved a competitive theater program at Wharton High School, and I fell in love with it. By the time I graduated, I had been involved in over 20 productions, and received a multitude of awards. I wanted to make the move from stage to film. I got an agent and did a few things here and there, but I really wanted to be in a film. The only option I saw was to make one myself, but I didn’t have the equipment or the money to purchase it. So I had a unique idea as to how to integrate video in Greek philanthropies. I ironed out the specifics, and pitched the idea to a president that hosted one of the philanthropies. She loved the idea, and it went over so well that they had me do it again the following year. That year I did video for four other Greek Philanthropies. I had to think of a name, and at the time I called it CWC Films.
We are a video and photography company based in Tampa, Florida. Our goal is to provide our clients with satisfying and professional quality work. We aim to produce a creative and innovative product. Our slogan is: You name it, we shoot it.”
What is your ultimate goal with your company?
“Our ultimate goal is to become the apple of video and photography companies. One thing that we have realized is that there isn’t an international or national video and photography company. I can’t tell my parents in Dallas who they should go to get my cousins wedding filmed, recommend a photographer to my acting buddy in New York, or tell friend in LA where to go to get his music video filmed. Everyone bases those decisions on referrals, and never really knows what they are getting. People buy brands not products. We want to provide customers with the comfort that you get when you buy a Big Mac, an iPhone, or a Starbucks coffee. We would also like to provide students like us to intern nationwide with the possibility of doing video and photography work in their town. Giving them the opportunity that we wish we had.”
What do you want to do after you graduate college?
“I’d like to continue building CWC Studios, so it can continue being my source of income. In between jobs, I’d like to continue making films and acting in them when I feel necessary. At night, I’ll go to the Impov, Side Splitters, and a few bars to do stand-up. I’ll continue doing them all because I love doing them, and without one of them I would feel incomplete. My dad told me when I was young to do what makes you happy not what makes you money. If you do what you love, you will always be happy, money can’t buy happiness, but I can make things a lot easier. So if you can find a way to make a living doing what you love, then you’ve made it!”
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at USF chapter.