Episode 02: How to Empower Locally Produced Filmmakers in Atlanta with Dominick Cormier

Meet Dominick Cormier. He is a director, screenwriter, and actor. He was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Dom’s passion for the film industry is peerless. Today, he will be sharing his journey in the film industry and helping me dig into how to empower locally produced filmmakers.

According to Dom, he believes Atlanta has many talents but lacks opportunities. For instance, he points out that when people come to shoot in Atlanta, they come with their teams; hence local talent is never used. Yet, the same people use local talents when they go to New York or Los Angeles. 

Dom encourages creatives to stick with what they believe because, at the end of the day, it pays off in one way or the other. For the filmmakers, Dom argues them to tell their story, and somewhere along the way, they will find a way of telling it better.

In this episode, Dom will share his experience working in the corporate world versus small companies, who inspires him, how co-writing works, what’s missing in Atlanta, and how it can be developed, among other interesting topics. 

Listen in and get inspired.

Key Talking Points of the Episode:

[00:57] How Dom and I met

[02:02] How Dom got into the film industry

[10:04] How corporate life can be unfulfilling

[12:07] Who inspires Dom and who he likes about their work

[15:41] How Dom met Christian

[18:32] How easy is it to have a co-writer?

[20:22] Dom’s best video

[23:15] Are black video music directors stunning?

[24:20] What’s the Atlanta community missing from its film world?

[26:41] How Dom is connected to 85 South

[35:12] How Atlanta has shaped Dom as a writer and director

[40:04] What Dom Focuses on most in a frame

[41:35] Dom’s inspiration to start motion pictures sheet and peace of me

[42:59] What features is Dom currently working on?

[44:26] Is Dom looking to work with artists?

[47:24] Dom’s message for creatives 

[49:13] Dom’s advice for young filmmakers

[50:46] If Dom had one biopic to write indirectly, what would it be?

[51:51] Dom’s dream camera lens setup

Magical Quotes from the Episode:

“I think a lot of the corporate world is suffering because they’re not catching up with what’s happening right now.”

“If we got an opportunity to be able to put our imprint on things ourselves, and tell our own stories, then we would be able to prosper a little bit more.”

“I think Atlanta, as many resources as we are lacking, we still are the only place where you can come and make it as an independent.”

“I appreciate Atlanta for just being authentic.”