Director’s Statement
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#Likes4Lucas: a short film that explores the redemption of a fictional YouTube star, Lucas Skyler. Currently in post-production, halfway shot and partially-funded with an award-winning production team already in place, #Likes4Lucas will be released both as a standalone 22-minute film and as proof-of-concept for an eight-episode series.
Media-making is my passion. Back in eighth grade, sidelined by illness, I became isolated, addicted to digital life…until I taught myself editing and began making no-budget videos. Storytelling saved me then; the joy of entertaining an audience, exploring social issues and shifting perspectives still saves me today.
I’m now a film critic, journalist and emerging writer/filmmaker.
Over the past eight years, my writing has been published in the US, Canada, Europe and China (Vanity Fair, Variety, No Film School, Ioncinema...). I’ve covered major festivals including Sundance, Cannes, TIFF, SXSW, Tribeca and Pingyao. I’ve profiled Guillermo Del Toro, Jordan Peele, Agnès Varda, Barry Jenkins and more.
As a writer, I’ve used journalism to help develop #Likes4Lucas. I’ve interviewed psychologists and therapists about teenage online trauma and healing; I‘ve met with 18-to-21-year-old YouTube stars, each with millions of followers; I’ve profiled seasoned YouTubers Bo Burnham, Marc Rebillet, Kyle Mooney—all known for their digital bravado. I’ve also launched DylanKDempsey.com, an online publication that features my writing and serves as a promotional platform for #Likes4Lucas.
As a filmmaker, I’ve written, produced and edited my own short films along with TikTok ad campaigns for various clients. In 2021, when #Likes4Lucas was ready for production, the New York Foundation for the Arts became my fiscal sponsor. In 2022, I received an Individual Artist grant from the New York State Council on the Arts—and used those funds to produce the first half of the pilot for #Likes4Lucas.
Watch our 5-minute Teaser and Director’s Statement Video here for more info.