Today we’d like to introduce you to David Gonzalez.
Thanks for sharing your story with us David. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was working as a store manager at a retail store in San Antonio in 2013 when a customer approached me and asked if I could do anything in my life what would it be. I responded with working in film. The customer said they had a friend currently working on a horror film in San Antonio and they needed help. I got a call from the production company that night to work on it as a production assistant.
Once that gig wrapped, I started working the contacts I had made, eventually left my job and dived into the production scene. After working on a variety of projects, I got called to work one in Dallas. As filming began our production manager asked us who wanted to shoot stills for the season and I volunteered to do it.
Doing that is what eventually led to me working my way into the music scene. At night, I would learn how to shoot and edit concert photos on my own. During the day, I was working on a variety of reality TV shows based in Dallas and during any downtime I’d go out with my friends and shoot videos for 48 Hour Film Races and help them make their films.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A good story I have is about a couple years ago, KMFDM was playing at Gas Monkey Live on a Friday night. I had barely started shooting concerts at this point. I tried emailing them, reaching out to their social media accounts but never got a response. I was still very hopeful to shoot them. When I looked at their tour dates, I noticed they were playing in Austin the night before the Dallas show. So I drove to Austin that night. I was hoping I could buy a ticket at the door and go to KMFDM’s merch booth and see if I could reach the tour manager. That didn’t happen. I got to Austin and the line to get in was long. I waited and waited and when I finally got to the door the bouncer told me it was sold out. It was a crushing blow after a 4-hour drive that seemed like a loss. I started walking back to my truck when to my luck the singer of KMFDM was standing outside his tour bus talking with his tour manager. I walked up to him and explained the situation and he said I could shoot the show in Dallas. I couldn’t believe it. I got in my truck and drove right back to Dallas. Woke up the next day, went to Gas Monkey Live and my name was on the photographer list. It all worked out perfectly.
Metal Dave Media – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Over the years, I have built strong friendships with many talented and loyal people in the entertainment industry. In doing so I learned it takes an army to win a war and that’s what we do. With Metal Dave Media we work with all types of media in the entertainment industry. From your favorite bands to corporate meetings, independent films, and much more. We tell your story.
Our work includes such music artists as Ministry, Phil Anselmo, Lords of Acid, Queensryche, King Diamond, Skinny Puppy, Phantogram and Abbath just to name a few.
What sets us apart from others is our network of people. No matter what the job is we have people with experience. Some of our people have been working in the music, television and film business for many years. We get the right people for the right jobs.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
When I first started out I worked on a film as a stand-in for Willie Nelson and played a younger version of his character in a flashback sequence. At the time, I thought that was the greatest thing ever. Later into my journey, I realized that that’s the beauty and joy of doing this type of work. You are always trying to outdo yourself for the next project. It is a job but it is also a lot of fun to work with such great clients and artists.
The latest project I’ve been working on is the best one yet. I have been co-editing an upcoming documentary film titled “Everything Is A-OK” by Dallas local filmmaker Justin Powers. It’s a journey made for the viewer to experience the legendary punk rock scene in Dallas from the 70’s up to the early 2000’s. It’s a very special film that I’m sure any music fan will enjoy.
Contact Info:
- Email: metaldavemedia@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/metal__dave
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/metaldavemedia
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