Q: 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨/𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨?
A: I got to work on the "I am Cait" show with Caitlyn Jenner forever ago and it was my first experience ever really being around transgender folks. I got to ride in the EP SUV and listen to every single thing said and it was epic. It shattered my belief that I needed to be what someone else thought I should because it was a “good and moral” thing to be. There might be alternative ways to live that don't necessarily align with conventional expectations. It changed my whole life.

Q: 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠, 𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨?
A: This is the most important thing I have ever learned how to do. I’m a big fan of Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation and one of her best lines is that no one accomplishes anything alone. I have been honored in this field to have been in positions that demand bringing everyone’s thoughts, visions, and who they are to the table to accomplish our goal of telling the best story we can. To sit and listen about all the thoughts that go into crafting each shot and all of the effort that gets put into bringing the dreams to life have challenged my beliefs at times and forced me to really reckon with who I believe I am. It’s been beautiful working with people who love to dream and then get to work to make it happen.

I had the pleasure of capturing the vibrant essence of Dain August, a seasoned producer and project manager with over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry. Originally from Minnesota, Dain’s passion for the arts has driven his work across various high-stakes projects, from collaborating with icons like Eric Andre and The Jackass Boys to his contributions at Bunim Murray Productions on hit shows like I Am Cait and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. His unique approach combines creativity, precision, and leadership, making him an expert at managing teams, budgets, and timelines.

In his latest endeavor, Dain is leading Kosmic Medium Records Co., a platform that pushes boundaries in content creation. Dedicated to expanding conversations around challenging topics, Dain’s work reveals moments of connection and love, even in the toughest circumstances. With a VMA nomination under his belt, Dain continues to drive innovation in the industry, building a portfolio that reflects his passion for storytelling and transformative project outcomes.

Dain August: Crafting Connections in the Entertainment Industry

Q: 𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝?
A: Bahahaha. I feel like every moment I have ever had was a good point to learn and try to grow. I’ve had so many where I had to learn to be kind and really sit and listen to what someone thinks they need and put aside my own biases. It’s tricky every time to be able to do that or even take a breath when everything seems to be going wrong. Learning how to manage people and keep the vision going has also been super tricky for me. There are too many ways to discourage collaboration or squish people’s ability to try and when it happens it sucks. For me, those are the times that I have struggled the most to learn and made sure to sit with it so I can be better in the future.

In these unedited shots, I used Lensbaby Omni filter paired with Rosco Labs gels on Profoto strobes to create the in camera lens flair.
Glam by Faina Rudshteyn.