Ep. 2 Leading a Tribe of Artists

John Mashni talks with filmmaker and Collective Development (CDI)  co-founder DJ Perry about making meaningful films with discipline and heart. DJ is an award-winning writer, film producer, and actor. John and DJ discuss numerous films, including the Biblical Quest Trilogy, Wild Faith, Silent Night in Algona, and DJ’s new prohibition-era story, Harsens Island Revenge, about WWI vets versus the Purple Gang. DJ shares how martial arts, soccer, and summer-camp leadership shape his sets, why he protects his creative control, and how to say no effectively in high-pressure situations. If you love storytelling, Michigan stories, or history on screen, you’ll enjoy this conversation. After the interview and right as this interview was published, the CDI team returned from the world’s largest western genre film festival, where the CDI team won seven major awards for the soon-to-be-released sequel to Wild Faith, Wild Faith Christmas. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0675036/ https://cdiproductions.com/ https://www.facebook.com/tribecdi https://www.linkedin.com/in/djperry/ https://www.johnmashni.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmashni/