By JOSHUA “Prometheus” SCAFIDI
Daemon Hillin produces movies. Lots and lots of movies, but if you ask him, it took a while for his path to become clear. After moving to a totally new location, and a complete change in career, he eventually found his calling.
We had the chance to chat with Daemon about his new film THE FLOOD, starring Casper Van Dien, Nicky Whelan, and Devanny Pinn, his transition from finance to producing films, and a lot of cool stuff in between.
Hey Daemon. How’s it going?
It’s going well. How’s your day been?
It’s been good, no complaints so far. So, I see you’ve been busy. You have another film coming out, THE FLOOD.
Yeah! Quite a few, actually. I’m delivering four films right now. It’s insane.
I can imagine! Even one film is a full plate, most times.
There’s been a lot of crisis management. (Laughing.)
What can you tell us about THE FLOOD? Without spoiling too much, of course.
Well, THE FLOOD is about a prison break that’s taking place during a monumental storm. Which is causing flooding. The flooding is causing creatures of the water to… stir. So, we have alligators that find their way into the prison where the escape is taking place. So, you end up having your prisoners and your sheriffs all working together to try and survive these angry beats.
I do love a good creature feature. Plus, there’s just something so primal about alligators…
Apex predator, man!
Exactly. I see that Casper Van Dien is in the film. What was it like working with him?
Casper is such a good person. He’s good to the whole crew. Kindness just comes off of him. Even off-set. Put it this way. I saw Casper get on a video call with a crew member whose family was very sick. The family member’s favorite character was Casper’s Rico from Starship Troopers. He always wanted to talk to Casper. So in the middle of the set, Casper took this video call and was talking to this individual and the heartfulness that Casper was giving to this stranger, this other human being was just awe-inspiring. He has a good heart.
You don’t see a lot of genuinely nice people these days. Especially in this industry.
That’s a little bit of the shame of the industry, is that there is a darkness to it. You want to surround yourself with good people as much as possible.
What got you into producing films?
Well, I was in finance until the collapse in 2008. I realized I had to reinvent myself. I moved to L.A. and slept on the floor for a while. But I never gave up. I knew I wanted to produce. I found my passion.
That’s awesome, man. You’ve produced a good amount of films since 2011. Which one stands out the most?
The one that started my career. (Laughing.) The first one I ever did. That film will always be special. It was 2011, the film was A Stranger in Paradise. It took me five years of trying to make a movie to actually make a movie. Since then, I have made over 33 movies.
You’ve been quite busy! Can you elaborate a little more on your journey into producing?
I fell into producing. I’ve always loved the idea of storytelling, and business. So, how do you blend the two? I was in finance. The markets crashed. This was in real estate. I had to re-find myself and restart. I moved to L.A. to my sister’s place, slept on her floor, and tried to rediscover myself. I had a real estate investor who told me they wanted to do something in Hollywood, so we did a documentary and I learned I knew nothing about it. (Laughing.) I didn’t know anything about production. I did find my passion, though. I discovered what I wanted to do with my life. And found a way to blend the creative side with the business side of things. That’s what put me on this path.
For someone who might be sitting in the position you were in looking to get their first film produced – what would you say to them?
I would say, never give up. No matter what. No matter how many people try and tell you can’t do it, or that it won’t happen. If that’s what you want to do, never give up.
Doing it since 2011, I’m sure you’ve learned a thing, or two.
Yeah, I know a few things. (Laughing.) I’ve experienced a lot and I’m blessed for all the lessons. There have been a lot of them. You just learn so many things, even about yourself along the way. You grow. You grow as a person, as a producer, as a business man.
Do you prefer practical or computer effects?
Practical is always nice. But of course, with some films and budgets, is not always possible.
I do love practical effects, but CG has its place. It makes certain things possible that wouldn’t be otherwise. For sure.
Exactly. You can get away with a lot more using CGI. With bigger budgets and more time, yes, I would prefer to go more practical.
Well, Daemon, we really appreciate you taking time out of your quite chaotic schedule to chat with us! It’s been a pleasure!
Be sure to check out THE FLOOD, available in theaters on VOD from SABAN Films.
