New Jersey native Dan Gregory has kept busy since attending an Acting for Film workshop at New York Film Academy (NYFA) back in 2010. He has won numerous awards for his acting and directing. NYFA caught up with Dan to discuss his career and future endeavors.
He has collected a number of impressive credits and collaborations in a relatively short amount of time. “I’ve co-starred in Cabin Of Errors, a romantic comedy feature streaming on Amazon Prime Video. It was shot in New Hampshire. I worked with a talented group of artists from the acclaimed film company, Narrow Bridge Films. I’ve worked with Emmy Winner Obba Babatunde on a short film Speculo. I recently worked on a feature called The Elevator starring Oscar Nominated actor Eric Roberts and Directed by the gifted Jack Andrew Cook. I co-produced and starred in Karmen. It’s a short thriller that has won various awards at Film Festivals both domestically and internationally. I worked alongside brilliant women on that project including Loarina Gonzalez, Alexandra Faye Sadeghian, and my girlfriend (Award-Winning Latina Director) Jayleen S Perez.”
Dan hasn’t shied away from eclectic and challenging roles. “My favorite project to work on was Yellow Scare. I got to play dual comedic roles as father and son. A drunken pilot Shamus, and a simple-minded leader of a motorcycle gang named Tony. That performance won me a prestigious Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film Award at the 2018 Golden Door International Film Festival. The film should be hitting Amazon Prime soon. It’s currently available on Blu-ray.”
His love for acting dates back to his childhood where he would often act out characters in real-life situations. “I loved playing characters since I’m a kid. In preschool, I jumped between being Donatello (a Ninja Turtle) and Egon (a Ghostbuster) in class. As you can imagine this was concerning to many people, but it’s starting to pay off!”
Dan’s dedication to the craft eventually led him to the New York Film Academy. “NYFA was recommended to me by PJ Leonard, a film producer from Jersey City. I loved my time there. I took a 12-week acting course in 2010. My acting teacher, director, and comedian, Jessica Rotondi was a strong influence on me. I learned the importance of technique as well as being coachable and friendly while working on a project. I’ve taken those networking skills very far.”
As for upcoming projects, Dan has two great projects in the works, Buzzkill Palm Beach and Cult of Blood. “I’m excited about these new films. Two very different parts but I pride myself as a versatile character actor, so I’m up for the challenge. In Buzzkill Palm Beach I play the second lead Jeff, a cool kind of dude alongside leading man & Director, Joe Vrola. It’s a sequel to The award-winning horror film Buzzkill New Jersey. We should start filming in November. It will be partially filmed on the Jersey Shore and mostly shot in West Palm Beach, Florida. As for Cult of Blood, I’ll be playing a wild character named T-Rav, for the brilliant Director Robbie Lopez. That horror film shoots in Kansas City, Missouri in the Spring of 2021. It can be best described as Green Room meets From Dusk Till Dawn. It should be a wild ride.”
I can say that I recently shot a gruesome horror short called Air B&D that will make its way to the film festival circuit soon. It’s a Jayleen S Perez film starring upcoming talent Molly Ester Wilson. The amazing Joey Mosca is a producer as well. I’ve worked with him on about 20 independent films so far. He can do it all on a film set. Also, I’m starring in a new Lance H Reja project called Not Alone with a gifted young Actress, Kristin Hutchins. Most notably, I will play a small role as Officer Barone in a psychological thriller called Mixxer. It’s currently in development starring Thomas O’Brian, Paul Mormando, and the amazing Tara Reid. I’m very excited about that. She is one of my favorite actresses.”
In closing, Dan offered this advice to NYFA students and aspiring actors. “My best advice to NYFA students is to fully immerse yourself and have fun. I did well there because I wanted to be in class. I took several trains from Bayonne, NJ to Manhattan three times a week to be there. I tried to be the first person there and the last one to leave. I made a lot of friends in school. I had the time of my life. Our class became so friendly that we would often go out to party after. So, do the best work you can do at NYFA and make a lot of connections!”
To keep up with all his latest projects visit Dan’s website. New York Film Academy wishes Dan Gregory continued success and can’t wait to see his upcoming projects.