Hollywood has always been known for great movies. However, to remain top-tier, Hollywood producers must push themselves to explore the best talents and make productions that continue to question the status quo and challenge the previous standards. Min Dai is an established leading producer and post-production supervisor from Beijing, China. She has always had a passion for entertainment since she was young. Min grew up in a media-centered family; her mother owned Beijing’s Voice of Times. This provided her with an opportunity to learn from various experts and field professionals.
In 2010, Min moved to New York City to pursue studies in film directing. She began networking with people in the entertainment industry in the US. While still studying, she was fortunate to work with writer-producer Fabian Martin and his production company Mano a Mano Productions, where she produced their film History Day starring Carl Gilliard. Min was also their collaborator on the award-winning film Eggman in 2013. Despite the US market being very competitive, Min has made a name for herself in the production industry. “I devote myself fully to the projects I’m on and find ways to contribute and elevate them to the best of my ability. After every project I’ve participated in, I’m able to gain more insight and apply it to the next one. I think to me, that’s a very important skill,” she says.
She says her passion for making things happen has been her greatest motivation as a producer. In 2014, Min worked with Carl Gilliard, the co-founder of the Duke Media Foundation, and produced and directed the short film Meeting Gary. The film was nominated for a Best Short Film award at the Texas Black Film Festival and San Francisco Black Film Festival. Carl was also nominated for Best Lead Actor at the Texas Black Film Festival.
Aside from being a film producer, she also established herself as a leading producer in the documentary film genre. She has produced projects like “Travels with Darley,” “The Switch,” “History Day,” “Meeting Gary,” “One True Yarn,” and “400 Miles.”
An industry expert, Min has numerous career accomplishments under her belt. She takes pride in her excellent productions. She was the post-production supervisor for the Academy award nominated director Ramin Bahrani on his feature documentary, “2nd Chance” and the Netflix documentary series, “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey,” directed by Emmy-nominated director Rachel Dretzin, produced by Ark Media. “2nd Chance” premiered at Sundance 2022. Moreover, “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey” has received critically acclaimed reviews worldwide while reaching an all-time 720 million minutes views as of August 2022.
Min says the most significant hurdle she has faced is being marginalized for being Chinese. Overcoming that cultural barrier, she felt the scrutiny of these comments demoralize similarly talented actors and artists like her into unfair expectations and assumptions. She says people tend to dispel her under the guise of her Chinese background. On this note, she has attained labels such as the “Chinese filmmaker,” “foreigner,” or “the woman with a funny accent.” This has posed a challenge to her as she must constantly prove she is a worthy collaborator. Nevertheless, she says she looks forward to an era when filmmakers will embrace foreign filmmakers not for their origin but for their talent.
Min shares her story to encourage anyone aspiring to enter the US film industry as a foreign filmmaker to keep pursuing their goals. She also emphasizes the need to surround yourself with people you can constantly learn from, and this way, you will ultimately achieve success.
As a force to be reckoned with in the industry, Min hopes to continue making waves and breaking boundaries and, most importantly, challenge herself to take on more projects in the US in the production capacity. With her steadily growing influence and skill in the industry, she hopes to develop more personal projects in the documentary or narrative sect.
Conclusion
Min Dai is an accomplished and successful film producer and post-production supervisor from Beijing, China who has made a name for herself in Hollywood. Her passion for entertainment and her ability to learn from experts and field professionals has led her to produce and direct award-winning films such as “Meeting Gary” and to be a leading producer in the documentary film genre.
