Changing leads
As Lance McDaniel leaves deadCenter Film, Alyx Picard Davis prepares for action
Lance McDaniel never could have imagined that his last deadCenter Film Festival as the nonprofit organization's executive director would play out quite like it has.
The 20th annual festival, which continues through Sunday, has been the longest and showcased the most films in its history. But it's also moved primarily online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I was probably the last holdout because I love parties, and during our festival, that's what I'm in charge of. ... But once we decided to go virtual, we turned it on very quickly. And it became the most exciting part of working at deadCenter in 10 years,” he said.
“Even though it's been exciting in a totally different way.”
As the festival enters its final weekend of streaming films, panels and other content at www.deadcenterfilm.org, McDaniel is enjoying the last days as deadCenter Film's executive director, the role he has played for 10 years. He announced in December that he would be stepping down after this year's festival.
In February, the deadCenter Film board named Alyx Picard Davis, the organization's director of festival and operations, McDaniel's successor following a nationwide search.
“It's been different, it's been weird, it's been bittersweet,” said Picard Davis, who started with deadCenter as a volunteer in 2006.
“It's funny because this is our 20th anniversary, and so many things that we're experiencing this year we experienced in the early years when we were building it. And then we got into a groove and figured it out. And now we're kind of having to return to that `I don't know
where this is gonna go, but I trust it' and take that leap.”
Making the pivot
The deadCenter team was ready to make its annual pilgrimage to Austin, Texas, for South By Southwest when the massive festival became one of the first major U.S. events canceled due to the pandemic.
“It was about that time I started entertaining ... the idea of, `OK, what if this is still around in June? What does the festival look like?' The thought of not having a deadCenter in June was just unacceptable,” Picard Davis said.
After the SXSW cancellation, McDaniel said that the team began contacting sponsors and filmmakers about moving deadCenter online. While some films could no longer be shown due to existing distribution deals, most were able to stay in the virtual fest, although some with limitations. The organizers worked through film contracts, technology issues and other obstacles while creating 120 hours of online festival content.
“It became `how do you design a Netflix from the ground up that is actually deadCenter?' And it was fascinating and super fun,” McDaniel said.
“For (deadCenter founders) Jayson Floyd and Justan Floyd, that was their purpose was `How can we learn from each other and support each other?' ... Twenty years ago, these two brothers decided there was a need for community, and 20 years later, we're redefining that but it's still the same impetus.”
Passing the baton
Jayson Floyd credited McDaniel with helping develop deadCenter into a powerhouse festival. During McDaniel's tenure, sponsorships have increased 300%, film submissions have burgeoned 500%, and festival attendance has grown from 10,000 to 35,000 people, according to the organization.
“Lance is such an amazing person. He was the right person to continue that,” Floyd said. “The way it is now is kind of what Justan had in mind and described back in 2000. ... So, it's really been neat to be a part of the foundation, but I can't take credit for how far it's gone.”
The co-founder said he was happy to see the festival carry on despite the pandemic and the uncertainty. No one was sure how the virtual event would go over until after it started June 11, but Stephen Tyler, deadCenter's directory of technology, reported that night that in the first 12 hours, passholders watched 21 days worth of festival content.
“People were watching at like 8 a.m. ... People are chewing through films the second they wake up. That's a great festival,” said Picard Davis, who is also vice president of the board of the International Film Festival Alliance.
“So, the virtual festival will still be a part of what we do, it's just a matter of how much. ... It's a great question, and it's one that I was already batting about before the pandemic: What do film festivals look like with Netflix and Amazon taking over and people really getting used to streaming things online? It was apparent that we were going to have to move some things virtual ... but this has just kind of accelerated everything.”
When he told the deadCenter board a year and a half ago that he planned to step down, McDaniel said he hoped that Picard Davis would be named his successor.
“There's so many things that deadCenter could move toward in the next direction. ... I love deadCenter. I'm not leaving because I don't love it. I'm leaving because I think it needs a new voice, and I've had such a strong voice for 10 years,” McDaniel said, adding that he will still be involved with deadCenter as a volunteer but will stay behind the scenes.
“I think it's going to be awesome having Alyx take the successes that we've got here and figure out how to use them moving forward.”
McDaniel said he is not yet sure what his next job will be. He has a few consulting gigs, but he said part of his motive for leaving deadCenter was having more time to make his own movies. He plans to make a feature and a short film this summer.
Hopefully, deadCenter will still play my movies when I leave,” he said with a laugh.
“In the most crazy time of the world that I've lived in, we're trying something exciting and new. That part outweighs the fact that I miss having a 1,000-person party. ... But I don't doubt that the world is going to open up, and when we do, I've already told deadCenter that we'll throw a party together and I'll come back. ... So, the parties for deadCenter and me are not over.”