An Interview With Peter Dukes Owner Of Dream Seekers Productions

02 March 2021

Peter Dukes is a writer/director/producer and owner of Dream Seekers Productions, an independent production company based in Los Angeles. We were lucky enough to catch up with Peter during his busy schedule.

Hi Peter. Thanks for taking time out to speak to us.

It’s my pleasure.

Could you give our readers a little bit of information about yourself and Dream Seekers Productions ?

I’m a writer, director and producer based out of Los Angles. I formed Dream Seekers Productions back in 2005, as a place to channel my creative energy and to tell the kinds of stories that I wanted to tell. To date I’ve produced 16 films, which have received press worldwide and been distributed both nationally and internationally. I love what I do and I plan on making films for years to come. There’s many more stories to tell!

Well, we are looking forward to watching them!

How did you get into directing and writing movies?

It started early with me. Whether it was writing, drawing, filming (with a giant VHS camcorder) or playing make believe as a kid, when it came to crafting stories, I was all in, simply using whatever was at my disposal in order to make it happen. It was only natural that this would one day lead me to make the decision to make filmmaking my career, which led to film school and soon after, my move out to LA, where I’ve been working ever since.

Is this something you have always wanted to do?

As far back as I can remember, yes!

How easy, or difficult, have you found making independent movies?

There’s nothing easy about filmmaking, be it independent or otherwise. That’s where the love really has to kick in. If you don’t truly love it, forget about it. Go do something else. It’s extremely difficult and endlessly challenging, in a variety of ways, as you might well imagine, but therein lies the appeal. The things you love most in life are often the things you have to work the hardest for, and with filmmaking it’s no different.

Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from when writing a movie?

There are some key themes that fascinate and even, at times, haunt me in life, and these often dictate what kind of project I wish to take on, or how I wish to tackle a certain subject matter. Above all though, I’m a guy driven by inspiration. If I’m not inspired by an idea, I won’t pursue it as a film project. In terms of where these ideas come from? Well, inspiration is everywhere. It’s all around us, all the time. You just have to know how and where to look.

Looking at your catalog of work you seem to have quite a lot of work revolving around the horror and fantasy genre. Do you have a particular genre you like to work with or are you open to work on other genres?

I love horror and fantasy but my interest lies in many genres so long as there’s an interesting story to tell.

What have you been most proud of so far with your movie career?

That I’m still here ha! Film-making, as I mention above, is a uniquely challenging career to undertake, and after all these years I’m still here, working as hard as ever at pushing myself, learning and growing as a filmmaker.

How challenging have you found running an independent film company and making movies?

Very challenging, but again, if you love it, which I do, it’s a good kind of challenge. One that is richly rewarding every time I produce a new film.

Do you have any favorite directors or anyone you try to emulate or take inspiration from?

I love the early work of Steven Spielberg, Krzysztof Kieslowski and many others. There are several directors who’ve influenced me but never do I try to emulate them. Once you start emulating the work of others, you’re done. In my opinion, that is. You have to strive to discover your own unique voice, and let that be what drives your cinematic choices. This is the only way you can truly stand out from the crowd.

Are there any actors who you would like to have the opportunity to work with in the future?

Too many to list!

Have you got any upcoming projects, and what is your plans for the future?

I’m putting short films on the back-burner for the time being to focus on feature film projects. I have three features currently in development, all outside Dream Seekers Productions. I also have three other screenplays I’m currently shopping to producers. Making the leap to features is key to moving up to the next level for me so I’m working hard to make this happen. If you’re not moving forward you’re moving backwards in this business, so I’ve been very proactive in this area of late.

Thanks again for doing this Peter, we really appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us.

Your welcome, its my pleasure!