September AOTM Winner
Dylan Roark Cunniffe
- @dylcun -
- @idcfx -
- @wealth.records -
1) Q: Give us an introduction about yourself?
A: My name is Dylan. I’m from the Bay Area. Well actually, I live 45 minutes north of the bay area in a town called Fairfax. I usually just say I’m from the bay area since it is easier for people to recognize. Fairfax is like a little forest town, and I’m proud to say I’m from there. My mom and dad are both artists. My dad is a music producer & a musician. My mom is a painter, sculptor, & a musician. All I have ever really been surrounded with is creatives (legends). You met my parents, and you know what my dad is like! Basically, I have been surrounded by creative people my whole life. The first influences in my life were musicians, and that’s probably why I label myself as a musician. The first thing I tell people when they ask about myself is that I am a musician over anything else, and that’s why. Other than that I live in Los Angeles, CA. When I first graduated high school I went to college in Santa Barbara for one year, and attended SBCC. Santa Barbara is where I met Blake, and everything in my life changed. Reminiscing when we went to the sand dunes for the first AXO road trip. You can go watch a video I made from it on Youtube - it’s hilarious & awesome. Shoutout to the team that joined us on that trip. It seems like so long ago now, but I’ll always remember how we had such a great time. So yeah, I went to college for one year & moved here to LA after Blake inspired me to stop wasting my time with school. I guess that’s a nice little a nice intro for now.
2) Q: Where are you from?
A: Fairfax, CA
3) Q: Where do you live now?
A: Marina Del Rey, CA
4) Q: How did you get to where you are today?
A: Oh man what a LONG journey. I remember being in high school as a senior, and I remember I didn’t know what I wanted to do at all. I was like you know what I kinda want to study cultural anthropology, and partner up with one of my friends who is studying film over in Canada & make cool videos about traveling the world. I didn’t get into the University of British Columbia, and so I went to Santa Barbara for a year. I studied film production & some other cool classes. I fell in love with videography when I was a senior in high school right before I graduated. That was one of reasons I was down to go to Santa Barbara because it is beautiful, and I knew I would be able to film cool content in the area. It was also super close to LA where I knew all the creatives were at. Shoutout to the videos that got me inspired in the beginning. Shoutout to the OG videos that got me inspired into this stuff in the beginning. The Sam Kolder - My Year 2016. All the Jay & Alexis videos. I remember watching those videos thinking it was insane how you could get paid just to travel & film beautiful places. Crazy how much we have manifested in our own lives in just a few short years. Anyways, so I was in Santa Barbara filming around with a Canon 60D which was ass. I wasn’t really getting any brand deals that were paying anything. It was mainly just working for free in exchange for something like a t-shirt or a bracelet. Obviously, anyone that is a videographer has probably done that, or is still doing that, or is just cappin’ (fraudulent/ lying). That’s right around when I met Blake, and he eventually told me “Yooo, I’m moving to LA.” This was after we actually became friends, and established a relationship. He let me into AXO as one of the first few alphas. I can’t remember if I was the first, second, or third. Actually, I know that Chase was first, and then maybe it was Michael. Big shoutout to my day one AXO creative brothers; love ya Michael & Chase. I remember I had like no money, and I didn’t know what to do when you said it costs money to join. I was like literally eating ritz crackers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Eventually, Blake just let me join since we became such close friends, and I was helping him out with AXO in the early stages. That was awesome for me since I didn’t really have anyone around me that was doing anything that I was interested in. Then you moved out here into the Alpha House not too long before I moved out to Santa Monica. I remember you told me “Yo, if you don’t move out here you’re weak” … so I was like bet & just made the move. You had the Alpha House starting in September I think, and wow that was some crazy times right when you moved in. I was living in Santa Monica, and I would full send it to your place like every day. I would drive 50 minutes, and then you would just let me sleep there. Shoutout to the boys for letting me sleep at the Alpha House in the wine room, and giving me access to work on all my stuff there. I would drive to work which was like 10 minutes from the Alpha House, and made it a lot easier since my place in Santa Monica was nearly 50 minutes away. Letting me sleep there & get work done really saved my life. That was a crazy time. You cant even put words to that time period in our lives. It was basically like we were living in a movie. Anyways, so at this point I was living in LA working with you daily at your house, and commuting between my place in Santa Monica. Wow, time is really flying by. I got myself to where I am now at this mansion in Marina Del Rey by surrounding myself with people who know how to communicate, how to deliver, and how to produce work at a higher level. All of the people that I have been around the past couple years have had a direct impact on my life. The circle is small. The people I ride for know who they are. Martez & Blake have been around with me throughout the journey. We have seen a lot of people come & go, but we will always have each others backs.
5) Q: Is there anything notable that happened while growing up that shaped you into the person you are today?
A: Of course there has. The most notable is watching my childhood unfold at the same time I was watching my cousins childhood unfold. We were so close, but our lives were so different. It gave me an appreciation for life on my end of the spectrum. That’s why I have such an appreciation for people, culture, and life in general.
6) Q: If you could live anywhere in the world for free, where wold you choose?
A: Italy somewhere probably. Maybe somewhere in the south of France too.
7) Q: What are your talents?
A: Music; it is basically my first language. Playing instruments. Editing- Production- Videography. I love using a camera. Board Sports- snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing. I wanted to be a pro-skater growing up, and then I realized that you just know if you’re going to be a pro-skater by the time you’re like 10 (RIP pro-skater Dilly dreams).
8) Q: Are you naturally talented, or did you acquire your skills?
A: I’ve never taken taken formal classes or anything for music. My dad taught me the chords to a guitar when I was really young. For as long as I can remember I have been surrounded by instruments & music. Apparently, I would play the guitar before I could even stand up; just like strumming it. Both of my parents were in touring rock bands when I was growing up, so that’s what I was surrounded with when I was a kid. Its an interesting question because I didn’t take lessons for any of the instruments that I played. I was on the road just listening to shows as a baby, and my parents have owned a studio my whole life where they would host shows. I was always surrounded by concerts, live music, and entertainment. I have always been listening to so much music my whole life, so that’s how I naturally acquired them I guess.
9) Q: How do you develop your skillset & improve your talents?
A: Investing your time into something, and understanding that if you’re not going 100% into something then you’re really going 0% into something. There is no spectrum in between when it comes to saying you care about something. You can’t kinda care about something that you do. If you’re going to label yourself as something such as calling yourself an artist, but you’re not investing your time into being an artist then your actions need to catch up. If you’re sleeping more than actually working on something you actually care about then you’re a sleeper. Don’t be a sleeper. I just practice man. Invest your time into things that you actually care about. If you are doing something you don’t actually enjoy, and just doing things that you want to get over with as fast as possible then you’re not actually doing what you’re destined to. I see a lot of people doing this.
10) Q: How do you leverage your talents in your professional career?
A: Well you’ve got to turn it into something that you can sell first. That can go a lot of different ways. It all depends at the end of the day what you’re really good at, and what you enjoy doing the most. You need to listen to what other people say you’re good at too. If a bunch of people are telling you that you’re good at something then you should at least try it. Find a way to turn your talents into something you can sell. Look at people who are doing something similar to you, and figure out what is working for them that you can adopt. You can also do it by looking at what is not working for people, and do something completely new by creating something unique on your own. With music its just all about your PR, and finding people that can promote it for you. Same goes with content. It’s hard to go instantly viral these days. Having a talent gives you leverage because you’re not as worried about your skills, and you can focus on believing in yourself to gain new opportunities.
11) Q: What are some opportunities you have gained because of your talents?
A: I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities from videography to music. I’ve shot a lot of really cool things. We’ve shot a lot of really cool things together. I’ve shot a lot of really cool things because of you; I went on my first helicopter ride because of you! I remember I didn’t get into nightingale that one night we all went together, and I was so pissed. The night that I couldn’t get in, and I went to bed psyched because I was still going on a helicopter ride in the morning. Cool travel experiences has come from it. Cool festivals as well. Meeting a lot of cool people. I guess the best opportunity is being able to surround myself with like minded people in positive environments. If someone can put you in a position where you can build relationships then that is the best opportunity you can get. My talents got me places in the beginning, and thats the reason I even moved out here in the first place because I believed in my talents. If we were just boys I would’ve never listened to you when you said to come to LA. What convinced me was the fact that you believed in my talents to take me places, and then I actually was able to get opportunities. I’ve been able to go on some amazing trips, attend festivals, and network with really cool people. Stuff like when we hosted a party for Bella Thorne at your house on Halloween, and had a SWAT team raid the house with helicopters over head. Insane opportunities & memories that few people will ever get to see. Desiigner’s birthday party was pretty sick too. That party was insane. I had a studio session with Desiigner too shoutout to my friend Bobby Misner. Soooo yeah, I forget the question actually.
12) Q: What do you do for work in the industries you are experienced in?
A: I wish that music monetization was better, and I know that all my artists out there will agree with me. Some people are really racking up those plays getting checks, but nowadays you can’t tell between who is getting authentic plays & who is not. Those getting authentic plays are racking up checks from music platforms. I get a little bit of money from there. We also have the Wealth store which I work with alongside Martez. We have been filming a lot over the past year. I’ve been doing visual effects on music videos for people. The visual effects company is going to be booming in 2020. There are some cool things coming in 2020; What do I do for work? Ask me this in 2020. There are some cool things in store. Right now we are just doing some video work, editing, and visual fx. Working on the personal branding & making music.
13) Q: Who, or what, inspired you to get started in your career?
A: The music career would definitely be my parents. The filming career is attributed to so many people. In high school it was Kiva, Ryan, and Chris. Shoutout to them for showing me videography. Those were the boys who showed me the Sam Kolder videos, and actually taught me how to turn on my camera. Ryan Pavone is a homie, and I actually think he’s also in AXO. In college I gotta give a major shoutout to you, Blake Dalessio. This guy right here got me going, and put me straight on my path. Shoutout to Michael Marom too he was always there pushing me since he lived like 5 houses away from me. You were smart by not living in Isla Vista after your second year. I actually have a lot to say about this. Shoutout to the OG team. Shoutout Tori. Shoutout Chase. What inspired me to get started in my career was definitely the videos I was watching, and getting opportunities to produce creative content. That whole movement when it was still young was incredible before it became oversaturated. Shoutout to all the people that were continuously pushing me to create videos, and to be included in my videos. What inspires me to keep going now are the people I surround myself with; my close friends. It’s hard to find a team in LA, so I am very blessed to say I have good friends out here.
14) Q: Do you enjoy the work you do?
A: Yeah, I mean I enjoy most of the work I do. I feel like if you enjoy every single bit of work you’re doing then you’re doing something wrong. There has to be a balance with everything in life, so you end up doing work that sucks. This makes you really appreciate the work you enjoy much more. The tedious things like sorting footage is definitely not something I enjoy, but then editing the video when it’s done—> well duh, yeah I enjoy that. That’s like the yin-yang of enjoying work stuff I guess.
15) Q: What is something you have failed at, and did you learn from it?
A: I failed at working full time job, but I learned from it. I failed at releasing music. Pretty much what I learned from all my failures is that you need to have a team. Interdependence is key. You can’t be the only one that is trying to just run shit all the time. It gets stressful when you don’t have a team to help you get things done. Getting my press setup was something I have been failing at, so I realized that I had to contact people who are good at getting it done. Basically what I’m trying to say is don’t be afraid to contact people to help you out. Get that help, and build that team.
16) Q: What are some of the biggest myths about the work you do?
A: My homie hit me up saying like “Yo man your life is INSANE. Always flying in private jets & hanging out with models.. blah blah blah.” I was like “Listen man- some of this stuff is true, and some of it isn’t true.You have to work really hard. It’s a lot of nights with no sleep. I stay up until 4AM like every single day working on something. There is so much work to be done. Especially in a completive environment like Los Angeles. People don’t understand that a lot of individuals who have crazy things just obtained them through a lot of finessing. A majority of these people will never admit it since they are afraid to damage their ego. Everyone is just finessing. If you’re a good person, and you’re finessing along the way then there is no harm there. Then again you will see the snakes out here who finesse with evil intentions & bad attitudes that suck. It depends on where you are in the world too. I advise any of you who aren’t from LA to take a visit, and check out the ‘myths” yourself.
17) Q: What are some recommendations for others just getting started in your field of work?
A: I would make sure they have all of their social media accounts setup. I would ask them if they have a website. I would ask them if they have any sort of branding ideas they have, and to research what industry they are entering. Mainly I would tell them to just start working their SEO immediately by getting their name out there. It really all depends on what you’re trying to do. There is no excuses. Anyone can make music, make videos, and post content with a phone. If the reason you’re not starting your career is because you don’t have the proper equipment then you need to stop. Snap out of it, and re-evaluate yourself. For real though! Push content. Don’t be worried if your work isn’t as good as the person next to you. There is always going to be someone who is better than you. Push your content, and don’t be afraid of criticism. Push it in peoples faces. Don’t be afraid to self-promote, because you have to if you want to grow. Go comment on all the hot influencers post, and just say something! Who knows what could happen? It all starts with you believing in yourself, and getting your name out there where people will see it. You have to take advantage of where the impressions are. Go make yourself stickers, and go slap them on every stop sign in your town. Whatever you do.. just start now, so you don’t regret it later.
18) Q: What is your opinion on social media?
A: I got into social media when I was like in middle school. It’s cool watching social media grow up with me since when it first came out no one really knew what it was. It was just all over the place, and it was fun being able to us it back then. I wish I was smarter when it first came out though because I could of taken advantage of it back then. I could’ve been claiming usernames left & right. It is a beautiful ugly thing. It gave the world an opportunity to become extremely connected. It just keeps getting more & more insane everyday too. Like there was literally a time where I could see what pictures you were liking wearier today; thankfully they got rid of that feature, but that is just wild to me. It’s weird to me that things like that became so accessible so quickly. I remember when the Tamagotchi came out that thing was so sick. Social media is super cool if you know how to leverage it. Nowadays it is accessible for everyone to take advantage of social media to build new relationships, promote your business, and leverage your personal brand. Then again you can just use it to post to your friends, and be a consumer as well. Those are the two sides to Instagram specifically. I remember the first time I started using Facebook I connected with people I haven’t seen in years. Now I have people that hit me up who I wish could never find me. It never ends ya know. Always going to be the ups & downs.
19) Q: What are you most passionate about?
A: I’m really passionate about my music. I’m really passionate about the people I surround myself with. I hate being around people that I’m uncomfortable with, or that I can’t be weird self around. Like I hate when I can’t be my creative self, and do things like making up weird words with my friends. I’m really passionate about everything I have been investing my time into, which is really nice to say. I feel like in years past I was passionate about a completely different set of things. Like Isla vista days I don’t even know what I was most passionate about; jungle juice maybe? Shooting champagne off balconies with you I guess hahaha. All jokes aside, I am passionate about changing the world, having a positive attitude at all times, and inspiring other people to do the same thing. I’m really passionate about my health now thanks to Martez. I used to not even care at all. I’m really passionate out a lot of stuff man. I’m just a passionate guy I guess.
20) Q: Whats your top 3 goals in life?
A: 1) Make sure everyone is good that I love- become a philanthropist (financially, emotionally, and physically) 2) Headline a world tour 3) Start a nonprofit
21) Q: What motivates you daily to achieve your goals?
A: Seeing all my creative friends working on the things they are passionate about motivates me to achieve my goals. When I see other people progressing-leveling-up then that makes me happy. If I’m progressing or someone around me is then I just know that the energy is high & we can ride the wave together. I know it is inspiring when other people see me working on my things & vice versa. It feels good when someone hits you up & they say your work inspires them as well. That’s what I am always shooting for. Letting people know that their work is awesome & inspiring to me. I’m always looking what people are up to. I guess the people in my life are always motivational to me. I wanna be better & always progress to a better version of myself.
22) Q: Best advice for increasing productivity?
A: As GASHI said “We got the same 24 hours.” Having a whiteboard to write down your ideas, thoughts, plans, and goals. Having this whiteboard above my desk enables me to write down any thought, and I don’t erase the note until it is done. It is super effective to make lists of things for me. For example, I will have a list that says things like do laundry, organize Hawaii footage, etc. I’ll even write it in my phone notes, and make it my phone wallpaper to improve the efficiency of me completing the tasks sometimes. I’ll make a list of 10 things I want to get done for the week, and slap it on my lock-screen to embed them in my brain every day.
23) Q: What is your philosophy on life?
A: WHAT. C’mon Cake you’re really going to hit me with this packed question right now? Ok ok ok. Here is what I think. So life. This is like the first rule of alchemy, and I learned this from anime that my dad showed me when I was younger. In order to obtain what you want then something of equal or greater value must be lost. I don’t think people understand that, and people who never do will not get the meaning of life. You can’t expect great things in return for you if you’re not putting great things out. Also, just because good things are happening to you doesn’t mean you are good. You must look at the bigger picture. If you’re scheming & scamming by doing something that is not right, and you’re winning from it short term then you are in for a rude awakening in the future. If you’re not focusing on the repercussions of something bad you’re doing then you’re losing bro. Ive seen so many people go down because of that. This is what I was talking about the whole interview; there’s a yin-yang relationship with your life decisions. What comes up must come down. That’s why my philosophy on life is that if you do good, your intentions are good, and you consume good things in your body+mind, then all good things will come out of that. Bad things will come out of that too. Understanding that bad things are necessary, but good things will come from them. Uncertainty is not something to even dwell on. The most important thing is believing in yourself. There is no spectrum for believing in yourself. You either believe in yourself, or you don’t. There is no in between. I think being open to listening, being understanding, and giving thought into the possibilities in this existence are key. I hate when people are super close-minded, and that’s why my favorite thing to do is travel. I want to see every culture. I want to meet every kind of person. I want to see why certain people are the way they are. I want to know what they believe in. I want to know what they studied. I want to see what they eat. I want to see why they believe certain things should be the way they are. There really is no right or wrong answer. If you walk around thinking your way is the right way just because it works for you then you need to stop being so ethnocentric. Everyone is different, and there are so many different cultures in the world. If you want to really takeover the world you have to travel, you have to understand these ways of life, and you have to learn to incorporate them into yours. The world is yours man. It’s your painting. Your oyster. You can turn it into whatever you want it to be. Like we were talking about learning 5 languages man. Yeah so, thats my philosophy on life. Be a good person, be conscious of what you intake- both physically & emotionally. Guys & girls. Take your time. Stop comparing yourself to the people around you. Never feel like you owe anyone anything. You get back what you put in. If you’re not getting a return on an investment, then you should really think about what you should be doing in your life; who you’re surrounding yourself with especially. Coming into 2020 I wish everyone the best, and hope you guys are manifesting your ideas into reality. Who knows how much longer we’re gonna have with all this crazy social media stuff booming before it becomes completely oversaturated. Get your ideas out there. Don’t be afraid to showcase your talents, and leave your mark on this world. You never know what’s going to happen.
24) Q: If you could be any animal, what would you choose?
A: Sea Turtle would be pretty rad since they live for 150 years, and you get to explore the ocean which is so undiscovered. Ive seen a lot of the world, but I haven’t seen a lot of the ocean. Being a killer whale would be pretty crazy. Being a bird would be super cool too I guess, but like how high can I really go. Whereas for a seas animal only 5% of the world has been explored by man, so I could really pull up finessing the marine life down there. I would also be down to be one of those little domesticated sugar-gliders; just spazzing around the house. Being a poison dart frog would also be pretty crazy. Being like a lemur would also be pretty cool. 100% down to be a monkey. One of those spider monkeys would be sick. I don’t know man there is hella animals. I guess if I had to choose something it would be a sea animal like a turtle.
25) Q: What is a fun fact that no one knows about you? // or // a fun story that you would like to share?
A: So for this is for everyone at Whitehill. Fun fact about me is that I went to Idaho during my 6th grade summer. My cousin & I wanted to make our hair lighter with this sun-in stuff, but it was raining with no sun since it wasn’t summer. We just dumped the stuff in a bowl, and dunked our heads in. It made my hair this really ugly bright orange color, and I went to school so embarrassed. I told everyone like “Yo, it was the sun; I didn’t put anything in it.” Everyone roasted me, and I lied to everyone. I would never admit it to anyone that I just put this sun-in stuff in it. I have pictures of it I can show you if you want; it was honestly really funny looking back now.