Danny Chandia
- Director
- Editor
- Visual Effects
Danny Chandia is a Las Vegas filmmaker known for his unique visual style. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Danny first picked up a camera at a young age. As a child diagnosed with ADHD, he found that drawing and watching movies were the only things that kept him engaged. He spent his childhood making short films, and by high school, was teaching himself how to edit. He was accepted in to the Las Vegas Academy, where he studied visual art, film, and broadcast journalism. By senior year, he had gotten his first job as an in-studio camera operator at Vegas PBS.
After graduating, he went on to work for several local media companies; Sam Boyd Entertainment - shooting live sporting events and editing in-house videos for the Thomas & Mack Center, and the local NBC affiliate KSNV News 3 - as an in-studio camera operator for the morning news.
At age 20, he had the opportunity to work on a reality-based travel show called Wreck Trek. The concept was to drive three junkyard cars 10,000 miles from Berlin, Germany to Cape Town, South Africa. He began the trip logging footage on the road, but picked up camera duties halfway through. Along the way, he cut together "webisodes", which eventually convinced Travel Channel International to buy the series. Danny edited the pilot, as well as the last five episodes of the season.
A few years later he reunited with the same producer in southeast Asia, to operate camera for a show driving tuk tuks through Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.
Due to his struggles with ADHD, he then quit freelance- working as a barback, a barista, and a DVD store clerk. At the time, he was living at Desert Cactus apartments, trying to make his first feature. The film was never finished, but instead resulted in a documentary about his elderly neighbors and the changing landscape of downtown Las Vegas.
In 2018, he co-founded Desert Cactus Films with his business partner, Rachel Johnson. Their award-winning work has been showcased in film festivals across the country.
He strongly believes in the power of film, and wants to demystify the process for future generations of self-taught filmmakers.
After graduating, he went on to work for several local media companies; Sam Boyd Entertainment - shooting live sporting events and editing in-house videos for the Thomas & Mack Center, and the local NBC affiliate KSNV News 3 - as an in-studio camera operator for the morning news.
At age 20, he had the opportunity to work on a reality-based travel show called Wreck Trek. The concept was to drive three junkyard cars 10,000 miles from Berlin, Germany to Cape Town, South Africa. He began the trip logging footage on the road, but picked up camera duties halfway through. Along the way, he cut together "webisodes", which eventually convinced Travel Channel International to buy the series. Danny edited the pilot, as well as the last five episodes of the season.
A few years later he reunited with the same producer in southeast Asia, to operate camera for a show driving tuk tuks through Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.
Due to his struggles with ADHD, he then quit freelance- working as a barback, a barista, and a DVD store clerk. At the time, he was living at Desert Cactus apartments, trying to make his first feature. The film was never finished, but instead resulted in a documentary about his elderly neighbors and the changing landscape of downtown Las Vegas.
In 2018, he co-founded Desert Cactus Films with his business partner, Rachel Johnson. Their award-winning work has been showcased in film festivals across the country.
He strongly believes in the power of film, and wants to demystify the process for future generations of self-taught filmmakers.
