Today we’d like to introduce you to Loren Goldfarb.
Hi Loren, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised right here in Baltimore, and my journey started with a childhood love for local TV news. Growing up, I’d watch WJZ with Jerry Turner and Al Sanders, and I knew early on that I wanted to work in the television news business. Since I wasn’t great at sports—playing for the Orioles was out of the question—I threw myself into journalism. At Pikesville High School, I worked on the *Pikesville Pipeline* newspaper, eventually becoming co-editor-in-chief during my senior year with the support of a wonderful teacher named Joan Fowler.
From there, I went to Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications, where I braved the freezing winters to work early morning shifts at the college radio station. During my college summers, I came back home to intern at WJZ. It was an amazing experience because they actually allowed me to write stories that the anchors I had idolized growing up read on air.
After graduating in 1993, I landed my first job as a news writer at KCNC in Denver. I quickly realized that the stressful, dark control rooms of daily newscast producing just weren’t for me. I wanted to be out in the field telling long-form, investigative stories. That desire led me to a special projects unit at WTVJ in Miami—the city where I met my wife—and eventually to what I thought was my absolute dream job: working as an associate producer for *Dateline NBC* in Washington, D.C., when I was just 26.
While reaching the network level so quickly was a great milestone, I learned something important about myself: I prefer being part of a small, tight-knit team rather than a tiny piece of a massive network machine. I left to produce for a PBS show called *HealthWeek,* where I had the incredibly rewarding opportunity to produce mini-documentary specials that aired on ABC’s *Nightline.”
When our funding for that show eventually ran out, my former HealthWeek boss approached me with a new idea. In 2007, we co-founded a digital media business called Everwell (MediVista Media). We provide video health education and marketing content for medical practices through digital signage networks. Around that time, my wife and I moved to Florida to be closer to her family and raise our kids in a warmer climate. I even got involved in local politics, serving as the Deputy Mayor of our beachside community, Indialantic.
Fast forward to a few years ago: after spending nearly two decades running Everwell, my kids were getting older and I realized how much I deeply missed creating long-form content. I decided to get back to my roots and started my own production company, Illumastory Films. Through that company, I directed and produced my first feature-length documentary, 96 Pounds of Dynamite. It has been an incredibly exciting new chapter for me—the film is currently finding great success on the festival circuit, including the ReelAbilities festival in New York, and it will officially be available on Amazon and Apple TV on May 11th.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like anyone, I have faced a number of struggles and challenges along my path, but if I look specifically at the last couple of years producing and directing 96 Pounds of Dynamite, the road certainly had its bumps.
My biggest challenge came after the film was finished and we began submitting it to film festivals around the world. We received 42 consecutive rejections before securing our first acceptance. It was a deeply demoralizing and depressing experience that made me question whether the film would actually resonate with audiences. I intellectually knew we had a good film—especially because several major festivals, such as Tribeca, sent personal notes saying they loved the project but simply couldn’t find a place for it—but it was still painful to receive rejection after rejection.
There were some dark days, but I knew I had to stick with it and not give up. Suddenly, the tide turned when we were accepted into Cinequest in Silicon Valley, a very well-known festival. That opened the door to a series of acceptances, bringing our total to seven festivals and even an Audience Choice award for Best Documentary at Vero Beach.
Now, those initial rejections feel like the distant past. The audience reception at our screenings has been wonderful. Our film’s subject, Chad McDaniel, loves engaging with the crowds, and the film will officially launch on Amazon and Apple TV on May 11th. Ultimately, it is easy to keep things in perspective when I remember that Chad’s journey was filled with challenges and struggles far greater than anything I have ever had to deal with.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve worn many hats — producer/director, COO, president, fundraiser, etc — in more three decades in the for-profit and not-for-profit worlds. Of those roles, I’m proudest of the stories I’ve had the good fortune to tell. It’s no small gesture when someone opens their world to an outsider, trusting them to communicate their story to a larger audience.
What matters most to you? Why?
It’s cliche, but I suspect it’s true for most: my family. I’m blessed to be surrounded by my loving and supportive wife, children and parents.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dynamite-film.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/96poundsofdynamite/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/96poundsofdynamite
