Daniel J. Gradilla

Palm Springs native, Daniel J. Gradilla began his filmmaking career making short movies with his friends in high school.  Not long after graduating, he got hired at the local newspaper “The Desert Sun” as the Photography Lab Assistant, where he learned about telling stories with images.  As an 18 year-old junior photographer in training, he covered various events, and was mentored by 5 spectacular, and diverse photographers, which helped steer him into attending Brooks Institute of Photography, where he majored in Feature Film Production and graduated in 2007.

In 2009, Daniel was brought onto his first Documentary titled “The Rescuers” by Emmy Award Winning Director Michael King (Rapping With Shakespeare), who took him around Europe where he learned of the many stories of Holocaust survivors and righteous diplomats that sacrificed their livelihoods in order to save Jewish lives.  On this film, Daniel wore many hats, and went from being an Intern, to managing the movie's media, to ultimately become the Assistant Editor on the film.

Since, Daniel has been balancing his time working in both Post-Production and Production on various Feature Film, Music Video, and Commercial Productions.  He was Production Manager and Post Supervisor for the visual elements used during the Guns N’ Roses Chinese Democracy World Tour, as well as served as Assistant Editor on the Sundance and SXSW hit film, “Sound Of My Voice.”

“Touch the Wall” was the first film in which Daniel served as both Editor and Co-Producer, and went on to sell out the 2,500 seat Buell Theatre during the 2014 Denver Stars Film Festival. It also went on to become the most successful Tugg screening campaign from November 2014 to January 2016 and remains as the most successful Documentary campaign.  In addition to “Touch the Wall”, Daniel also served as Associate Producer and Editor on “Soaring Highs & Brutal Lows: The Voices of Women in Metal”, a documentary about front-women in the heavy metal scene.
 
Daniel has been attached to edit films on the making of the film “Easy Rider”, a documentary on the Soul Line Dancing movement, and is currently editing “Las Sandinistas!”, a film about women’s’ roles in the Sandinista revolution and ensuing government restoration.