Hi, my name is

Daniel.

I make movies.

I write, direct, and produce films in Austin, Texas. I left my career as an engineer and software developer, but I still enjoy coding and building with my hands.

About Me

I studied mechanical engineeringing in college before I veered into software development after graduation. After the pandemic, I quit my job and founded my own production company.

My passion is film, but I’m creative in many differnt forms.

Here are a few of my skill sets:
  • Writing
  • Directing
  • Cinematography
  • Producing
  • Editing/Coloring
  • Sound Design
  • Visual Effects
  • Music Production
  • Graphic Design
  • Software Development
  • Engineering
  • Entrepreneurship
  • YouTube
  • Social Media

Experience

Founder and Director - Plotinus Pictures
May 2022 - present

I founded my own production company to write and direct my first feature film, a micro-budget action movie called GIVE ME BACK MY BICYCLE!

GIVE ME BACK MY BICYCLE! is about a guy who gets his bike stolen and his crazy quest to get it back. I wanted to make an action movie, but since the project is self-funded, I couldn’t afford normal tropes like car chases. Instead we replaced car chases with much cheaper electric scooter chases.

I wrote and directed the film, but I also wore pretty much every hat during production, sometimes even working without a crew. If I didn’t know how to do something, I quickly taught myself what I needed to know. I completed all the pre and post production work alone, including scouting, scheduling, casting, editing, scoring, VFX, SFX, etc.

GIVE ME BACK MY BICYCLE! will premiere on March 7, 2026. New short films are currently in development.

Along with producing my films, I also manage the business and run all of our websites and tech.

Filmmaking Staff - City of Austin
Summer 2025

During the 2025 summer season, I worked at the City of Austin’s Camacho Activity Center, which offers some of the best outdoor youth programs in the city. I worked as one of the two filmmaking staff counselors where I taught kids of all ages about filmmaking. Each week, we would make one project starring our class of campers. I wrote and directed many of these projects, but I had a hand in all of them. In total, we produced:

  • Two short films
  • Four video skits & music videos
  • One summer highlight video
  • short form social media PSAs

I had a great time working with these young actors and I was blown away by their talent and creativity.

Software Developer - General Motors
Aug 2016 - Aug 2022

I worked as a full stack software developer for General Motors’ IT division. Over the course of my six years, I worked on a variety of technologies and teams. Here are a few of my noteworthy projects:

  • Building new Java microservices for the vehicle cybersecurity ecosystem
  • Creating a new Django CMS website for GM’s car rental startup
  • Building a new Angular front end for an internal timekeeping application

The technologies and languages I used varied by team, but here are a few that I am proficient in:

  • Python
  • Java
  • HTML/CSS
  • Spring/Spring Boot
  • Django
  • Angular
  • React
Mechanical Engineering Intern - National Instruments
Summer 2015
For one of my college internships, I had the distinct privledge of working at one of Austin’s best homegrown tech companies. Even as an intern, I was able to flex my engineering skills and work on improvents for NI’s PXI test and measurment platform.

Projects

In Darker Waters
Short Film Noir Mystery
In Darker Waters
Made with kids and for kids at the Camacho Activity Center summer camp, this black and white detective story is a throwback to Hollywood's noir golden age.
Watch the Film
GIVE ME BACK MY BICYCLE!
Feature Film Action Comedy
GIVE ME BACK MY BICYCLE!
An obsessed medical student chases down a bike thief on an electric scooter in a desperate attempt to find his stolen bicycle.
More Info
Memories of an Idealogue
Short Film
Memories of an Idealogue
Upcoming short film currently in pre-production. Details TBA.

Education

2025
AFS Creative Careers
Austin Film Society

I recieved high quality techincal and production training from experienced film industry professionals. Classes covered many topics, inluding but not limited to:

  • Sony FX cinema cameras
  • Lighting design
  • Production sound recording
  • Abobe Creative Suite
  • Industry standard production workflows
2012 - 2016
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
University of Texas at Austin

Activities & Certificates

  • Elements of Computing Certificate
  • Longhorn Rocketry Association
  • Robotics and Automation Society
  • Formula SAE

Get in Touch

Want to hire me?
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