Meet Danny Stygion

We were lucky to catch up with Danny Stygion recently and have shared our conversation below.

Danny, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?

I’ve outlasted most of my haters and nay-sayers. In my early twenties and in the early 2000s, I produced my first Fetish Ball event called Seductive World and a rival promoter would have his minions remove our flyers off cars after we had put flyers on them (we caught them doing this). They would also bad mouth us online before the event took place. The event was a minor success, but for my 2nd Fetish Ball we booked Dita Von Teese to headline and perform burlesque, and we booked her right before she became super well known. She had just landed the cover of Playboy and was dating Marilyn Manson at the time. People in Houston wanted to see her because she had never been to Houston yet, so there was no stopping that show. That event was called Desire and was held at a multi-level mansion on Beverly Hills Drive, and it was a huge success. Eventually I would see the rival promoter at one of my events 15 years later. I ran into him in an elevator at the venue, and I could see that he was having a good time. Whatever ill feelings I had about the past just kind of went away right there.

When I was first starting to get into fetish photography in my early twenties, there was a local Houston photographer in the alt scene that would tell models not to work with me. He had a photographer friend who ran a gossip site and my work would be torn apart online there. Both of these photographers ended up pawning their cameras years later and giving up on alt/fetish photography. One of them you can barely find a trace of online now. It’s like he was scrubbed off the internet. I believe the other one said there wasn’t enough money in it and so he gave up, which is the difference between us. I would still do it for free even if people didn’t pay me. It’s my passion.

In my mid twenties, I got the idea to start up a magazine, but there was a lot of nay-sayers that said it would cost too much and that I would need a staff and this and that. I put the idea aside until I was 30 and I told myself that it was now or never. So I researched magazine design and publishing for 6 months and put together a magazine called Sinical. Print on demand was becoming a thing so it was becoming easier to publish your own magazine. You didn’t have to print in bulk, which is the thing that holds a lot of start up magazine publishers back.

In my late thirties, I encountered the same resistance when it came to making a movie. I was told it would cost too much and that it was never going to go anywhere. I launched a Kickstarter campaign and raised enough funds for the equipment to shoot a movie and I shot a film over the course of a year. I worked with friends and people I knew who wanted to be in a film and we shot on weekends. This film, The Goetia Diaries, was eventually accepted for distribution and is on a multiple streaming platforms. The film has lead to many other opportunities for me and I continue to make films now. I’m doing my best to make each one progressively better.

These days, not too many people tell me I can’t do things because I’ve gone out and done whatever I said I was going to do.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m a full-time filmmaker, photographer, and magazine publisher. I’ve directed 10 short films, a handful of commercials and promos, 1 feature length film called The Goetia Diaries, and 1 feature length documentary called Bayou City Burlesque. I’m currently in the middle of production on a 2nd feature length documentary. This one is about professional Dominatrices. We are also in pre-production on a survival horror thriller feature length film that we plan to shoot this Summer. I’ve also been putting my effort into my YouTube channel @dannystygion, which showcases what I know about photography, my film/video work, and interviews.

I’ve been a fetish photographer for 22+ years and my work has been featured in Marquis Magazine, Skin Two Magazine, Hustler Magazine, Retro Lovely, Femme Rebelle Magazine, Goliath Books, and other publications. I’ve photographed top fetish models, such as Dita Von Teese, Masuimi Max, Cervena Fox, Dani Divine, Rubberdoll, Emily Marilyn, Kendra James, among others.

My photography has lead to be publishing magazines called Sinical and subspace, which focuses on the alt/fetish/BDSM scenes. I established Sinical in 2010 and subspace in 2013.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I had to teach myself photography, magazine publishing, and filmmaking. I never went to school for it. I just read books and watched videos online and learned by trial and error. I believe taking risks in life is important and to just take action. It’s ok to fail. You just have to keep going, through. I think research is necessary and important, but at some point you just have to go out and do it. Too much research can hold you back. I also think it’s important to find mentors or models of people who are doing what you want to do and learn from them. Try and break down what they did to get to where they are at. That has been helpful for me.

My advice to someone just starting out with photography or filmmaking, is just to start shooting and develop a portfolio. Work with your friends or whoever is open to supporting or helping you with your projects. Those people are out there. You will eventually have a portfolio and then people will seek you out.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

I try to keep up with a Bullet Journal and I like to make lists. I try to accomplish small tasks daily and chip away at larger goals. Time and pressure. If you just keep chipping away at a larger goal you will eventually get to the finish line. Making a full length movie is a long process. It’s a mountain you have to climb and you can only do it one step at a time. It may take a year+ to get through all the stages of production and you will need the stamina and patience for that.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Masuimi Max, Dita Von Teese, Mistress Eva, Brittany Stygion, Ian Anderson, Ghoulia Child, Jay Short, and Andrea Danae.

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