Dan LaPray
Director, Producer, Storyteller
Dan LaPray is a rare full-spectrum filmmaker whose career spans music, post-production, cinematography, and feature filmmaking. His journey began during his university years, where he trained as a sound recording technician while fronting a band and working at a national PBS station. There, he rose through the ranks of the post-production department and supervised the university’s Media Arts Development Lab, teaching students how to operate professional cameras and editing software.
After earning his degree in Marketing with a Film minor, Dan was hired as a full-time editor for a nationally televised series. Within months, he built the station’s first in-house sound-to-picture suite, mixing numerous nationally broadcast programs. His unique skillset soon drew the attention of a billion-dollar corporation, where he spent six years as Director of Photography and Editor, traveling the world to create cinematic marketing campaigns for their high-end products.
Dan later became Director of Production for a new national television network at Dish Network, where he designed and implemented the production infrastructure from the ground up. But storytelling called to him, and he left the corporate world to write, produce, and direct full-time.
In 2013, Dan founded Number 7 Entertainment and produced Just Let Go, starring Emmy Award Nominee Henry Ian Cusick (Lost) and Academy Award Nominee Brenda Vaccaro (Midnight Cowboy). Dan’s work is marked by a deep respect for the actor’s process — often working with performers in isolation to preserve spontaneity and emotional truth, a method he honed through Adrienne Weiss’s acclaimed Directing Actors workshop in New York City.
Today, Dan LaPray is known for his holistic approach to filmmaking — understanding every stage from concept to post — and his passion for collaboration with like-minded storytellers. He thrives on projects that challenge, inspire, and move audiences worldwide.