Dump Star Media
Dump Star Media LLC is an independent media production company founded in 2018. We are known for campy, satirical comedies that indulge in cultural tropes and subtly critique society. Dump Star Media also produces the work of other independent artists and is available for hire and collaboration.
We are a woman-owned business incubated in Prototype PGH’s 2019 Women’s Work program. In addition to video production, we host live and virtual events, offer a student internship program, and are currently working on a screening series. Dump Star Media is featured in Steel This Magazine, Pittsburgh Business Times, Pittsburgh Courier, and Pittsburgh City Paper.
Our Name & Style
Dump Star Media’s name is an homage to trash filmmaking, a subgenre of B-film popularized/coined by John Waters. We often use comedy to explore American culture, making our work easier to consume than if it were told in a dramatic tone. What we’re doing feels fun and palatable, or perhaps strange and distasteful, but we are always examining our world and calling attention to the societal inconsistencies and absurdities that end up hurting our shared socio-political growth. Camp comedy is self-aware and meant to push boundaries; it’s a great tool to stimulate critical thinking in a non-confrontational manner.
We are taught to ignore what isn’t pretty, not to stare at it. Trash filmmaking challenges these notions by glorifying "otherness" in a way that calls attention to our own ignorance. We invite our audience to laugh at us while considering who is the butt of the joke and why it’s funny.
The Bigger Picture
In our filmmaking and film viewing experiences, it is clear that there is a lack of thoughtful representation on and off screen. Worse, the filmmaking industry often erases and exploits the talents and voices of marginalized groups including, but not limited to, queer and BIPOC communities, female-identifying and non-binary folks, and people with disabilities.
Dump Star Media believes in the importance of equity, representation, and accessibility. We work to cultivate a more inclusive community by acknowledging the systemic problems in our world and how we may be contributing to them. We challenge elitism in this industry by reducing the barriers that prevent people from joining the filmmaking industry, which can be difficult to break into. Dump Star prioritizes accessible filmmaking by training entry-level and aspiring filmmakers through educational workshops and on-set experiences. We create work-for-trade agreements to help build relationships while cutting production expenses for both parties.
We are a woman-owned business incubated in Prototype PGH’s 2019 Women’s Work program. In addition to video production, we host live and virtual events, offer a student internship program, and are currently working on a screening series. Dump Star Media is featured in Steel This Magazine, Pittsburgh Business Times, Pittsburgh Courier, and Pittsburgh City Paper.
Our Name & Style
Dump Star Media’s name is an homage to trash filmmaking, a subgenre of B-film popularized/coined by John Waters. We often use comedy to explore American culture, making our work easier to consume than if it were told in a dramatic tone. What we’re doing feels fun and palatable, or perhaps strange and distasteful, but we are always examining our world and calling attention to the societal inconsistencies and absurdities that end up hurting our shared socio-political growth. Camp comedy is self-aware and meant to push boundaries; it’s a great tool to stimulate critical thinking in a non-confrontational manner.
We are taught to ignore what isn’t pretty, not to stare at it. Trash filmmaking challenges these notions by glorifying "otherness" in a way that calls attention to our own ignorance. We invite our audience to laugh at us while considering who is the butt of the joke and why it’s funny.
The Bigger Picture
In our filmmaking and film viewing experiences, it is clear that there is a lack of thoughtful representation on and off screen. Worse, the filmmaking industry often erases and exploits the talents and voices of marginalized groups including, but not limited to, queer and BIPOC communities, female-identifying and non-binary folks, and people with disabilities.
Dump Star Media believes in the importance of equity, representation, and accessibility. We work to cultivate a more inclusive community by acknowledging the systemic problems in our world and how we may be contributing to them. We challenge elitism in this industry by reducing the barriers that prevent people from joining the filmmaking industry, which can be difficult to break into. Dump Star prioritizes accessible filmmaking by training entry-level and aspiring filmmakers through educational workshops and on-set experiences. We create work-for-trade agreements to help build relationships while cutting production expenses for both parties.
Sources:
https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/interviews/racism-change-uk-film-industry-roundtable
https://www.nywift.org/indie-women-report-2019-behind-the-scenes-employment-of-women-in-independent-film/
https://womenandhollywood.com/resources/statistics/2018-statistics/
Institutional Racism in the Film Industry: A Multilevel Perspective. Sophie Hennekam, Jawad Syed. Equiality Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal. Emerald Publishing Limited. August 20, 2018
https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2020/jun/20/to-see-race-and-class-at-work-in-britain-just-try-a-film-set-steve-mcqueen
https://rootedinrights.org/the-ableist-lens-of-hollywood/
http://www.nyfa.edu/film-school-blog/gender-inequality-in-film-infographic-updated-in-2018/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2020/02/13/disability-movies-arent-what-they-used-to-be-thats-good/?sh=7a51fd2e5efa
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/taraji-p-henson-memoir-black-actors-hollywood-racism-diversity-brad-pitt-pay-equality-cate-blanchett-a7358761.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/movies/hollywood-separate-and-unequal.html
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/feature-film-directors-overwhelmingly-are-847331
https://www.naacp.org/campaigns/naacp-hollywood-bureau/
https://www.indiewire.com/2017/02/major-hollywood-studios-discriminated-female-directors-eeoc-1201783475/
https://hbr.org/2017/10/a-study-used-sensors-to-show-that-men-and-women-are-treated-differently-at-work
https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2015/11/12/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-hollywood-pay-gap/#25eadf5f5cf1
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/27/sexism-film-industry-stories
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbt/news/2012/04/16/11494/the-gay-and-transgender-wage-gap/
https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/interviews/racism-change-uk-film-industry-roundtable
https://www.nywift.org/indie-women-report-2019-behind-the-scenes-employment-of-women-in-independent-film/
https://womenandhollywood.com/resources/statistics/2018-statistics/
Institutional Racism in the Film Industry: A Multilevel Perspective. Sophie Hennekam, Jawad Syed. Equiality Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal. Emerald Publishing Limited. August 20, 2018
https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2020/jun/20/to-see-race-and-class-at-work-in-britain-just-try-a-film-set-steve-mcqueen
https://rootedinrights.org/the-ableist-lens-of-hollywood/
http://www.nyfa.edu/film-school-blog/gender-inequality-in-film-infographic-updated-in-2018/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2020/02/13/disability-movies-arent-what-they-used-to-be-thats-good/?sh=7a51fd2e5efa
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/taraji-p-henson-memoir-black-actors-hollywood-racism-diversity-brad-pitt-pay-equality-cate-blanchett-a7358761.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/movies/hollywood-separate-and-unequal.html
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/feature-film-directors-overwhelmingly-are-847331
https://www.naacp.org/campaigns/naacp-hollywood-bureau/
https://www.indiewire.com/2017/02/major-hollywood-studios-discriminated-female-directors-eeoc-1201783475/
https://hbr.org/2017/10/a-study-used-sensors-to-show-that-men-and-women-are-treated-differently-at-work
https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2015/11/12/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-hollywood-pay-gap/#25eadf5f5cf1
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/27/sexism-film-industry-stories
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbt/news/2012/04/16/11494/the-gay-and-transgender-wage-gap/
To reach Dump Star Media directly, please visit the contact page.