'I feel like this is my film school' - Daniel Fee shares his journey as a content creator

Film-loving teenager Daniel Fee enjoys interviewing filmmakers, actors, comic book creators, and creators of all kinds, engaging audiences with his YouTube channel content, created in 2017.

Daniel has over 158,000 views and 2,000 followers and dreams of becoming a filmmaker soon.

'Wow, I've been doing this longer than I really imagined. I feel like an old miner now", he jokes while remembering the early stages of his YouTube channel.

Daniel told the Leitrim Observer that his passion for film started while growing up close to the deaf community in North Dublin as he is a CODA (Children of Deaf Adults).

He says that film is about connection and feels that the deaf community should be able to explore it more freely.

"Both of my parents are deaf. So, my dad used to take the train from Ballinamore to Dublin, where the only deaf school in Ireland was incorporated. So, that's why he moved from Leitrim. But we try to go up there all the time, at least once a month. I spent a month there during the summertime. Leitrim, it's absolutely beautiful", he says.

With strong connections with Leitrim, he feels the county is his second home - the young content creator always takes advantage of every opportunity to be around his grandmother from Ballinamore.

The 16-year-old film fanatic dreams of shooting his first short film with Leitrim's landscapes as background.

"I am still working on it. I think I have to make a film because I've interviewed so many filmmakers and there is nothing really stopping me. So, I think about this film every day in my head.

"I want to explore deafness in the film, working on the visual side. This is so fascinating because so much of a film is made by sound and images. I want the film to be about a Deaf farmer", he says.

His passion for filmmaking led him to start interviewing film directors from across the world. While remembering how many people he has interviewed over the years, he said: "I used to count before, but now saying off the top of my head, I think I've done 150 interviews. But maybe 200".

Daniel shared with RTÉ last Friday, September 22, his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when 'Avengers' director Joe Russo invited him to a trip to a Hollywood film set during an interview at Daniel's channel.

Daniel Fee interviewing Joe Russo in his YouTube channel

"This is the biggest interview I've had. I've been a big fan of Joe Russo; he is a great filmmaker, and I got the chance to interview him. I was so nervous. It was mad. My palms were sweaty, but he was the nicest guy ever. We talked for 40 minutes", the teenage film fanatic said.

Daniel said he could not believe it when Joe invited him to Los Angeles. "It took me a while to figure out that he was serious. I was tearing up at the end. It was terrific", he says.

He has attended film premieres, such as the Irish Film and Television Award, where he interviewed about twenty people on the red carpet. "At the end of the night, I was like 'call me Brandon Gleason'", jokes.

Recently, Daniel interviewed Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Martin McDonoghan. 

"All my interviews are special to me for different reasons. I love talking with them and sharing that experience. The questions I ask differ from what many journalists might ask.

"I love having these chats because I can get somewhere very interesting. And I try to make it as fun for the person as possible. Every time I look back at them, I feel so honoured. It is so cool", says Daniel.

The teenage film fanatic started creating content with his friend's help, Luke Downey, with the editing process, but all the setups he does himself.

Daniel says he wants to keep creating content for YouTube for as long as possible. "I want to use it as a gateway to get into filmmaking because that's how I build connections. I feel like this is my film school".

Daniel says that his dreams for the future are to keep doing interviews for his YouTube channel and explore more filmmaking opportunities.

"Something that motivated me a lot recently is the messages I have gotten from the deaf community, which has been very rewarding.

"I just do my channel for fun, but I've heard people saying how cool it is for them to get to see me do this.

"Now I am just embracing the journey, and wherever that journey takes me, I am happy to go", Daniel said.