From the halls of Lynnville-Sully to the red carpets of Hollywood, Sully native Kraig Dane is making a name for himself as he chases his dreams of acting and filmmaking.
The path to the red carpet has been “trying and difficult at times,” the actor and screenwriter admits, but a journey that has taught him much about himself, perseverance, and determination.
Dane grew up in Sully, the son of Launi Dane and the late Kevin Dane, both long-time teachers and coaches at Lynnville-Sully. Although he always loved movies and TV, Dane had limited involvement in any school theater productions. He remembers participating in the middle school play and enjoyed everything about the process, but did not pursue any drama or speech classes in high school for a variety of reasons, a decision he regrets.
After graduating from L-S in 2003, he attended Iowa State University, earning a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology in 2007. In 2008, the release of the crime/drama film “The Dark Knight” captured his attention and “pushed me over the edge to fully pursue acting and filmmaking,” said Dane.
After that monumental viewing, Dane pursued acting in Des Moines for a couple of months before making the big move to Los Angeles, a dream of his. For the last six years, Dane has made his home in LA. During that time, Dane pursued his dream and kept busy writing, reading scripts, and staying creative while working as a personal trainer for what he calls his “survival job.” In 2015, the L-S alum graduated with a masters in filmmaking from the New York Film Academy. His thesis project, a short film titled “Knotts,” earned several awards at the Wild Rose Film Festival in Des Moines earlier this year and was shown at the HollyShorts Film Festival in Hollywood in August. HollyShorts is an organization devoted to showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe and advancing the careers of filmmakers.
One of Dane’s biggest accomplishments came just recently when he landed a role in the season 12 premiere of “Criminal Minds.” The show, which aired Wednesday, Sept. 28, was Dane’s first appearance in prime time television and one of his biggest acting accomplishments to date. Dane remembers he got the call for the audition at 7 a.m., was at the audition by 11 a.m., and found out he was booked for the role just a few hours later. “I didn’t have a whole lot of time to prepare, but that was actually bet-ter for me, couldn’t get in my head,” said Dane. The exper-ience was memorable and Dane notes his “Criminal Minds” co-stars and the behind-the-scenes staff were “extremely friendly and a joy to work with.”
When news of Dane’s debut on the prime time television show spread, locals made sure to watch or set their DVRs for the season 12 premier of the popular show, which features an elite squad of FBI profilers analyzing the country's most twisted criminal minds. Long-time fans of the show predict Dane’s role may be recurring, but that is information the actor cannot comment on.
Currently, Dane is working on his next short film and feature screen plays. The short film is a personal story revolving around anxiety and depression. Dane hopes to get the film funded very soon so shooting can start within the next year, but said finding producers with money is a challenge. Dane’s feature is a road trip story, and he predicts he will have another draft finished in the next couple of weeks.
Among all of the acting, writing, and discovering ways to stay creative, Dane hits the gym as a personal trainer to help pay the bills and fund his dream. Having and embracing a dream, whatever it may be, is something he adamantly encourages everyone to find, and if roadblocks exist, he advises to “always push through.”
