Dutch Merrick

Aside from his work in film and episodic television, Dutch Merrick has worked as a Prop Master and/or Art Director on over 400 television commercials for Directors including Michael Mann, John Frankenheimer, Samuel Bayer, Kinka Usher and more than 250 spots with Joe Pytka. While making a principal living as a Prop Master in Film and Television, he dedicates his efforts to creating positive change through his own writing and directing efforts. In the Summer of 2006, Dutch wrote, directed and produced his first short film on the subject of gasoline and oil, titled "One Minute, the Shortest Film About Our Longest War". As his first directing opportunity, he was bolstered by scores of top-level film industry volunteers. More than 50 people had a hand in making "One Minute.." come to life. Shot on 35mm and output to High definition, the film has won Audience Choice awards for best short at the Awareness and Riverside International film festivals. Dutch produced, wrote, and directed the very first weekly YouTube news- program "The Kucinich Presidential Campaign Update" for Congressman Dennis Kucinich's 2008 Presidential Campaign. The weekly show ran for 17 consecutive episodes and collected close to half a million views during its 5 month run. Merrick's next political Directing opportunity came with the 2008 run for President by Ralph Nader. For 6 months, as a full time staffer and media Director, he led a dedicated crew of Union Film makers that cris-crossed the country creating dozens of campaign commercials & videos. Dutch has written and directed scores of videos and short films. Driven by a desire to contribute to the world around him, His projects often focus on thought provoking stories ranging from the controversial U.S. immigration debate to personal development and the human potential movement. His ingrained flair for comedy can be seen in his short videos "Carmageddon, Traffic Update" and a campaign spoof on the Presidential election "InAction Figures.." pitting Barack Obama, John McCain and Ralph Nader as toy action figures in the 2008 race. Dutch's recent efforts include authoring the first History and how-to book on Film and TV prop mastering titled: "Mastering Hollywood, One Prop at a Time." As of March of 2018, he is in production on a feature length documentary titled: "Prop Master, Inside the world of Hollywood Props". The film has an all-star cast of behind the scenes heavy hitters such as Show Runners, Peter Ocko (the Office, Boston Legal), Andrew Golder (Penn & Teller's Fool Us, director Brad Einhorn (Lodge 49, Parks & Rec) and world renowned Prop Masters such as Dennis Parrish (Patton, Gangs of NY), Bill Petrotta (Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands), Joshua Meltzer (Dexter, Growing Pains) . This latest endeavor from Dutch offers a never-before seen look at the unsung heroes of film and TV production, the Prop Masters and their invaluable role as Hollywood craftspersons.