When storytelling intersects with social impact, he finds inspiration.  Building on years as film critic and filmmaker, #Likes4Lucas is his most personal creation yet.

His passion for media started back in eighth grade when he was sidelined by illness:  he taught himself editing and began making short films.  Storytelling saved him then; entertaining an audience, exploring social issues and shifting perspectives still saves him today.

As an undergrad at Tufts University,  he taught film & TV,  both on campus and at a film school in Paris—and was awarded Tufts’ first CJ Saraceno Film Scholarship.  In 2015, after graduating cum laude, he worked in development:  for Bona Fide Productions in LA (Little Miss Sunshine, The Leftovers), Rainmark Films in London (Game of Thrones).  He then became a film critic and journalist, covering festivals all over the world.  His reviews, interviews and social analyses have been published in multiple countries;  his personal profiles include Guillermo Del Toro, Jordan Peele, JJ Abrams, Agnès Varda, Barry Jenkins and more.  In 2019, he was one of the first American critics invited to cover the “Sundance of China”—Pingyao International Film Festival—and his 2022 beginner’s guide The Art of Sundance is still the top Google result for “Sundance advice.”

But no matter how much he writes, he keeps returning to filmmaking.  From no-budget shorts to viral TikTok campaigns for clients, he produces, directs, edits (plus sometimes acts) ... and is now near completion of his own independent production, #Likes4Lucas. Fiscally sponsored by NYFA, partially funded by a grant from NYSCA, his #L4L script has been a finalist in competitions for both Drama and Comedy;  it’s also featured in Roy W. Dean’s “Hot Films in the Making.”  As with his journalism, #Likes4Lucas aims to entertain while shifting perspectives:  in this case, to help at-risk teens deal with digital addiction.

In 2023, he founded DylanKDempsey.com, an online publication titled “My Own Worst Critic.”  Featuring past and present film festival coverage, it also serves as a development/promotional platform for #Likes4Lucas.