Filmmaker Danny Lee puts culture first
Stepping out onto the third-floor patio of Danny Lee’s office at Highland and Melrose, the first thing you’ll notice is the Tipu tree, with leaves you can almost reach out and touch, providing shade from the bright SoCal sun. Look to the left, and one can catch a glimpse of the famed Hollywood sign as its white lettering reflects the solar rays onto the city below.
Born in nearby Hancock Park, a second-generation Korean American who spent his youth listening to hip-hop while skateboarding down Melrose Ave., Lee’s identity as a filmmaker reflects the multicultural mélange of the city where he grew up.
That’s why, after a few years spent broadening his horizons in New York City, Lee returned to where he felt most at home—opening his CALICO Films office in the Hollywood Media District and constructing a home for his wife and two children literally around the corner.
“I want my kids to grow up around culture and diversity, which I feel is critical to their personal development. When it comes to my kids, I want them to grow up appreciating the beauty and essence of our city,” Lee says on why he chose to put down roots in the BID while many of his parental peers have understandably moved out to the Valley. He gets the difference, having spent his teenage years in the Pacific Palisades.
That dedication to culture is evident in Lee’s filmography. He has pointed his lens at musical heroes like Fatboy Slim, celebrity chefs Ghetto Gastro, and LGBTQ+ icon Dominique Jackson. Interested in sports? Check out Lee’s award-winning ESPN series about the dynastic football family of NFL all-pro Clay Matthews Jr. (and Sr., and III). Sneakerhead? Try Lee’s pair of in-depth documentaries unpacking the stories behind the seminal Nike Dunk and Air Max.
“It’s amazing to be able to translate my inherent passions into projects here at CALICO,” says Lee, with amazement. “But the best part about the project was getting to know Stan and his wonderful family. It was a true honor.”
Interested in both? There’s Lee’s recent effort, Who Is Stan Smith?, a feature doc about the Tennis Hall of Famer who overthrew his sport’s antiquated amateurs-only Grand Slam system and stood by long-time friend and on-court rival Arthur Ashe in battling racism before going on to revolutionize athletic endorsement deals with his cult classic Stan Smith-branded Adidas sneaker that is still being sold 50+ years later.
“It’s amazing to be able to translate my inherent passions into projects here at CALICO,” says Lee, with amazement. “But the best part about the project was getting to know Stan and his wonderful family. It was a true honor.”
The feeling was clearly mutual when Smith joined Lee on ABC News, the duo fielding questions about the doc like a champion doubles team.
A few days earlier, Smith and his wife Margie, who also plays a major role in the doc, had joined Lee and the film’s co-executive producer Camille Maratchi from LeBron James’ SpringHill Company for the film’s theatrical opening at Santa Monica’s iconic Nuart theater.
The gathering was full of industry colleagues, close friends, and Lee’s family, all there to celebrate his latest work. But it was the second such gathering in as many weeks. The previous premiere took place in CAA’s Rick Kurtzman Theater to coincide with the airing of another CALICO project, The Express Way with Dulé Hill on PBS.
The four-part series, in which Lee partnered with Hill to tell tales of the transformational power of art, finds the pair tap dancing (in Hill’s case, literally) across the country. Along the way, they meet a Latin-bluegrass duo in Appalachia.
“When it comes to my kids, I want them to grow up appreciating the beauty and essence of our city.”
The four-part series, in which Lee partnered with Hill to tell tales of the transformational power of art, finds the pair tap dancing (in Hill’s case, literally) across the country. Along the way, they meet a Latin-bluegrass duo in Appalachia, a blind painter from rural Texas, a Syrian-American singer who works with refugee children in Chicago, and an all-female troupe of Asian American senior citizens who still perform the follies shows of their youth in Downtown LA’s Chinatown.
Like Who Is Stan Smith?, The Express Way showcases Lee’s ability to closely collaborate with the stars of his productions. It also demonstrates his talent for empathetic storytelling—a skill that was even apparent in his first scripted feature, the 2018 comedy Public Disturbance, starring Mike Tyson and Bobby Lee.
And that sense of compassion isn’t just reserved for Lee’s subjects. The open floor plan of CALICO’s office is designed to encourage collaboration the same way that Lee’s open-door policy invites others to come pitch their ideas and explore what is possible.
To hear him tell it, the location is also a vital element of the CALICO magic. Lee intentionally chose the Hollywood Media District because of its position at the nexus of culture—a pipeline right into the heart of Hollywood.
Look around Lee’s office and his emphasis on moving culture forward is readily on display. Next to his desk stands a dry erase board covered with notes about current and future projects. But one’s eyes are drawn to the large painting by local street artist Axis that fills one wall. There are also shelves stacked with books—mostly about the sort of music, art, and culture that have been the cornerstone of Lee’s life for as long as he could lace up his own sneakers.
In a city built largely on imagination and artifice, Danny Lee is one BID resident who keeps it real.