RTA Media alum Dan Ramos stars in Netflix series ‘Phantom Pups’
RTA School of Media alumni Dan Ramos (external link) is one of the leads in Phantom Pups, a new Netflix series set to premiere at the end of the month. The series was produced and filmed in Victoria by Mark Irwin, Director of Photography (DP) of well-known films including Dumb and Dumber, Ace Ventura 2, Scream and Something About Mary.
Dan Ramos is an alum of the RTA School of Media, Class of 2008
Ramos describes the memorable experience of working with Irwin on the set of Phantom Pups.
“After my third week of shooting I decided to do some intel and see who the DP was. I finished my scene, walked over to the slate, read the names on it and mouthed “DP: Mark Irwin C.S.C. A.S.C.,” he said. “I felt comfortable acting in front of a crew of 50 people now because of him. After we wrapped the show, I flew back to L.A from Victoria, emailed Mark and sent him a link to my short films and a nice letter saying how much of an honour it was for me to be shot by him. A month later we’re having dinner, talking about working on Phantom Pups and my future goals in the entertainment industry.”
Netflix series Phantom Pups was filmed in Victoria and is set to release at the end of September
Although Ramos started off his career with comedy being his forte, he says he’s gradually trying out different genres with the most recent one being drama.
“My number one love is performing comedy live: stand-up, improv, sketch — anything that I can do to make it funny and get an immediate response. But when it comes to TV/FILM acting, I’m slowly getting into drama. As I get older, the audition roles I’ve been getting are far more grounded than before,” he said.
Last year, Ramos booked his first featured role in James Wan’s “Malignant”, where he played a Police Sketch Artist named Basco. The short films he made “After The Laughs” and “Line” both have a drama-comedy element to them as well.
Lessons from RTA School of Media
In his first year of the RTA Media program in 2004, Ramos auditioned and joined Riot: a sketch comedy show that’s written, produced and performed by RTA School of Media students. He said this experience is the one that taught him about himself, his goals and his place in the industry.
“Riot really pushed me to my limits. It was basically an eight-month long SNL-type show where for the first few months we write the sketches, pick and shoot the sketches after winter break and by May, we have four nights of comedy, students, faculty and industry gets to see a new crop of talent,” he reminisces. “I learned how to write scripts, memorize lines as if my life depended on it (which it kind of does now) and how to be a team player in a world filled with different types of creatives.”
‘Be nice to everyone:’ advice for students and new grads
As an alumni who has multiple years in the industry, Ramos provides insight for students who are looking to break into a career in film.
“For those looking to break into the industry, be nice to everyone, don’t be ‘Too Hollywood’ and don’t think about the money,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to do it all, even if you have to do it all on your own. People laughed at me my whole life, saying “Why do you tell jokes and write funny poems? Play the piano? Make silly sketch videos?” I never thought about the money. I just wanted to make things that made me happy and to be better every year honing my craft.”
Phantom Pups premieres on Netflix on September 30. To see more of Ramos’ work in comedy, visit his website (external link, opens in new window) .
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