- Born
- Nickname
- Dutch
- Dutch Merrick is past President of I.A.T.S.E. Local 44, Hollywood Property Craftspersons. He served a total of 14 years on the Executive Board of his Local.
Growing up as a competitive shooter, he was a natural for his future role of Studio Armorer. His first film job was as a gun Wrangler on an ultra-low-budget feature. Over a span of 25 years, he has worked as an Armorer or Propmaster on many notable films and TV shows.
In the aftermath of the tragic death of Director of Photography Halyna Hutchins on the film set of "Rust" in the New Mexican desert, Dutch has been interviewed for the studio Armorer's perspective on the shooting on dozens of occasions by major networks including ABC, CBC, NBC, CNN, BBC & the Pacifica Radio Network.
Aside from his work in film and episodic television, Dutch Merrick has worked as a Prop Master and/or Art Director on over 500 television commercials for Directors including Michael Mann, John Frankenheimer, Samuel Bayer, Kinka Usher and including more than 250 spots with Joe Pytka.
While making a principal living as a Prop Master or Armorer in Film and Television, he dedicates his efforts to creating positive change through his own writing and directing.
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, 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 for a US presidential candidate. "The Kucinich Presidential Campaign Update" for Congressman Dennis Kucinich's 2008 Presidential Campaign ran for 17 consecutive episodes and accrued nearly 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 and improve the world around him, His projects often focus on thought provoking stories ranging from the 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 penning 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 2019, he is in production on a feature length documentary titled: "Prop Master, Inside the world of Hollywood Props". This latest project by 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.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Dutch Merrick - Dutch has received attention for authoring the appliance parody book, "Toasty's Day Out". The little-book-that-could has developed a cult following in Hollywood and has been read and enjoyed by many celebrities such as Britney Spears, Elizabeth Hurley, L.L. Cool J and Colin Farrell. While the book was self published and crafted by hand, Dutch says he never imagined the book would get as much attention as it has.- IMDb Mini Biography By: James Legoy, Director of Photography
- Prop Gun Safety: In the wake of the uproar over inadequate gun safety on the notorious "Rust" film set in New Mexico, veteran Propmaster and Armorer Dutch Merrick has created an innovative approach to making gun handling safer for crews and cast alike. Using "Total Participant Involvement", workshops held through his company Prop Gun Safety LLC engages participants in an immersive, hands-on approach to Armorer training. Focusing on working Propmasters, assistants and entertainment armorers, the program is designed to create a consistent and higher standard to the handling of Prop Guns for TV, film and theater productions. Dutch has more than 25 years experience in Film and TV as an Armorer and Propmaster. His roots as a competitive "action shooter" going back to the 1980's lead to his original entry into film. Fully certified as a firearms instructor and with nearly 15 years serving in Union leadership, Dutch is uniquely positioned to bring to the table a more effective safety training for upcoming and experienced prop gun handlers alike. Classes are held bi-weekly in the heart of LA's production circle, Burbank California. Unexpected media exposure: In the immediate aftermath of the death of Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021 with a prop gun loaded with a real bullet, Merrick was interviewed by Variety magazine to illustrate what the existing safety practices for studio armorers are. This lead to numerous televised interviews on ABC's Good Morning America, Nightline, NBC, CBS, CNN and international media broadcasts. He has been a guest lecturer at universities as Dartmouth College and University of Texas/ Austin. Dutch Merrick is regarded as one of the leading voices for improving prop gun handling safety for feature and television productions.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Dutch Merrick
- Fix it in Prep!
- Fix it in Prep!
- The role of a prop master and armorer is to create as realistic an environment as possible, so that the actor can fully immerse themselves in that world and be another person entirely. The actor acting in a role is not being themselves. They're being another person in another place and time. So we helped shape and craft that arena for them to play fully while at the same time making it safe.
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