Our production company started in May 2022, when Joseph Dado, the founder, was making his first film debut Joe’s Life . Dado Productions was founded in May 2022 by filmmaker Joseph Dado during the debut of his first film, Joe’s Life. Since then, the studio has been dedicated to creating meaningful student films with a focus on growth, collaboration, and storytelling. Our mission is not only to improve with every project but also to craft experiences that resonate, both for our cast and crew during production, and for audiences who watch our films. We strive to ensure that every viewer takes away something lasting and memorable from each story we share.
Year by year
In 2022, we made our film debut with Joe’s Life, a coming-of-age drama short that was warmly received by Joseph Dado’s alumni community. Remarkably, the film was produced on a budget of $0, shot entirely on iPhones and edited on iMovie using Dado’s personal computer. Later that year, in December, we released a mini-documentary titled This Is Me, which explores identity and self-expression through the story of Cadet Becker, a close friend of Dado’s, and his experiences in the Cadets. After these two projects, we took an extended pause before returning to filmmaking the following year.
In 2023, we made our return with Mishap Station, a short film shot entirely on a Sony FX30 with an anamorphic lens, formatted exclusively for widescreen. Released that Christmas, the film received a positive reception and marked our first upload to the channel since Joe’s Life. Following this project, Joseph Dado began developing a new idea for a comedy-drama, inspired by a post he came across on Instagram.
In 2024, we made our full comeback, releasing more than four short films that spanned genres from comedy to thriller. Our first project of the year, The Split-Up, was inspired by a viral Instagram post about a split bed rental. We followed it with Sweet Cake, a 1960s-style black-and-white thriller about a girl baking a deadly cake for her boyfriend. Upon release, it became our most-viewed short at the time, reaching 500 views on opening weekend.
The studio’s biggest breakthrough came with The Forest Man, a long-developed project that went on to break records for us, surpassing 10,000 views by September. Before summer ended, we capped off the season with Chaotic Production, a lighthearted comedic skit that drew positive engagement from audiences and further expanded our growing filmography.
In 2025, we began the year with A Deceptive Dinner, a short film that broke multiple studio records. It became our second film to surpass 1,000 views and was widely regarded as one of our best projects to date. On March 14, we followed up with the release of Make ’Em Laugh!, continuing to build momentum and expand our creative range. On Christmas Day, we released another short film called “Chemical Acquaintance” which reached 1000 views in less than a week, another record for Dado Productions
