About FOUNDER
Our founder, Matthew Temple, is a filmmaker and the father of four daughters. Working in entertainment, he was overly aware of the impact that media had on his children and was very careful with what he allowed them to consume in hopes to reduce the impact of the social constructs that they would see, and how much energy they would spend fighting their imposed gender barriers.But it wasn’t until he heard reports of what the guys in high school were saying that he realized that the gender norms imposed on these boys are just as damaging. And soon, he realized how these unfree ways of thinking and being had shaped him. So much unnecessary emotional pain, confusion in relationship, wondering “why?”. Often, not even recognizing an issue because “I’m a man, I don’t need anything. I can handle anything thrown at me -nothing is a problem.”
image of you and you daughters
poster of the recent movies
More recently, Temple produced Dragon Nest: Warrior’s Dawn, released by Universal Pictures and a series for MUM and SingularDTV with the David Lynch MFA program. He has been directing documentaries and just finished the feature documentary Girls of Summer- a Baseball Odyssey about the women and girls who play baseball today.
Temple has long stood at crossroads of art and social action– his work and passion split between telling stories and participating in the creation of new paradigms wherein new stories for the future can be created. As a storyteller, he works in Hollywood as a producer, screenwriter, and director. As a social entrepreneur, he is the founder and president of WeStrive, a 501(c)3 non-profit and is co-founder and executive director of the Wandering Reel Traveling Film Festival.
DTL! Is here to support, guide, educate, and LISTEN to men.
We live in the most exciting time to be men. We live in a time when we are being called upon to define what it means to be a human man. What we know about being a man is not ours and we didn’t come to it freely – it was given to us by our parents, society, culture and religion. No one knows what it means to be a “real man.” But our generation can (and I believe, will) change that. And maybe even abolish the idea of a “real man” (because can you be a fake one?).
Understanding ourselves as men without all the baggage that was put on us, we can not only be who we know we can be (amazing), but we can achieve our real dreams, be truly happy, and be true guides, protectors, and allies.
At DLT!, we believe that men are ready to break out of what has been called The Man Box, to break old inherited patterns, and define a new strength. But this won’t just happen. We won’t get where we need to go by doing the same things we’ve been doing for millennia. It will take engagement, commitment, and conversation. So… Dude, Let’s Talk!
When we free ourselves from the constructs that have been put upon us by others and the past, we can define what it means to be men. Men don’t need to be angry, don’t need to be tough, or be whatever version of “strong” we’ve tried to adopt. Men need to be true to themselves, breaking out of the layers of patterning and conditioning we’ve all be subjugated to.
Right now, 98% of violent crime is committed by men. Right now, men are 3.5 times more likely to commit suicide. Right now, nearly every woman in American came forward with a #metoo story. Right now, we live in a world where women must consider their physical safety at nearly all times, even in their own homes. Right now, men are unclear about what it means to be a great human AS a man. Right now, there is deep need for men to change the old paradigm of disconnectedness from self and the world and come to know and exhibit their greatness so that they are truly protectors – where no woman, and neither nature, must be afraid of men because men will, as Apollo stated, “know himself”.
If we do nothing, these problems will continue. But if we take this calling, we can create a world with men so whole, so happy and filled with purpose that they give more than they take, where no woman is afraid to walk home alone and night and where men live to their fullest potential.
At DLT!, we are committed to working with and for men, to be a part of creating a world of aware, open-minded, emotionally intelligent men, where violence is understood as a weakness.
We provide resources for men to not only be better men, but to come closer to their own humanity and find happiness through being the best they can be in all areas of their lives, including the one most overlooked – the best person possible.
Through our resources, we can help men improve their daily lives from the home and family, to the workplace, to the time with the guys.
We want to be at the forefront of a movement for a world with happier men and safer women. We are creating a new metric, that gives men the tools to be free.
