Dallas Burgess: The Veterans Guild of America
Dallas Burgess is an Army veteran and co-founder of The Veterans Guild of America, a rapidly growing organization that empowers service members, veterans, first responders, and law-enforcement professionals to harness their discipline and experience in the film industry.
Early Service
Dallas’s military journey began shortly after 9/11. At the time, he was a music major at Auburn University and spent 6 years marching with the Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps. He later met with a recruiter, who tried to sway Dallas to join the Army band, but Dallas had bigger goals. He signed an Infantry/Airborne contract, completed his One Station Unit Training (OSUT) at Fort Benning, then went right to Airborne School.
He was first stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska, with the 1/501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, where he started his career as a mortar gunner (11C) but later became a heavy-weapons gunner as his unit readied for deployment to Afghanistan.
In late 2003, Dallas deployed to Afghanistan, working along the rugged eastern border. After returning stateside in 2004, he joined the Georgia Army National Guard, thinking the Guard would help him ease into civilian life.
“My logic being that the National Guard could be a good way to wean myself from service life,” he shares.
What he thought was a transition back to civilian life turned into a 3-year active-duty tour as a recruiter in Athens, Georgia. After having had enough of recruiting, he transitioned back into an Infantry role, serving in two more deployments as the mortars FDC Chief and working closely with small teams, Special Forces, and the Afghan National Army.
The Turning Point and Newfound Purpose
After returning and working to regain his footing in the States, Dallas made a significant pivot: he joined a private military contracting company, operating under contract with the CIA for just over 5 years. The operational tempo allowed Dallas to discover his new passion: film.
By 2016, he left contracting and committed to filmmaking full-time. He moved to Austin, Texas, worked as a Unit Production Manager, wrote scripts, and directed his first feature on a shoestring budget.
As he began his journey in the film world and worked to establish himself, Dallas silently struggled with his mental health. He made the decision to go to the VA and get help, “that was the first step toward saving myself.”
On this new path, he worked to re-root himself in newfound purpose. “I had been on the verge of taking my own life, even after having lost several brothers to the same fate. I didn’t see any other way to exist in this world. Film gave me purpose again, even through its’ incredibly difficult challenges.”
His journey with film is pure grit.
“We failed at every step. I got tired of hearing that no one would invest in a first-time feature director, so my co-writer and I wrote something that could be done on a low/no budget.”
When COVID-19 hit, his production company dissolved. Dallas made them move to Savannah, Georgia, and never stopped pursuing his passion. While working as a producer for a comedian’s podcast, running camera for American Stories TV, and shooting for Law Enforcement Today, his purpose came into focus.
He leaned into his military background, the structure, the discipline, the mission mindset, and realized there was a unique bridge between service and storytelling. And that light bulb set off his next mission.
Founding the Veterans Guild of America
In the summer of 2025, Dallas and his wife launched The Veterans Guild of America. His passion and purpose, found in the film industry, became the foundation for something truly remarkable.
Their mission is to empower military veterans, first responders, and civilians to collaborate across every aspect of film production — from writing and directing to lighting, grip, and camera.
Through hands-on training, mentorship, and co-production opportunities, we’re building a self-sustaining ecosystem where skill, discipline, and creativity thrive side by side.
Dallas explains,
“We want to position ourselves as a company that produces high-quality entertainment while also giving Veterans, former Law Enforcement, and First Responders their next mission. Their next purpose. It’s my hope that in doing so, we can make a sizable dent in Service Member suicide by helping our community feel that they have that purpose again.”
Why This Matters: Service + Art = Cultural Impact
Dallas sees a paradigm shift in entertainment, one where veterans, first responders, and disciplined individuals bring authenticity, grit, and leadership to storytelling. He argues that the qualities honed in service are perfect for making great films because filmmaking is fundamentally problem-solving, just like leading troops.
One thing he reminds us of is that “Art transcends politics and creates something timeless.”
A Lesson From General Hal Moore
Dallas shares a story from right after he enlisted and was in the delayed entry program. It’s advice he got from the great general Hal Moore.
While working as a morning manager at a gym in Auburn, AL, he was reading We Were Soldiers Once… and Young, co-written by Hal and Joseph L. Galloway. His general manager came in, noted the book, and said the author actually worked out at the gym, inviting him to come in the next morning to meet him.
“The next morning, there’s Hal, at the time, just shy of 80. He finished his jaunt on the treadmill and I was introduced to him. He learned that I was going in as an 11x and then Airborne school following that. He got serious and said he had some advice to give me.
He said, “Never lose your sense of humor.” It made absolutely zero sense to me at the time.”
Fast-forward to after a decade of serving in the Army and two deployments to Afghanistan, leading troops as an NCO, and suddenly it clicks. Our dark humor, the laughter in challenging moments, and the way we cut through tension to survive keep us steady. Not only that, but it also keeps us human.
Dallas’ Key to Resilience?
Stubbornness and Tenacity.
“I don’t like being told I can’t do something or that something can’t be done. It fuels me. But also, I love a good challenge, and there’s nothing like having a team around you that all feeds off one another to accomplish a seemingly impossible task.”
Dallas finds that 99% of filmmaking is problem-solving. And military service is no different. As an NCO, it was his job to lead and find solutions, especially under literal fire. And he approaches film with that same mindset:
“Be Tenacious and DO NOT QUIT.”
Dallas now lives in Savannah, Georgia, with his wife, where he produces The Nick Di Paolo Show and continues building The Veterans Guild of America. For veterans interested in film, whether in front of or behind the camera, this organization is creating a pathway into the industry and a community grounded in purpose.
To learn more and Dallas and The Veterans Guild of America, use the links below:
