Min Dai talks producing Emmy-winning episode of PBS hit ‘Travels with Darley’

China’s Min Dai has always had a passion for filmmaking, but it wasn’t until she decided to work on her first film where she discovered her true calling. She wanted to take on many roles, so she wrote a script titled Meeting Gary and directed the film. Due to unforeseen circumstances that some may call fate, she also ended up taking on several producing responsibilities to bring the project to life. It was taking on those extra producing tasks when Dai realized she was meant to be a producer, and since that time she has never looked back.

Now, as an internationally in-demand producer, Dai has spent almost a decade doing what she does best. She has produced many award-winning and popular television series and films, including Eggman, which was a winner at the Pasadena International Film Festival 2015 and the 25^th Chicago Latino Film Festival, and the series The Switch, which has garnered millions of viewers on fashionone.com‘s 4K channel.

“I like the experience of being aware of the big picture and knowing the ins and outs of the projects. Every time you work on a new project you learn and you improve,” she said.

With a resume decorated with acclaimed projects, Dai’s highlight comes from her most recent work, producing the PBS series Travels with Darley. The show follows travel specialist and host Darley Newman as she heads to different parts of the world and explores their culture, history and cuisine.

“Darley is the most down-to-earth person I have ever met. She travels the world, introducing a great number of hidden treasures, interesting locals and learning about the place and culture through their eyes. It is extremely fun, adventurous and educational. It triggers people’s curiosity and motivates people to step out of their comfort zone,” said Dai.

Dai has been working as Post-Production Producer and Editor for Travels with Darley for the past two seasons, which included the Emmy winning episode “Dubai”. Dai feels an immense sense of pride from the show’s continued success as she plays a major role in bringing it to life. She is responsible for all of the post-production process, including creating scripts, managing edits, special effects, sound mixing, and the final delivery to networks including PBS and the Emmy submission.

In her position, Dai works closely with Newman to ensure the scripts are captivating and authentic. The show was already a success prior to joining in, but Dai aimed to modernize it. She has added her own style into creating the episodes, which included bringing her own personal flavor and making it a bit faster paced.

“I love being part of such a caring and encouraging team that I am always looking forward to working with. Darley is very open minded and encouraging of innovation and new ideas. It’s just a lovely experience working with her,” she said.

Travels with Darley airs nationally on PBS and is available to stream on Amazon Prime, Verizon Digital, Ovation TV’s JOURNY and various networks in over 85 nations. Dai is thrilled to be a part of such a successful and fun project.

Dai is currently hard at work on the upcoming season of Travel with Darley, as well as the feature film Chasing Shadows with award winning filmmaker Fabian Martin. Martin and Dai have collaborated many times over the years, including their award-winning film History Day starring actor Carl Gillard (Coach Carter, Red Eye, Inception). Be sure to keep an eye out for Chasing Shadows when it is released.

In the meantime, you can catch up on Travel with Darley to see Dai’s outstanding work.