Golden Time with Dal Wolf of Neighborhood Watch
Fantasy films, thrillers, documentaries and punk rock anthems – you’ll find it all when you browse the menu at Neighborhood Watch, the New York-based entertainment and brand content studio led by Rich Peete and Traci Carlson. Helping them lead the charge into the brand space is Managing Director and EP Dal Wolf, who joined the company in the summer of 2024, bringing with him a diverse background in everything from Cannes Lion-winning ad campaigns to the comedy chops he honed at Gifted Youth, the commercial production division of Adam McKay and Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die.
Dal built his career from the ground up, guided by a love of storytelling and a lifelong passion for film. Raised in Oklahoma and Colorado, he studied film under experimental cinema pioneer Stan Brakhage before making his way to L.A., where he began his industry journey as an office PA at a management company representing rising stars like Mark Wahlberg and Edward Norton.
From Gifted Youth he moved to Picrow as an EP, where he helped lead the company to half a dozen Cannes Lions wins for Skittles’ “Apologize the Rainbow” campaign for DDB, among many other projects. At Neighborhood Watch, Dal has led the team that’s produced work for such brands as Modelo, Angry Orchard, and Minecraft.
So how does he spend his Golden Time? Here’s what he had to tell us at The Howler.
Where do you live? What do you like best about where you live?
Dal: I live with my wife and son in the foothills of East Pasadena, nestled between Altadena and Sierra Madre. It's a quiet pocket just above the city. This past year, our neighborhood was hit by the Eaton Fire. We had to evacuate within minutes and didn’t return home for months. We have close friends who still haven’t been able to return. But there’s a kind of peace up here you don’t get elsewhere. Bears and mountain lions wander through, coyotes and deer pass at dusk, wild parrots flash overhead, and there’s an owl that keeps us company at night. That connection to nature is the magic of living here. It made returning an undeniable choice.
How’d you get into the business? And how long have you been in your current role?
Dal: Storytelling, visual and written, has always been my compass – I’ve been drawn to it since childhood. I made my way into advertising after pitching Dick Glover, then the CEO of Funny or Die, on a new revenue model/vertical that eventually evolved into Gifted Youth. It’s been a winding, rewarding road ever since. These days, I work closely with Traci and Rich – we’ve been a tight-knit team for almost two years now. It’s been an incredible partnership.
How often do you end up working on the weekend?
Dal: Weekends inevitably blend into the workweek. I like being available – to collaborate, troubleshoot, and think out loud with people. That openness probably traces back to the early days at Funny or Die, where everything was a group effort. How do we elevate the project? How do we reduce friction? I want to be helpful in those conversations, even if they land on a Saturday.
It’s a three-day weekend. How do you spend that bonus day?
Dal: In a perfect world? Great coffee to start. A night of camping somewhere in Northern California. Lunch at Sea Ranch Lodge. Swimming, maybe a film festival screening, or a cozy movie night with the family. Some sketching. And, if I’m lucky, dinner at Betsy Tyler Wells’ restaurant in Altadena to cap it off. I love stacking the day with things that bring joy. That’s the point, isn’t it?
How much time do you spend on your phone/tablet/laptop on a typical weekend?
Dal: There’s real value in putting pen to paper and working things out analog. It’s wild what rises to the surface when you step away from screens. Still, tech keeps us agile and keeps us connected. It’s a balance. Like everyone, I’m aiming for less screen time, not more.
What have you been watching lately?
Dal: “Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace,” “Magnolia,” and the new “Naked Gun.” That one had me laughing out loud – eight times, I counted. I loved the in-universe commercials our directing team, Fatal Farm, created for it and which director Akiva Schaffer ended up weaving into the film. Just hilarious stuff.
What do you listen to? What’s on your playlist?
Dal: Lately, it’s a mix of Fishmans, Bill Orcutt, some ambient chanting, and whatever my 10-year-old is feeling at the moment. Lately, that’s meant a lot of Kendrick Lamar. He’s quietly taken over my algorithm.
Best weekend live experience of the past year? What made it special?
Dal: The Oasis concert at the Rose Bowl with my wife, Lexi, stands out. There’s something about that kind of shared energy, of being in a sea of people all connected to the same sound. That communal rhythm always stays with me. We left the concert and walked through the neighborhoods of Pasadena with thousands of joyful people, which felt significant after January’s fires.
It’s Sunday night already! How do you get ready for Monday morning? What’s your night before routine?
Dal: I make a list. What needs to happen this week of what’s urgent, what’s strategic, what’s still lingering from last week. Then I start to block it out across the days, knowing full well it will shift. This work is part planning, part improv. The key is to stay flexible.
