Moving Forward

I have always had a love for storytelling. Whether that be from film, tv, videogames, or literature (books/comics). In elementary you would always find me at the library looking for that next R.L Stine, or Harry Potter book I hadn’t gotten to yet. Skip to being introduced to my first comic book, adding all new worlds that I could experience, not just through words but through a visual medium.
I have always been drawn to the way stories are told and how they affect people emotionally. Growing up in a low-income household with family troubles at home, these worlds were an escape from reality. So much so, I began creating videos with friends in middle school for class assignments. These videos tended to be fun goofy videos that never met the requirements for the assignment to begin with. This sparked my love for writing and directing. I came up with my own stories and wrote them down in notebooks always dreaming one day I’d be able to make them into films. Unfortunately, the reality of the time, was my parents didn’t have enough money to help both myself and my younger brother through college. I had a decision to make, go to college for my own dreams or let my brother pursue his passion.
Ultimately, my Senior year I decided to forgo attending Film School and enrolled into the local community college to pursue an education in science, my weakest subject. Challenging myself by working toward a science degree sparked my drive to overcome my weaknesses. Consequently, this led to the realization that I did not want to become a doctor. During my final year in college, I decided what I wanted to do was tell stories, more specifically tell stories in film or television. That drive that pushed me to start and finish my science degree has stayed with me as I work to grow and learn as a filmmaker. After finishing my degree, I moved to Austin to attend a local community college. This was the best decision I ever made. From day one they put the camera in my hands, let me experiment and get used to telling a story with the camera. The conversations I had with the professors daily as both a student and their TA was worth every penny going there. I learned so much not only from their advice, but from their stories of their own mistakes and tribulations in the film business. When I finally finished school and was ready to do my first project on my own, covid occurred and put my dreams on hold for almost 2 years.
I took the occasional job for a friend as their cinematographer, but my dream of being behind the camera as a director was put on hold. After finding out I would be leaving the Austin area, due to my wife’s military assignment, I quickly decided to stop letting excuses hold me back and put my dreams into full gear. I have been blessed to have met some great people over that last year who helped me bring my current film into reality. I’m excited at the prospect of working with both old and new faces on the next one.