We recently connected with Julian Oyanedel Santiesteban and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Julian thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I believe life is about taking risks in order to comply with your convictions; this mentality has stuck with me since a young age and embracing uncertainty in order to achieve my goals is what has brought recognition to my career and respect for me as a person. I grew up in Chile, where the opportunities to shine doing what you love and thriving are basically non-existent. I was always a heavily intellectual kid and did outstandingly well in everything I set my mind into, which let to social pressure to study a “career of excellence”. I entered Med School, which was “the logical thing to do”, but that decision meant watching my dreams of being a rockstar and a filmmaker fade into oblivion.
Between my misery, health issues, and discontent with the life I was living, I saw myself struggling between two choices: either die or throw away the life I was suppose to live and jump into the unknown: be a musician and filmmaker. Not without life threatening events, I took the latter and I finally could become the man I wanted to be. Not taking that risk would have meant succumbing to a profitable yet miserable life or, in reality, death.
I respect people who fight for their dreams and do not care how impossible or insane they might seem, they keep pushing to achieve them; I don’t care what others think about me, because in the end I am the one who got to do the unthinkable and ended up finding success, being featured on MTV Latin America, touring the world, shooting documentaries and films, and making Music Videos with some of my childhood heroes who now see me as an equal or even a friend.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Julo, and I’m an L.A. based filmmaker, musician, actor, and artist. Since I was young, I always admired rock musicians and loved movies. Thanks to my parents, I could travel around the world and was always motivated to learn from other cultures, which gave me a broader sense of life and a rich cosmovision. Due to circumstances and social pressure I went to Med school, which I did not finish as I decided to pursue my dreams and become a professional musician and filmmaker. This decision came from my passion for music and my need to keep my memories engraved on a medium, in this case video, so I wouldn’t forget things that I held precious.
As a musician, I found success with my band Render, which includes my lifelong friend Tomás “Ratta” Valeri (drummer), and where I am the lead singer, guitarist, and main songwriter. I have recorded 2 LPs, directed 9 music videos, and toured Chile, Canada, and the U.S. We are currently on pre production for our English debut, although we have a single in English titled “Revolution Inside” that has been out for some years.
As a filmmaker, I have worked on every position known to the profession, from Runner to Line Producer. I have specialized on Music Videos, the medium I feel merges my two passions, music and film, the best. By working in the Music Video business I have done several international festivals and found major recognition as one of the most prominent professionals in the field. I have worked with various major acts such as: Black Veil Brides, Filter, Nita Strauss, Cradle Of Filth, The Winery Dogs, Graham Bonnet, In Flames, The 69 Eyes, Suicide Silence, Devil Driver, among others.
What sets me apart from other people in my field is that I’m an extremely responsible and structured professional, who always puts the quality of the product first, and I’ve been regarded as a really honest and hard working person. As a music-obsessed person, I want the fans to enjoy Music Videos that are closer to a movie rather than a school class project; bands deserve to have a visual representation of their music that gives justice to all the effort they put into their product and that fans like me will value and be fascinated with. Growing up I watched all these incredible music videos directed by geniuses like David Fincher, Spike Jonze, and “Bartholomew Cubbins” (aka for Jared Leto), and found myself trapped in this fantasy that enhanced the musical experience.
I’m proud to say that all the hard work I’ve put had paid off in many senses and if you want to work with me I’m a really easy going person, but I expect nothing less than absolute compromise and conviction in your art as i have it with mine. Half-assed doesn’t work for me, and absolutely not with me.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to use a gift, that is not to be underestimated nor taken for granted, and make a living out of it. Thanks to my work in the “creative” business I can give my family, my wife and my son, a better life and do things that can only be done “in movies”. I feel grateful everyday that I fought for this impossible dream and took this step with passion and also with commitment, knowing that I could make a difference and change my reality if I didn’t see my circumstances as an impossible, but as just a gap to overcome. I am now living in Los Angeles with my family and I have had the privilege to meet and work with the artists that I have respected since I was a kid; the boy that watched his idols on MTV is now on the other side of the screen with them.
Artistry is nurtured and needs education; I came to the U.S. to take a Master’s Degree in Film and TV Production, I graduated best of my class, and then overcame the Pandemic to find myself a work where I could utilize my skills and experience. I never surrendered and I feel the outcome of my decisions in every amazing project I work on.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that living as an artist is impossible; I set myself the goal of making a living out of my music and as a filmmaker and only achieved it because I confronted that pre-conception that was deeply rooted in my country and my social circle. You can be happy and have a profitable profession, you just have to face your fears and take the responsible decisions, the hard road, to make it work. This takes vision and intelligence, but also being able to defy your reality. I took my chances and worked my way into being a respectable professional, staying away from the vices of the industry, and focusing all my might into achieving my goals and continue growing, always moving forward. It all starts with having the right mentality and being responsible with your convictions.
I went from being the talk of the town, a fool who dropped out of med school, to being recognized as an outlier in my field, but that really doesn’t matter: never listen to others opinion on your journey, as your life is only dictated by yourself. When others change, you should not, never compromise your dreams for the tunnel vision of another.
Never let what people see as impossible dictate what is possible for you.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.renderofficial.com
• Instagram: @juloyanedel
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianoyanedel/
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/Ok6-eIWUZ2I
• Other: RendeR’s Instagram: @render_la