Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Agrinzone
Hi Nick, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Ever since I was young, I always knew I’d be a filmmaker. From borrowing my father’s camera to film skits I’d force my cousins to act in to now creating my own projects as a career has truly been a full circle experience. When I was in high school, I took an introductory video production class that shaped the trajectory of my life. My teacher, Mrs. Miele, took the time to recognize my talents and for the first time I felt that this was actually something I could pursue. From there I went on to college for a few years, but ultimately found most of my success networking and connecting with other filmmakers and creatives in the industry around me. I’ve been fortunate to work with incredible people on incredible projects telling incredible stories throughout the past 5 years. My career is still building and growing, but each day I get closer and closer to the filmmaker I aspire to be.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not. Being a freelancer of any sort is the most rewarding, but can also be the most draining professions to go into. I believe being your own boss is highly over romanticized and while the benefits certainly outweigh the cons, it requires you to have focus and discipline even on the days where you feel burnt out and not inspired in the slightest. Mental health has been a struggle for me to overcome especially in relation to my art. I have days, weeks, and months where I’m on cloud nine and all of my projects feel aligned and I have other days, weeks, and months where I feel discouraged, anxious, and disconnected from what I’m creating. Financial security has been the biggest obstacle that I believe all creatives should be more transparent about. There’s been moments where I’m flourishing, and other moments where I’ve had to get a second job to support myself. Overall, the life of a filmmaker can feel all over the place and uncertain but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a writer, filmmaker, and recently turned actor who communicates stories centered around the human experience. Throughout my time, I’ve always thought deeply about the life around me and the people who inhabit it. I’ve done and am continuing to do intensive work on myself by asking myself difficult questions that I believe many shy away from because they’ve afraid of the answers they’ll find. Why do I believe certain things, do I truly think this or is this what someone else told me to think, in what ways am I a good person and in what ways am I a bad person? Placing the mirror on yourself and recognizing your flaws as a human being can be brutal, but I believe a necessity in order to grow and evolve into the person you aspire to become.
I’m most proud of pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. I recently came back from a 2 month sprint in Los Angeles staying with 20 housemates and I ended up meeting incredible people who I’m proud to call my friends. I learned so much from my time there and in general this year I’ve been a lot more open to communicating with other people who have differing viewpoints, beliefs, and perspectives to find the connection between us all. We all have a lot more in common with each other than we may recognize.
What sets me apart is my brash and painfully honest storytelling and portrayal of my characters. I don’t believe most people are all good or all bad, many on a spectrum of gray in between. While most of my stories have a somewhat clear protagonist and antagonist, I love bending the rules of how each character is perceived and showcasing the story in a way that makes the audience question what they would actually do if they were placed in a similar situation. We all want to think we’d always do the right thing, but truthfully we’re all a lot more flawed than we’d like to admit.
What does success mean to you?
I personally define success for myself by creating every day. No matter how big nor small. If I created something, I have won for the day. As I’ve grown and matured, I’ve found that success doesn’t equate to status symbols, or at least what we’re told is status, or something larger than life itself rather a contentment with where you’re at and who you’re growing into.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nickagrinzone.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickagrinzone
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/nickagrinzone
Image Credits
Main Photo: Michael Howes
Photo 1: Lawn Heartfield