Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aaron Switzer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Aaron, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

One of my most recent projects is an independent short film titled Same Coin & it is meaningful to me for several reasons. It was my first opportunity to make powerful statement thru my art. It was also the first film I’ve won several awards for, not to mention I got to work on it with not only some of my closest friends but my son was our sound recordist as well so everything from start to finish meant a lot to me on this one.

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

Well to start off, my name is Aaron but most people call me “Fokus” because, as they have said “I stay so focused” when I’m on set. I am a writer, director & actor and I own my own production company called G-Street Films. The journey that let me to where I’m at in my career today, started with a major injury while on active duty in the army. Prior to my years in the army I had been involved in the music industry for many years as a DJ, producer & promoter for record labels. All of that kind of got put on the back burner when I joined the army but once I got injured I had a long road to recovery ahead of me so I decided to fill up my down time by going back to school, however, the local college I had access to didn’t have any music programs. The only creative arts programs they had were graphic design, photography & video production. So I signed up for all three. I figured I could get back into the music industry by taking photos & designing concert fliers & album covers for artists. Once the video production classes started tho, I tried my hand at shooting a music video. The moment that first video was finished I was hooked & ultimately spent many years shooting with both local & mainstream artists. A few of the more well known artists I had the pleasure of working with during this time we’re people like Sir Mix-A-Lot, Domino, Kid Sensation, Kokane & Wanz. People enjoyed my video projects because I tried very hard to NOT just do the stereotypical “cut to the beat” style music videos but instead I tried to tell an actual story with my productions & I always tried to learn something new for each project. Anything from a new camera trick or a twist in the storyline, to some new cutting edge cgi fx. It definitely kept things challenging but ultimately it was because of that that I was eventually asked to direct a feature length film for a good friend. That film was by far the most challenging project I had ever done and really checked my ego because there was so much I thought I knew, that I really had no clue about. It was those challenges though that ultimately showed me my true calling as a filmmaker. After that I went back to studying & offering to do pretty much any job on a film set so I could learn from the pros. Nothing was off limits, I’d do background extra, production assistant all the way up to 1st AC & DP on other people’s films just so I could watch how it’s really done because film sets & music video sets are worlds apart but I was hooked & determined to become a legitimate director. During this learning process I had the pleasure of working with some of my favorite actors like Michael Madsen, comedian AJ Johnson (RIP) Michael Paré. All while also writing and directing my own projects in order to hone the skills I was learning. Now I’m proud to say I’ve come far enough to have an award winning short film under my belt & a full schedule of films on the books that I’m either working on, writing for or acting in for this year & I absolutely love where things are headed for 2023.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

We were two days into shooting our own indie feature film when COVID hit & we were forced to shut the entire project down. It was a pretty large project with a large cast & crew. There was no way to continue safely. My producer & co-writer Sheldon Black & I we’re devistated at first but quickly pivoted & started studying & researching protocols for safely working during a partial pandemic lockdown. Ultimately we ended up developing an entirely new script for a short film that we could shoot with minimal crew & only three cast members. We learned how to manage a small set within safety protocols & were able to keep everyone safe the entire time & ultimately ended up with a short film that (so far) has won seven different awards. Needless to say, we’re pretty proud of that.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The main goals that drive my creative journey are that I want to create films that not only bring enjoyment to the viewers but also make my family proud & to produce some art that will allow people to remember me with a smile when I’m gone.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.g-streetfilms.com
• Instagram: @gstreetfilms
• Facebook: /G-Street Films
• Twitter: @GStreetFilms
• Youtube: /G-Street Films

Image Credits
Headshot by: David S. Hogan of Seattle Actors Photos