We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Armand Gazarian. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Armand below.

Hi Armand, thanks for joining us today. We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Many years ago, I had met Andy Naud, the president of a visual FX company called Introvision International. At the time, Introvision was one of the most successful FX companies, providing work for high-profile movies, television shows and commercials.

I had asked Andy many times to look for an entry level position where I could get a foot in the door. I even offered to work for free for a chance to learn and be part of their operation. After months of bugging him. Andy finally offered me a position as a general assistant. I felt like I was in heaven. The multi-stage studio was constantly busy filming models and miniature sets which they would often blow up. Then the footage would be combined using a giant projector and multiple screens to allow actors to interact with the backgrounds in real time. It was pure magic!

Originally my responsibilities were limited but I took every opportunity to learn more and volunteered to help in any department I could. I would watch the main visual effects cinematographer handling most of the production at the time and would often be curious about his methods of lighting. I would wonder about alternative ways of lighting that I thought would be form effective.

One day, I asked Andy if he would give me a chance to light one of the miniature sets they were struggling with. Andy told me he would, but I’d have to do it on my own time, with no crew, AND I would have to set all the lights back to exactly how the DP had originally set them before they returned the next day. Thrilled at the opportunity, I gladly accepted the challenge. I spent the next few hours lighting the set the way I had envisioned, shot some test, then reset the lights back to the way it was originally set using markings on the floor.

The next day, Andy saw my footage and then shared it with the client. They were all thrilled with the results. The following week, I was behind the camera working as a visual fx cinematographer. This was the biggest transformative event in my career and I would not have had this opportunity had it not been because of Andy taking a risk on me and giving me the opportunity to show my work.

This led to many other, bigger opportunities as a cinematographer on major television shows.

I’ve been eternally grateful to Andy for giving me the chance to show what I can do and will always remember his kindness.

Armand, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started in the business as an assistant at New World Picture, a giant movie distribution company at the time. 2 years later, I became an editor cutting trailers and television spots. I left NWP to pursue my passion for production and visual effects and got an entry level job at a visual FX company called Introvision International. The president of the company gave me opportunities to show my work which led to me heading the production department as the Visual Effects Cinematographer.

A few years later two of the producers of the projects I was shooting FX shots for, asked me to shoot their upcoming television show “Son of the Beach” for FX Networks. After filming that for 3 seasons, I got hired as Director of Photography on other high-profile television shows including Drew Carey’s “Green Screen Show” for WB and Damon Wayans’ “The Underground” for ShowTime.

I started my own production company, Dynamic Films and began shooting commercials. This soon grew into a full-service advertising agency where we not only produced commercials but we managed the accounts and scheduled placement on local on national levels.

In addition to commercials, the company is now developing television shows and feature films slated for near future production.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

We learned how big corporations have always paid particular attention to good customer service and modeled our business after them. Providing good customer service is not always easy. It takes work. It means listening to your customers’ needs and not assuming you know what they want; It means going beyond what’s required or customary, giving their needs priority over yours and being available on their schedule no matter when that happens. It also means looking out for their interest and finding ways to always get them the best possible value. We’ve done that and continue to strive to provide exceptional customer service. And it has paid off.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

My business originally started as a production company focusing primarily on producing commercials. Then it grew into a full-service ad agency where we have been doing local and nationwide media planning and scheduling. The supplementary revenue came from producing commercials for other agency and even for outlets like the media giant Spectrum Reach which has its own in-house production department.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dynamicfilms.us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dynamicfilms/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armand-gazaian-b27a53250/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCqCTkqGkkzKI3lw85mPpS0A
• Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/dynamic-films-los-angeles-5