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

August, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had started sooner?

There’s a large part of me that wishes I had started pursuing my creative career much sooner than later. I’ve had the itch to be a storyteller and make movies since I was a kid, going as far as making home movies with friends and family and learning basic editing. However, it wasn’t until college when I really discovered the love of the craft, everything it took to piece a project together, and most of all, writing proper screenplays.

I graduated college in 2014 and worked in the news for the next two years; and at this point in my life I was completely miserable in the idea that I cornered myself into a career lifestyle I wasn’t happy with and that I never pursued any of my passions. And then it was one late night in my editing bay that I saw an ad for a local horror film festival that was still looking for submissions, and I had the grand idea, “Why not try and make a movie again?”. With a lot of personal struggles going on, I can’t explain that moment and how much it just felt like a light bulb clicking on.

So by then at the age of 24, I spent money I shouldn’t have to buy my own gear, studied hours of YouTube videos on how to use a DSLR properly and directing techniques, wrote a screenplay and then shot the film. And a few months later, it indeed got into the film festival and sparked a journey that I haven’t looked back since.

I believe the only struggle of feeling like I should have started earlier is that I was too afraid to take chances and held myself to a standard I thought everyone viewed me as. I think it’s very important when you’re young enough to know what you want to go for, then you should really consider doing it. I can’t help but think if I went full force into filmmaking at let’s say 18, or even 22 when I graduated, then I would have made bigger strides thus far. In the end, I’m grateful where I am and wouldn’t change my story.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Diving into Strange Films and into this film and creative industry, I’ve always followed some principal morals and guidelines. For one, is to have fun and create content that I’ve always enjoyed consuming. If we’re not enjoying the process of what’s being made, then what’s the point of doing it?

The most important part of our brand though, is to value and appreciate the people we’ve worked and collaborated with. From actors, musicians, artists, friends, family, and fans, they are the ones that has helped us get to where we are today and should be celebrated for what they do.

We take pride in the original content and products we create (films, music, art, comics, and podcasts), and we make sure that no matter who is involved with each project, that they are recognized and heard amongst their talents and voices. With all of this said, we have a special group of people who has closely worked with us in the years (or our super fans!) called the Strange Films Family.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think the biggest disconnect with non-creatives trying to understand a creative’s point of view is the practicality of their career choices being made. There is an old tradition of conditioning each generation including my own that we need to grow up with the best education, go to college and get a degree, find a job, get married and have kids, and then retire at 65 with the “hopes” you lived a happy and prosperous life.

The reality of the situation is that most people are not given these opportunities so easily, and the ones who are, they may not ever feel fulfilled in their lives because they just defaulted to a program that was comfortable but not rewarding.

Creatives feel like their soul is being called to from an unknown direction. It’s an instinct, it’s a lifestyle, and it’s a true love. I truly believe you can have both worlds of stability, family, and career, while you have your own way of expressing your creativity, but it’s really important for us creatives to have that outlet in any shape or form, otherwise it may affect our physical and mental health.

A lot of creatives find their stride, and some will be lucky enough to find out how to make a living doing it. Either way, it’s something we need to explore for ourselves and take those risks.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

When I made the decision to pursue filmmaking, I found a video online that was clipped from one of my favorite actor’s speech he made at a college graduation.

Jim Carrey’s “Dream Up A Good Life” is so incredibly powerful, raw, and true, it spoke to me more than anything I’ve ever read or listened to. I listened to it every single day, multiple times a day. I wrote it down, I memorized it, and I believed in it. And even now, when things are tough, I’ll go back to it.

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• Other: Join our podcast every Tuesday, the Strange Films Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts https://anchor.fm/strangefilmsstudios

Image Credits
Lucas Dunn