We recently connected with Frank Juarez and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Frank thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

The story behind the company name has several stories actually. The name was conceived in England where I was studying for my Masters in acting. A classmate and I have the same birthday and we were interested in making films. He is from Switzerland and at the time I thought he could have a division in the EU and I in the US. Dreaming big! So we were coming up with names and I was thinking what do we have in common. I looked towards our birthdays which is December 14th. I started thinking about our zodiac sign (Sagittarius) and arrived at SAG/14. It has the slash to represent a date. Those three letters also include my union affiliation which is SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild) and lastly the graduate program which is GSA (Guildford School of Acting). I thought it was fitting and that is how I arrived at SAG/14 | Production Company.

Frank, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a Director of Photography and work in the film industry. The craft of working with the camera happened more deeply when I was in the UK. Another classmate of mine and I really enjoyed making short films and that is where I discovered my hidden passion for cinematography. When I returned home to NY I continued to work as a DP on all types of projects to develop my skills. When I moved to LA I found my business partner unexpectedly at IKEA when I was working there during the day. We decided to leave the store and work towards building my production company from the ground up. We have grown in the last few years and we service the Greater Los Angeles area. We focus on narrative films (feature/shorts), commercials (TV/internet), music videos and documentaries. We do all the post-production work in house which covers video editing, sound mixing, coloring etc.

Every client’s needs are different and so we always have a relaxed phone call to get to know them and what type of video they are looking for. This helps us understand how we can be of service to create a video that is unique to their vision and goal. We have a high success rate with our clients and I truly think that is because we listen to them rather than tell them what they need.

We are very proud of the different types of projects we have worked on. We have filmed an artist who plays the violin for the likes of Billie Eilish, Arianna Grande and Barbara Streisand. Not only that but a top private tour company in LA and a highly sought after Sex Therapist to name a few. What they all have in common is that they were listened to in our initial conversation and we have built beautiful relationships with them that we can call them friends.

The main take away is that we are always open to work on a variety of projects and create interesting videos that capture the attention of the viewers. We hope those that read this article will check out work and book a meeting with us. We won’t disappoint!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is all the types of people you get to meet! I have worked as an actor in plays, commercials, and TV. You meet so many people who are interesting and have incredible stories of how they got to where they got to. Now that I have my own production company I get to see it far more when I work with clients. When we get hired we are the ones who go through the process of bringing people together to create the project whether it is a film, commercial or whatever. We not only think about the crew but also the cast. We unite a collective of people who may or may not have worked together who will go on and foster their own relationships. I think that is pretty incredible and special. I think only in this type of work can you really meet people from all over the world who are giving and willing to share their stories.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

When I first moved to LA I needed a day job so I decided to work in IKEA. Over time IKEA hired new seasonal workers. I got to meet them in the carts department which was responsible for sanitizing the carts and putting them away. I didn’t really bond with many of them but one. He was kind and friendly and I saw he was alone and so I approached him. I asked him things about himself. He mentioned to me that he was from the Philippines and I thought that was cool! I told him that I was from New York and he too got excited. He had asked me what brought me here to LA and IKEA. I mentioned that I was a cinematographer and trying to work in Hollywood. I didn’t know it at the time he had rolled his eyes and thought I was just another “cinematographer” in LA. He had asked to see my work and I showed him my reel. He was impressed and bluntly asked me “What the fuck are you doing here?” That was the third time I heard that in that store. I literally repeated that question to myself internally after he said it out loud. Several weeks go by and we got to know each other more and he had encouraged me to leave the store and pursue the production company I wanted to build. He told me with confidence that he will leave as well and be my partner in building it. Ever since we left we haven’t worked for another person but for ourselves and have had continue success with the production company!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sag14.com
• Instagram: @sag14.prodco
• Other: DP/Cinematography IG: @fjuarezdp