We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Frankie Garcés. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Frankie below.
Frankie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.
In a world where storytelling holds the power to foster empathy and inclusivity, Good Omen Pictures stands as a beacon of change. The film production company, led by CEO & Founder Frankie Garcés, is more than just a cinematic venture; it’s a community of storytellers with a profound mission. Frankie Garcés, speaking about their mission, emphasized, “At Good Omen Pictures, we are more than just a film production company; we are a community of storytellers with a shared mission to create a more empathetic and inclusive world.”
At the heart of Good Omen Pictures’ mission is their “Personal Legends” branch, a unique initiative that aims to empower individuals and organizations in their pursuit of significant goals. “Personal Legends are our way of giving back to the world by assisting individuals or organizations in achieving their most significant goals,” said Frankie Garcés. “We believe that every person on Earth has a Greater Purpose, and it’s our privilege to help them along their journey.”
The latest Personal Legend undertaken by Good Omen Pictures is a collaboration with the Pico Youth & Family Center (PYFC), a twenty-one-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to equipping underserved youth with leadership and advocacy skills. Frankie Garcés explained, “We teamed up with local leaders, film mentors, and non-profit experts towards helping the PYFC fulfill this Legend.”
This transformative journey began with the creation of “En La Arena,” a poignant short film that serves as a love-letter to the Westside. The film chronicles the story of two First-Generation Latino-Americans striving to follow their artistic dreams while navigating cultural expectations and traditional norms. “En La Arena” not only reflects the identity of the youth at PYFC but also encapsulates over three decades of history, from the 1980s to the early 2000s. Frankie Garcés added, “In the film, you see time-lapsed gentrification, the tough journey of first-generation immigrants, with the central theme being love and support between locals.”
As “En La Arena” embarked on its journey through the Festival Circuit (winning the Cesar Chavez Civic Impact Award at the Micheaux Film Festival), Good Omen Pictures set out to establish the PYFC Film Fellowship Summer Conservatory. This three-month film academy course brought industry veterans like Jeannette Godoy, d.g.a, Greg Brooks, and Jordan Brady to educate students on the technical and practical aspects of film production. “Our goal was to provide students with credit and experience to build up their portfolios, and be prepared to have their careers jump started, through education, access to industry grade equipment, and a thesis film that could rival that of a 4 year University” said Frankie Garcés. “All of this, completely free of charge to the students.”
The program’s culmination set the stage for PYFC’s evolution. With the guidance of Darin Radcliff, the PYFC’s Digital Creative Director, the “Pico Digital” program emerged. This paid-internship initiative offers on and off-site job training in event and film production while emphasizing financial literacy and sustainability through artistic endeavors. “They have around 25 paid interns working on large-scale projects, from music videos to podcast shows, even traveling to places like the United Kingdom and the Dominican Republic for productions,” noted Frankie Garcés.
This endeavor marks the most significant Personal Legend undertaken by Good Omen Pictures to date. Frankie Garcés expressed gratitude towards his team, the PYFC staff, and the dedicated youth who have tirelessly committed their time and energy to bring about these transformative changes. “We hope to stay close to our found family and provide further support in transforming their digital presence to match their operational and program changes into the new year and beyond.”
For those interested in supporting this impactful journey, the Pico Youth & Family Center is currently accepting sponsorship commitments for their upcoming program year. The celebration of this remarkable evolution will culminate at the 21st Gala Awards Ceremony in Santa Monica on December 2nd.
In the words of Frankie Garcés, “At Good Omen Pictures, we believe in the power of storytelling to change lives, and our collaboration with the Pico Youth & Family Center is a testament to our commitment to making the world a more empathetic and inclusive place.”
Contact Information:
Good Omen Pictures: www.GoodOmenPictures.com
Pico Youth & Family Center: www.PicoYouth.org
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 Good Omen Pictures and give our readers some of your background and context?
About Good Omen Pictures:
At Good Omen Pictures, we’re more than just a film production company; we are storytellers on a mission to create a more empathetic and inclusive world through impactful narratives and empowering individuals and communities.
Our Journey:
Our journey into the world of film and storytelling began with a profound belief that everyone has a Greater Purpose in life. This belief led us to establish Good Omen Pictures, where we blend creativity with purpose to make a positive impact on the world.
What We Do:
We offer a diverse range of services and creative works that encompass both narrative and branded story projects. From crafting compelling stories for our fans and for clients across various industries to fulfilling our Personal Legends initiative, we are dedicated to creating narratives that matter.
Problems We Solve:
For our clients, we solve the challenge of effectively conveying their message, vision, and values to their audience. We help businesses, brands, and organizations connect authentically with their communities and customers through the power of storytelling.
What Sets Us Apart:
What truly sets us apart is our unwavering commitment to authenticity, diversity, and inclusivity. We believe in dynamic storytelling that respects these principles, ensuring that our narratives are not just stories but reflections of our diverse world. This extends towards the way we work production too; by including diverse perspectives and experiences from our team, we make community an essential part of how we tell stories.
What We’re Proud Of:
We take immense pride in our Personal Legends initiative, where we assist individuals and organizations in achieving their most significant goals. Whether it’s helping someone start their own business or empowering a young filmmaker, these endeavors define our purpose.
What We Want You to Know:
For potential clients, followers, and fans, we want you to know that Good Omen Pictures is more than a company; it’s a movement. We invite you to join us on this journey of creating stories that matter, stories that inspire change, and stories that make the world a more empathetic and inclusive place.
Thank you for your interest in our brand and work, and we look forward to connecting with you on this extraordinary adventure.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Excuse the pun, but I think doing Good is Good for business. A lot of the current and previous clientele we’ve had the honor of partnering with have been through referrals. Often, we have to say no to potential projects because we’re in the middle of focusing on our current initiative, or maybe the timing isn’t right. We’re very selective about who we do business with because we’re aiming to be conscientious about what we’re putting out there.
Our clients typically find us through our commitment to building community. One remarkable example is a national commercial project that originated as a regional campaign. This opportunity was graciously passed on to us by our current Personal Legend, the Pico Youth & Family Center. Their sponsor sought effective ways to convey vital messages to their audience, and our friend, Alex Aldana, recommended a meeting with us, leading to the remarkable project’s fruition.
We prioritize clients who share our passion and care deeply about their objectives. When we encounter businesses genuinely eager to scale, innovate, or solve persistent challenges, it sparks our enthusiasm. We view our work as guiding narratives toward measurable impact, a process akin to directing our audience to pivotal moments in our films and series.
Our approach is marked by understanding, listening, and innovation. Finding the right path to a project or client solution often unfolds organically. We invest time in research, immerse ourselves in the story, and craft dynamic methods to convey our intentions to our audiences.”
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
My path has taken some unexpected turns from my early days as an actor. Back then, I was mostly in front of the camera or on stage, performing my heart out. But the shift into directing and producing? Well, that came out of the blue.
You see, I have these childhood buddies, Miles, Aidan, and Sean, and they formed a pretty cool band called CASSOWARY. They landed a deal with the Fat Possum Record Label, and they needed a music video to boost their debut album. And guess who they turned to for help? Yours truly. With a tight budget, a concept, and just a week to pull it off, we had our work cut out for us. Musicians, I tell you, they have a knack for last-minute stuff.
I hustled, called up a cinematographer I knew, drew up a quick storyboard, and, with my trusty aunt and friends, we raced over to Oceano Dunes and shot the whole video in a crazy six-hour frenzy. We practically lived in the editing room as the deadline loomed. My motivation? Helping out my friends. The record label loved the video so much that they asked me to do two more for the band’s second album. ‘Belt Notch!’ made waves, getting featured in The Fader, Hypebeast Music, and a bunch of other big music publications. That’s when it all began.
Being an actor of color, I often felt the roles I auditioned for were just too one-dimensional. So, during the pandemic, I came up with ‘Nose Deep,’ our first narrative project. My partners, Elijah and Mark, joined me on this wild ride. We brought together an awesome team and created a hilarious murder mystery, with tons of help from our community. We even got nominated for best writing, best picture, and best actor (that’s me, by the way).
And from there, it’s been a rollercoaster. More music videos and narrative projects that just keep making their mark.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.GoodOmenPictures.com
- Instagram: @GoodOmenPictures
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamfrankiegarces/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankiegarces
- Other: @iamfrankiegarces @pyfcsantamonica @nosedeepfilm @enlaarenafilm
Image Credits
GoodOmenPictures James Black JoshQuintero