We were lucky to catch up with Isaac Martin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Isaac thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I think everyone when they begin ‘pursuing their dreams’, in some capacity and at some point, feels the “Why am I just getting started//I wish I had done it earlier//people are ahead of me/I’m behind//etc…” guilt. And while I don’t subscribe to the “everything happens for a reason” notion by any means, in my case at least things happened when they should’ve. I began standup and learned a lot as the bar for entry is so unbelievably low – say words into a microphone at one or more people (in many cases, the crew running the show didn’t know how to operate the sound equipment and the microphone became a set piece over a tool). When I eventually got connected with folks that I could rely on, I began making films which, in many cases, require an army. I don’t spend time thinking about what ifs and and what thens, I think ‘okay, where am I now, where do I want to be, and how do I get there?”

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a Filmmaker based out of NYC, I grew up in the suburbs outside of St. Louis, MO (636, rep yo’ set).

I spent most of my middle and high-school experience frustrated that there was no real outlet in my neck of the woods to explore and study what I wanted to – films, comedy, plays, performance art, etc… I acted in plays until I got sick of being with actors and being told what to do; I transitioned to stand-up throughout college and found that I was good at producing shows; After college I moved to NYC and began looking into more tangible and rewarding media outlets as my passion for stand-up waned and discovered filmmaking.

In October of 2024 I started a production company of my own – Skware Wun Productions – and put out our first short film in January 2025, a thriller called ‘Voyeur’. Skware Wun is looking to put out a few more short films and a feature in the next 2 years.

In my day job I work as an editor, producer, and director for short form social media advertisements.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Anything Werner Herzog says regarding young filmmakers is gospel. Walter Murch’s ‘In The Blink of an Eye’ was very pivotal in my learning to edit well.

As a counter point – Avoid going down YouTube rabbit holes preaching to people about what gear to buy and ‘how to overcome _____ (writer’s block, rejection, fill in the blank)’. They make money off of you wasting your time watching their videos and keeping you in a hole, time that you could be spending making things and learning.

Figure it out yourself. Learn by doing, write within a box, shoot that box, and then figure out why it sucks and do it better next time.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Making more stuff and making each better than the last.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://isaac-martin.notion.site/homebase
• Instagram: @saccystones @skwarewun
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaac-martin-001m/