We recently connected with Jeremy Reyes and have shared our conversation below.

Jeremy , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

For close to ten years I was stuck behind a desk climbing the corporate ladder. Fresh out of school I landed my first “Real” job as an adult. Growing up within a Southeast Asian family (Filipino) it is expected that you work in the medical field. I went against the grain and decided to work in Information Technology. Finding a happy medium in a field that is ever-changing I dedicated a great deal of energy chasing the dollar with the enjoyment of constantly learning something new everyday. Cash really did rule everything around me. In my early 20s I moved out of my parents house, purchased a new car, built my credit, went on vacations, and bought whatever I wanted – all on my own. I felt as though I needed to prove to myself that I really can be independent.

With this passion to learn and excel, I was able to land some truly incredible jobs for multi-million dollar enterprises; I was part of the App development team working at the Taco Bell Headquarters in Irvine, to building and implementing the network infrastructure of all of the 76 gas stations on the west coast. I was really proud of myself and all the work I accomplished, but I still felt a little empty inside, I wasn’t truly happy but I was happy enough to keep going.

After being in the same corporate position for 7 years it began to take a toll on me, the endless pursuit of profit – breaking your back to go “Above and Beyond” just so execs could buy their 3rd home, all nighters with a team that was under appreciated. and voicing opinions that fell upon deaf ears. As I matured within this environment I started to realize the façade behind the veil. I had it “made”in my current position, a more than ideal salary, health benefits, 401k and lastly – comfort and security – all the things that keep a normal person at bay. But there was still something missing, my soul felt like it was being diminished each time I clocked in, and the paranoia and fear that this could be my life forever started to keep me up at night. So I started looking for new opportunities.

I applied and applied and applied and was stuck in limbo, one foot out the door of a company that kept adding more and more responsibility. Eventually I landed my dream job in the entertainment industry working for a Virtual Art Department that specialized Pre-Vis VFX utilizing Unreal Engine. I had the opportunity working on set at the Manhattan Beach Studios being part of the VAD department for Mandalorian and Ahsoka as well as being able to work with many of the Lucasfilm/Disney directors. It was my first time working with creatives and being in an environment that was actually pushing the envelope when it came to the company’s mission and vision.

Going from a well established corporate machine to a startup; was definitely jarring and eye opening it took a while for me to get used to, but the unpredictability really kept me on my toes and excited me, I was so happy and thrilled to be a part of all the projects that were going on and seeing how you really didn’t need the frills or the latest and greatest technology to put out the best work possible. My time with that company definitely showed me the importance of a clear vision and a dream

Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances the studio had to shut down, resulting in the studio shutting down. Amidst the company wide layoff my junior associate who I was training for the past year suddenly passed away. Which sent me down a spiral and started to put life into perspective on how valuable our time is especially regarding work.

Unsure of what to do and to escape my depression I fell back into the job market and went through endless interviews eventually coming close to landing another epic opportunity working for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic organization. Unfortunately they decided on another candidate and it felt like maybe I should try something new.

Getting a taste of working with creatives and seeing how far passion could take you, I decided that maybe I should lean into my creative side a little more. With my new free time I decided to take a trip back to the Philippines, it would be my first time there and I really needed a distraction so I wanted to start vlogging. I purchased a camera and throughout the whole trip I barely used it. I had no idea how to use it and failed to do my due diligence.

Coming back home from the trip the uncertainty of being jobless really messed with my head, everything that I prided myself on was taken away from me. It was tough for me to accept. But then I looked at my camera and said that I needed to do something with it. So I spent hours watching tutorials on how to use it and felt that I was ready to create something.

I reached out to one of my buddies and pitched an idea for an interview. Not knowing exactly what or how to do it, I figured that the only way to figure something out is to test it in the field and once I created that piece and shared it with friends. The opportunities started to come in for me and I was able to find a purpose again.

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’ve always wanted to be a videographer when I was younger I was mesmerized watching music videos on the box and I think MTV’s Making the Video really took a hold on me at a young age, eventually I graduated to skate and snowboard videos. I just remember feeling connected to skate videos because that was the first time I was able to see athletes that looked like me brown and Asian. As I got older my interests changed and I decided to pursue a different path. But I always knew there was something in cinema and visual story telling that makes me truly happy.

Fast-forward to being an adult now, amidst the turmoil of losing my job I created a fun little passion project that I was working on within the realms of plant medicine and mental health, I was able to establish many great connections and friends who were heavily involved in the fight game and started to dabble a lot more with photoshop and brand design.

I originally picked up a camera with the intention of vlogging my first trip back to where my family started however I got lost in hustle of the homeland and just decided to enjoy every moment with out feeling the need to record everything. Immediately after returning home and a re-energized love for my culture, I wanted to start focusing on creating little vignettes of Filipino Americans and their story.

I reached out to a buddy of mine and shot my first short documentary on how fighting saved his life, within an instant I fell in love with shooting fight content. I had no idea what I was doing and it was my first time editing and shooting. So I stuck with what I know and tried to emulate all the documentaries I’ve watched, one of my biggest influences is Anthony Bourdain so I tried to recreate that feel within the short.

With the feedback received from friends and family, it gave me confidence that I could really pursue this as a job. I started picking up gigs working with Prevail Boxing, Venum Women and my family over at 10th planet Torrance. Things really started picking up for me when I started shooting for the Los Angeles Fire Department Boxing team which is how I landed my current position as Social Media Producer at Mission Muay Thai.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

For me self expression is the biggest thing that drives my creative journey, I think conformity is the easiest way out, especially within the video industry. We are at a very weird time right now where being a “Creative” is the furthest thing from creativity. Where at times it gets very discouraging to try and keep up with current trends, it seems like everyone wants to be unique but also wants a blueprint to be laid out for them. I personally had to take some time off from putting any work out because I was just exhausted trying to put myself in a box and constantly having to produce cookie-cutter off the shelf content. It started to feel more like labor than actual expression. I think being able to express myself authentically without boundaries is when I have the most fun and freedom to create what I want. Anybody can slow down footage and slap a lut on and call it a day. But how does that make you stand out from everything else out there.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think my favorite part of being an artist is creating things out of the ether. Taking a thought or idea and turning into something physical and seeing it come to life. Digital art is so fun because of how many different ways you can manipulate things from its original form. Whenever I find an artist I like, I love to research them and see all of their influences – getting to truly know the person behind the work and getting into their mind and listening to their insight. For some one to appreciate your perspective and personal expression it means a lot but also just having your weirdness and uniqueness be appreciated is something that resonates with me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: retina_retina_retina
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-reyes-8b8b60181/

Image Credits

Jeremy Reyes