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

Hi Johnny, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Learning the craft of Film Directing. The question I get the most, did you go to film school? No. I learned on the job and in my transition from in front of the camera to behind. Coming from an actor’s background, I am able to communicate with actors because I’ve been in their shoes. I understand the struggles, the heartache, the prep work, the nerves, I get it all. So my directing style is very much catered to the actor and their work. I am an Actor’s Director. However, that’s not the whole job. I studied online camera gear, shots and angles, audio (oh the audio is so so important) and more but the best way to learn is grab a friend and start filming. I always preach, 2 actors, 1 scene, 1 phone. Shoot it. Practice, Practice, Practice. Study films. Study TV. Watch them with a creative eye and a students mind. Why did they use that shot? Where is the lighting coming from? See what you like, see what you don’t like and adapt it into your work. Through trial and error your filmmaker voice will start to come out. Then there’s the lesson of on set etiquette and leadership skills. Again, you learn by doing, being a good person and leading with respect. You’ll find your voice on a set and what type of Director you are. All comes with time and practice. I’m almost a decade in and I’m still learning and growing with every passing project.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into the industry at a young age as a guitarist for a rock band in Dallas, TX. Not exactly the start to a Director’s story you would imagine but I feel my time with my band was essential to my growth as an artist and storyteller. From there I began acting in my early 20s studying at some prestiges conservatories. After frustration with waiting for the phone to ring, I finally decided to make own project entitled Yoga Pants Gone Wrong. A rom-com web series. I initially did it for my acting career but quickly learned my heart skipped a beat when I was behind the camera giving direction to my actors. It was instant. However, I continued my pursuit of my acting career because, honestly, I let outside voices dictate my path instead of listening to my inner self, but my filmmaking heart kept seeping out as I continued to study, work and grow as a Director. In 2022 I finally pulled the plug and followed my heart to who I truly am, a Director. This year I’ve already booked 4 Directing jobs including a TV Pilot and a Western Short Film.

I’m proud of myself for finally shutting out the outside noise and following my own heart. As my grandmother always said to me, “Follow your heart and you will never go wrong.” The universe, God, whatever you believe in is always helping point you in the right direction. It’s up to you to shutout the noise and listen. You’ll know it and feel it when it’s right.

As a Director on sets I lead with trust and love. Positive energy ALWAYS. Your cast and crew feeds off of you and your energy. Bring happiness to a set because, after all, you’re making a movie! I’ve been on sets where the moral is low or the energy is dead and that all falls back to leadership. Setting yourself a part from the crowd is by bringing strong work ethic and a positive attitude every day to set. The project will be better and every day work out beautifully.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Of course, but living in the past will slow down your future. Take the journey one day at a time and ignore wishing you grew faster. Everything happens for a reason and at the pace it should happen. Don’t compare to others, to friends, or colleagues. Timing is different for all so pay attention to what you can do for you and work on yourself every day.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

Hahaha, This is a question out of left field, but weirdly enough I’ve made a short film called CRYpto (Cry-pto) out now on Youtube that deals with the crypto industry and NFTs. And I have a feature length film about Crypto written and ready for producing. Now, NFTs and my view…. I believe the true purpose of them will take over financial industries. The entire crypto eco-system will as we transition into web3. NFTs is ultimately just a certificate of ownership. The art and all of that is an interesting starting point but the true nature of NFTs will be revealed when car and home notes are created on the blockchain to prove ownership. Movie and concert tickets will become NFTs and so on and so forth. Anything that can prove ownership is essentially what an NFT is suppose to be. Don’t look at the art, look at the purpose. NFT = Non Fungible Token meaning something is unique and cannot be replaced. Now think of that in the way I described (house and car notes) and I think people will begin to understand why NFTs were created in the first place. Not for a Space Pig Alien in a Cowboy hat going for $100,000.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/johnnybaca
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnnybaca1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnnybaca24
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnybaca24/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@johnnybaca
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnnybaca1

Image Credits
LeAnn Oliver