We were lucky to catch up with Ruby Flores recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ruby, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
When I was a kid, I was always doodling and daydreaming. I knew I wanted to do something with art but wasn’t sure what that could be. When I was in college, a friend had asked me to help him with his student film. I sketched each shot of the film, much like a comic book to visualize how the film would look. Later, when I saw the raw footage, I remember being filled with excitement, a spark ignited inside of me. The sketches I drew were now cinematic moments projected against a wall from a flickering 16mm projector. It was like magic! I loved the collaboration process and knew I wanted to be a part of this world of storytelling.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a Filipino-American Storyboard Artist & Filmmaker from Queens, NY. My focus is on Director shooting-boards for film, TV, music videos, and commercials. With over 15 years of industry experience, I have always loved fine art, filmmaking, and storytelling. I studied illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Film & Media Studies at Hunter College. After working on film and music video productions, I started storyboarding which combined my passion for drawing and my love of filmmaking. Some of my music video storyboard credits include Jill Scott, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga. My commercial storyboard clients include Nike, Cadillac, Samsung, Corona, and Google Pixel along with several Film and TV projects.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Live-action Storyboarding is a niche skill and service. I didn’t have a clear path to follow and back in the day there wasn’t the technology and resources we have today. I had to find my community and most of what I have learned has been self-taught. There was a lot of trial and error. But the many mistakes I made generated valuable new skills.
There was a point in my career when I needed to get a day job which, for many years, took me further and further away from storyboarding and filmmaking. Despite this constraint, I always made sure to carve out time for my craft. It wasn’t until the pandemic when things slowed down for everyone, and I worked remotely, I had more time to revisit storyboarding. With the help of social media and referrals from old clients, I was able to start again. This time, I was able to use the resources and technology to my advantage. I started storyboarding full time in 2022. My days are much more rewarding and fulfilling because I’m doing something I love.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
What I love the most is collaboration. Helping directors and creatives visualize their ideas and collaborating on innovative ways to visualize their narratives makes me feel like a true working artist. I feel most satisfied when everyone on a project is excited and can clearly see the finished product we all created together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rubystoryboards.com/
- Instagram: @rubystoryboards