We recently connected with Samuel Figueroa and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Samuel, thanks for joining us today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

Social media is an interesting topic because many of us have a love/hate relationship with it. There are huge advantages with social media like sharing your work, connecting with people and access to new communities and events. But it can also be very time consuming and lead to anxiety and depression when it seemingly looks like everyone is doing more than you.

During my 20s I was pursuing a career in music and spent a lot of time on social media trying to create interesting content to post. As a drummer this was very challenging and time consuming. I eventually got burnout. After seven years of seeing little progress in my music career I eventually shifted to film production. However, I made a conscious decision to not make my social media platforms a place to showcase my work. I didn’t want that constant pressure of maintaining an image that doesn’t even telling the full truth. So I hired a friend a to help me design and build a website that I could manage only when necessary.

Creating a website didn’t only make me look more professional but it also helped me separate my personal life from my professional life. It took the pressure off of being on social media all the time. Of course I post the occasional story when I’m on set, but I no longer rely on social media to move my career forward. Instead I use my social media platforms to share my hobbies, interests and people I love.

Samuel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My interest in film started early by making funny short films with my friends in middle school and stop motion films with a webcam and lego sets. Eventually I studied broadcasting and radio in high school and film production in college. But the film industry covers so many different trades and talents that it took me a long time to find my place in the industry.

After college I thought I hated filmmaking because everything I tried in school didn’t feel fulfilling or lucrative. So after college I didn’t touch film for five years. Eventually I started to dip my toes back into film production in 2018 as a PA in random commercial shoots and video productions. In 2020 I landed a gig on a movie set as an Art Assistant. This was the first time I was introduced to world of art department and production design.

Even though the film shoot was a brutal six weeks out in the desert in a remote location, I absolutely fell in love with the work. As an art assistant I got to do a little bit of everything, props, construction, set dressing, painting and creating the world these characters would live in. This lit a passion in me to become an art director and production designer. As someone who pays a lot of attention to details and loves working with my hands, art direction was the perfect place for me in the world of filmmaking. Now I get to build sets for films, TV shows, commercials, music videos, events and all sorts of interesting projects.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe three things helped me stand out in a very competitive market; humility, willingness and gratitude. I never think of myself as overqualified to do any job (as long as it’s safe) on a film set. I’m always willing to learn something new on the job even if it’s a tasks I’ve never done before. And I try my best to practice gratitude at all times. It’s easy to get stressed, exhausted and overwhelmed in film production because of the longs hours, short notices and constant changes. But I try my best to not complain and be grateful for what I get to do.

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

I really enjoyed a book called You’re A Badass At Making Money by Jen Sincero. I was broke for most of my 20s and believed that this was the reality I was going to live the rest of my life. But this book taught me that everything I need and want in life already exists, I just need to find it. This shift of perspective motivated me to do the work and go afters the things I wanted in life. Ever since I read this book in 2019 I finally started seeing big changes in my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://samueldfigueroa.com
• Instagram: sdfigueroa1990
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sammy.figueroa.10
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel1990figueroa/