We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sergio Hodar Pla. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sergio below.
Sergio, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
For me, being a creative is all about taking risks at every turn.
When I was 18, finishing High-School, I still didn’t know what to do with my future. I remember wanting to be an engineer all of my childhood, to mimic my Dad. And for me that was the easy path (even though it is not easy at all), it just meant a more secure life that followed the system I had been taught all my life: Study for something, test yourself, someone chooses you, you work your way up and eventually, after years of work you “make it” by having a better job each time.
But I asked myself If I could have that dream life, the one where you’re eventually successful, as a guarantee, would I take it? The answer was no. Because that life, for me, had no journey; I could imagine the future. And what is a story you can predict? A boring story. I didn’t want my life to be boring, I told myself at the time.
That change in thought process turned out to be right. I decided to take the risk and study Film, something that many would say is a waste of money (which in some cases, yes). I studied, got into the best school in my country, spent four amazing years learning this new world of artistic and creative passion, and finally graduated as the top of my class.
Furthermore, I then took another risk in moving to the U.S. to keep studying, because I wanted to really make sure I was learning properly, that I was prepared to give it my all, and again, it has greatly enhanced my ability to create and grow in this world. There is risk at every moment of an artists’ life, be it not getting enough work to pay your bills, or no one believing in your creative vision. Despite all the setbacks one must learn to live with this risk and play with it, learn how to make it part of the process, because without risk I wouldn’t be where I am today, without risk I wouldn’t feel like myself. The risk is what put me here, the trying, trusting my gut and trying to make sense of it all. It doesn’t happen by itself, we have to choose ourselves, and when we do, the path appears forward, it may take long, and when we’re on that road, the risk now is not whether we are on the right path, but whether we are strong enough to continue forward.
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’m Sergio Hödar, a director, producer, and editor based in Los Angeles. My journey to this point wasn’t conventional, I came to the industry slowly, started in Chile, moved to LA, and now I’m hustling every day to get my work seen and build something real. Been working as a freelance filmmaker, wearing all sorts of hats, and I wouldn’t change it for anything,
I solve problems on the creative side of things. People come to me knowing they have something; an idea; a message; a song; but they don’t know how to make it compelling. How do you make something stand out? How do you transform it into something bigger, something that actually connects with people? That’s what I figure out. I know how to structure a narrative, how to capture the essence of what someone’s trying to communicate, and how to turn that into something people actually want to watch or listen to.
I collaborate with artists, other filmmakers, and creatives who are on their own journeys. Furthermore, I’m always looking to transform things and strive forward. What really sets me apart is my commitment, if someone’s with me all the way, I’m with them all the way. I don’t just execute projects. I get invested. I move intentionally. Not only that, but I care about the outcome because I understand what it’s like to be building something from scratch, to have a vision and need someone who actually gets it and can help you bring it to life.
I want potential clients and collaborators to understand that I’m a bridge. Working with me means you’re going on a different but exciting creative journey together. Whether it’s an artist looking to establish their creative identity, a creator wanting to elevate their content, or a brand wanting something that actually resonates, I’ll be the one who figures out how to make that happen, and I will. If you’re serious about your vision, and you want someone who’s going to be there with you, pushing forward and transforming things along the way, that’s me.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, is waking up every day and realizing my work makes me dream. I’ve always been dreamy, on my head, with a lost gaze, thinking about whatever came up on my mind. I was always fascinated with what I didn’t know, but not history, or just facts, things that were impossible to know; like, how does an alien civilization look like; or how does the inside of my mind really work (on the spiritual side).
These thoughts are what drove me to understand, art is the medium to the truly unknown and I strive to be the bridge to that. It might take years, but each work, each creation, gets me closer to being in tune with our humanity, because art at the end of the day aims to evoke and to paint a spiritual image in our heart. And I want to paint them all.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
When I got to Los Angeles, I had just a few friends I could rely on. I wasn’t very good at collaborating with people, despite filmmaking being all about it. One of them introduced me to another guy, a music producer who happened to be working with him. At the beginning we didn’t work together, I did filmmaking, and he did music, I didn’t think about it, we couldn’t be more far apart. But a year into it, I saw him filming some (pretty low budget) music videos, and realized he needed a bit of help with them, and of course, I needed the work too. So I helped him out with the creative and technical side, while he made the music and provided a platform. That was one of the first times I was glad to work with someone, where it made sense, we were different, but at the same time complemented each other’s work., we understood one another. Then we realized we were the pieces the other needed to take the next step in our careers, and have been working together ever since. Any project we get, we figure out how to tackle as a team, something I always struggled with before, now is simple, just needed to meet the right people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sergiohodar.com
- Instagram: @sergiostories
Image Credits
Sergio Hodar, Leon Paul Holm