Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Skye Armenta. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Skye, appreciate you joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

The story of how Gatsmenta Films came to be is actually very simple. Nick Gatsby and I met towards the end of 2020 and formed Gatsmenta Films, a mash-up of our names, by Christmas. When you are an artist, and you know that you will spend the rest of your life devoted to your art… having a partner or group of people in your corner who share the same dream and push you to become the best you can be without envy, rigidity, or conditions… You hold onto them. These people won’t always be your partner in life and in art. I just lucked out:

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Gatsmenta Films is a film production company nestled in Colorado Springs, CO created by myself, and fellow filmmaker, Nick Gatsby. At Gatsmenta, we specialize in the experimental and surreal. We’re not afraid to be bold and to push the envelope.

We create feature films, music videos, event videos, and short films. We also provide services such as editing footage, and monologue/acting lessons at a very cost-effective rate to ensure all actors are afforded the opportunity to work on their craft without it becoming a burdensome financial obligation. This aspect of our company is very important to me, as a fellow actor.

I began my acting training in high school under the mentorship of Kristy Thomas of Always Writing 4 U, where a love for acting and the stage bloomed.

I went on to study Theatre at Seminole State College under John Didonna of Phantasmagoria Orlando and then to study in the BFA Actor Training program at The University of Hartford, The Hartt School.

It was not until I left Hartford to study the Sanford Meisner acting technique in Burbank, California, did I consider pursuing a career in film.

I love to work with other actors in a relaxed and authentic way. Whenever I see growth…more openness, more vulnerability, more willingness to let go and just be…nothing beats that kind of pride and joy.

Offering acting lessons not only gives the actor freedom to pursue their passions with a knowledgeable and safe person, but it also gives me, the mentor/coach, a good sense of who may be great for our next feature film!

How’d you meet your business partner?

I saw Nick Gatsby’s micro-film entitled “Layla” at a film event called Show Us Your Shorts in Colorado Springs and it left me in complete awe. I had not seen something so wild and unique. I knew in that moment that he was someone I had to make art with. Luckily, Nick Gatsby and I have a very symbiotic way of working together that we are able to really push each other and allow ourselves to try anything.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Nick and I, when it comes to pre-production and/or production, are usually a two-person team. This can be a good thing because we know we can depend on each other to put in the work and throw our whole selves into the production.

On Gatsmenta Films sets that involve more than just the two of us, the environment is very efficient, systematic, and strategic because of the time and effort devoted to pre-production. The more stable and assured the directors are on the set, the better the acting from the actors are. Morale is kept up by taking care of each other, checking in on each other, and communicating clearly and effectively. No guess work.

When it’s just Nick and I, we can be much less structured and find that improvisation/ stream-of-conciousness techniques can yield some truly lovely results.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Facebook.com/GatsmentaFilms
• Youtube: YouTube.com/@GatsmentaFilms
• Other: [email protected]