We recently connected with Tenaya Martinez and have shared our conversation below.
Tenaya, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I remember my mom loving photography so i grew up watching her take all of our family photos, prom pictures, graduation pictures etc, so I always kind of had an interest in photography, but I never imagined myself becoming a videographer, but Im glad I did. It all started with trying to record a simple music video for my Husband Samuel Hernandez A.K.A (Grap3z). Looking back it’s pretty cringy to watch, but I am thankful for all of my failures because without failure theres no room to learn and grow.
Knowing what I know now about the entertainment business I would have definitely started networking earlier on. Networking is a big key in this industry. You can have all the talent in the world but if you aren’t putting yourself out there and meeting new people than what are you doing? For example I was getting gigs way before I was ever in film school or even thought about going to film school. You really have to believe in yourself and your work which than comes another major key “Confidence” which I do struggle with at times because social media can make you compare yourself to others, but finding a way to snap yourself out of that negative mindset is something I wish I would’ve learned early on, yeah there might be people that you think are more talented, driven and knowledgeable at what they do, but nobody is YOU! Nobody has the same creative eye you do, you just have to find your audience, especially when it comes to videography. Your style is completely different than the person sitting next to you, so just roll with it and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
My biggest obstacle from learning more was not being able to afford going to “The Los Angeles film school” when I first moved to California in 2018. I had given up hope of ever going, so I found other ways of learning on my own and really it was just trial an error up until my husband and I met Brian Stone CEO of “1nciteoutmedia” which Im so grateful for because he has really taught us so much…from camera equipment, how to run our business, lighting, audio production etc you name it he has an answer and if he doesn’t he will find out!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Tenaya aka Tenrocz, and I direct, edit and film video content. When I first got into the film industry, I honestly wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. I think a lot of the time I just find something I like and try it out and if it doesn’t work, I move on but something about film captures my attention. The ability to control the story and the aesthetic around it all fulfills my creative needs. The design of a set and the excitement of being challenged to bring someone else’s vision come to life keeps me attached to my work. I love all the little details that help videos come to life and it pleases me to know that I am able to exceed client expectations. Video content is a beautiful form of communication in which I take pride in telling.
I’m currently on tour with hip hop artist Doll-E Girl capturing every moment on camera. I work as a freelance videographer but I also work along side fellow companies such as 1nciteout Media, Set Up Shop Records, Bow Down Clothing and U Ain’t Us Ent. I’ve filmed for acts such as Bone Thugs N Harmony, Ice Cube, Cypress Hill, Berner, NB Ridaz and many more.
My dad gave me the name Tenrocz back when I was just a teen. It stuck so I used it as my director’s name. Over 50 pieces of content later I’m working towards branding my name out to be more than just a director’s name. Tenrocz is my legacy and it’s a lifestyle. It’s about being grunge, dark, happy and brave.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
One thing that non creatives will struggle to understand is the direction in which hate and doubt will come from. Im grateful to have family and friends that will always show up with support but its not the same case for everyone. Strangers will sometimes support you more than those closest to you and thats one of the hardest parts to understand when your in the entertainment industry. People will often judge you when you tell them your goals and dreams because LA is so oversaturated with talented dreamers. They will judge you because this lifestyle is often looked at as cliche. My advice is to keep a small circle around you and keep all that negative energy away from your creativity and mindset.
How’d you meet your business partner?
My business partner and I met in Utah back in 2017. We were dated before getting into business together. Grap3z is an artist and was planning on moving back to California. We decided on making the move together in 2018. Just a few months in and we began collaborating on content. We’ve been investing in equipment and scaling up our production since then. Our goal is to run our own entertainment production company so that we can be financially free and able to provide a great life for our family and team.
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