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

Theo, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I always knew I would follow an artistic career path. When I was a kid, I had a piano in my house that my sister would seldom play. When not played, I would go and improvise music on it. I would also watch films and TV shows and be in awe so much so that I would reenact parts of those movies by memory or perform the choreographies of films such as Mary Poppins. I remember being inspired by elements of cinematography from Walt Disney’s The Lion King. Growing up, I discovered the importance of portraying different personalities, and the characters of The Dark Knight or Gladiator inspired me. I have never been a numbers guy, but I worked well with artistic elements and emotions. I remember first watching movies like Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful, Wall-E, Vertigo, and Amelie. I discovered that multiple elements I loved, such as music, acting, cinematography, and so on, could have been combined to bring connection and emotions to the audience. I discovered what Sound Design for film was through my passion for music. I worked for a post-production company in Italy for seven years before continuing my studies in Los Angeles. As much as I loved sound design, after working on many projects such as feature films, TV shows, and documentaries, I needed to bring my creativity to life and explore content creation, producing, writing, and directing.

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 like to be involved in different projects in many different ways. I have a strong background in Post-Production, and it is an invaluable asset that I can provide as I know a lot about not only the sound design aspect of media but also about editing and the Post-Production process overall until distribution. Regarding music, I am interested in helping creatives with the conceptualization and production of music videos. What sets me apart is that even if I am still young, I have vast experience already, having started very young, and a very diverse background as I rediscovered myself in different roles. Some of my friends, for example, call me to be on their sets as an actor, first assistant director, camera operator, co-producer, and so on.

In Los Angeles, I started making movies with friends and other professionals. I received great feedback on my first two films, Wholeheartedly and Nyctophobic, in the form of film festival awards and selections. I am proud of Wholeheartedly for taking me to quality film festivals such as the San Francisco Short Film Festival, presented by SF IndieFest, or the Hollywood Silver Screen Festival. Nyctophobic premiered at the HorrorHaus Film Festival, screened at the Atlanta Horror Film Festival, won Best Horror Short at the Golden State Film Festival, and was a finalist at the Hollywood Horrorfest.

My latest project, Life of a Corsair, was rewarding in a different way. The web series was a work-for-hire for Santa Monica College. I pitched the marketing team the idea of portraying a live-action version of the college’s mascots to bring awareness and as a way to connect with the students, and they loved the idea. So, I created the show, wrote the episodes, and then produced the web series as the show-runner and lead actor. After exploring different genres, such as drama and horror, creating something more lighthearted and fun was refreshing. Moreover, I finally had the chance to dip my toes in the TV serial format. It was gratifying to prove myself in this format, as I hope to be more involved with TV.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Overall, following the creation of a project from concept to final product is one of the most rewarding aspects of our job. However, the real reward is the connection with people. We connect from the very early stages of conceptualization, where we bring our ideas in front of other creatives, collaborate with them, involve them as our cast and crew, and reach them with the message of our projects as they become our audience. Being an artist means exposing our heart and soul, and I respect every creative for doing that. I know how hard it is to work on personal projects, receive notes, and be judged for it. However, we are who we are and couldn’t feel alive without our creativity.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Being part of this industry, I have learned that nothing comes easy. When I wrote both Wholeheartedly and Nyctophobic, I had a lot of pushback from people close to me because they couldn’t see them as valuable scripts. However, I believed in my vision for those films and went ahead anyway. I am pleased that I did so because the movies proved to be award-winning material, allowing me to empathize and bond with other creative people in the industry. I hope that my story and my journey can be a source of inspiration for young, creative people who need to believe in their art and their skills.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theofrancocci.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theo_francocci/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/theo-francocci
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOHetolNAM4&list=PLkerlSLaeIfAW9qnpVOmXRliKPYjax6Pz
• Other: imdb.com/name/nm4989643

Image Credits
Jorge Gutierrez Billy Singleton Laian Teo Rodriguez Jack Thorpe Loren Henley Valentina Notarberardino