We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vik Ramen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Vik, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Filmmaking is something that you learn “by doing.” A theoretical framework just won’t cut it. I learned that very early on while studying both economics and film at UCLA. Overloaded with school work, I yearned for escaping from the classroom, turning on my camera, and filming things.

During school, I had an internship at PBS that transformed how I thought about what was possible in my career. They handed me a camera, a subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud, and said, “go make something.” Every since that internship, I made it clear to myself that my time would be spent refining the craft. Producing, filming editing– over and over again. I loved it.

After I graduated from school, I had a choice to make; become an assistant or a coordinator, and work my way up Hollywood– underpaid and overworked…or give myself agency by “producing, filming, editing– over and over again.”
I decided to commit to the latter. But it wasn’t easy. No studio is going to give a newly minted graduate millions of dollars to make a movie or direct a TV show. So I had to find an alternative route.

And that’s when I discovered the power of using my skills in advertising, music videos, teaching, and more. I became a self sustainable entity– working with large brands and artists; helping make content and guide a vision. It was financially rewarding, energizing, and most importantly– I had time left over to pursue filmmaking as an independent creative. With that time, I made several short films, won awards at film festivals, and have continued the momentum of staying true to my commitment: “producing, filming, editing– over and over again.”

Vik, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was five years old when I first watched Jurassic Park. I needed to know what was going on in front of my eyes. Do dinosaurs exist? Is this a documentary? And then it hit me…this is a film.

I quickly learned that a man named Steven Spielberg had directed the film and I knew at that moment that I wanted to be a filmmaker.

That dream has given me a drive to pursue filmmaking to this day. When people are stressed out, busy, and caught up in the turmoil of life, I want to give them an escape through my films.

The thing that I’m most proud of is a viral horror short film called “Sonant.” It won several awards at film festivals, but most importantly, it gained a cult following online. Most importantly, it was entirely funded by my efforts in advertising. From the set to the team, I could not have made it happened if I was an overworked and underpaid assistant in Hollywood. It required me to be an independent entrepreneur outside of the industry, especially in the commercial world. Without that independence, I would not have had the time and money to make the film happen.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love going to film festivals and meeting all the amazing artists that make the industry operate. From makeup specialists and wardrobe designers to VFX artists and actors, there is such an incredible wealth of talent and passion– it is easily one of the reasons I love being an artist.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society can best support artists by understanding the arts themselves. In the digital world of short attention spans and a fast-paced stressful life, a lot of people forget that there are beautiful museums, films, and pieces of music that can slow life down and give it depth.

I think people should go to the cinema, live concerts, art galleries– this greater interest will help support artists and creatives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vikramen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vik_ramen/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@vik_ramen?si=1e0HHmEsVhG_u1yQ
• Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10976611/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vikramen?lang=en