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

Hi Yeltsin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I am mainly a Machinima Animator. Machinima is a form of filmmaking or animation that involves using Video Game engines or 3D Computer Graphics software to create animated movies or videos. Machinima is a combination of two words: “Machine” and “Cinema”. In Machinima, filmmakers typically manipulate characters, objects, and environments within a virtual world to tell a narrative or create visual arts.

While I use 3D Graphics engines to produce art and animation, I have moved to using Video Games, and their engines to produce films due to their accessibility and ease of use for storytelling with pre-made characters and settings. There is also a community aspect to Machinima in which people from around the world produce modifications which allow customization and manipulation of the media. There is also a large community of artists who distribute their work for free on the internet.

I mainly work as a digital animator but also work in traditional film/video, creative coding, projection mapping, installation, drawing, painting, sculpture, woodworking and fibers. I am an interdisciplinary artist and maker with no boundaries and always willing to learn something new.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been working on machinima for about 6 years now – integrating found footage, sound compositions,

My parents are both from El Salvador and they came to the United States in the 1970’s due to political destabilization in the area.

I was born in 1990 during the 8-bit/16-bit Era of video games: Sonic, Mario, and Zelda – I grew up in a time where home entertainment systems were more popular than the traditional arcades of the 80’s. My earliest memories of gaming was playing on Sega Genesis with my older brother and cousins trying our best to defeat aliens, cyborgs and an array of evil villains surrounding a television. It was all about practice, skill and showing off.

I really didn’t get invested in playing video games until our family purchased our first home computer: Windows 98. By then I was introduced and obsessed with MS-DOS games like DOOM, Carmageddon, and the first iteration of Grand Theft Auto. The internet was also becoming prevalent by the time I was in middle school.

I had a creative childhood – early on my parents knew that I was interested in drawing and doodling. They were supportive of my creative skills and nurtured my talents by purchasing supplies. I would play with toys but really enjoyed creating my own worlds and environments from sticks, rocks and mud.

The earliest Art education I was enrolled in was Creative Writing during high school. I had the opportunity to explore an interdisciplinary approach to creativity through writing and drawing. I was challenged to create my own narratives and vision through the use of writing. Writing has become a passion ever since. Non-fiction narratives became a focus that I have always enjoyed exploring. I like stories that are tied to history or reality – experimental journalism, personal experiences, and cultural interpretations.

I never envisioned myself as an artist until I started going to Community College. By chance I had taken an Art Appreciation course which introduced me to an array of creative subjects through the lens of art history. This inspired me to take formal art classes in which I had a series of supportive professors who helped me hone my skills and develop a painting style.

I enrolled into Otis College of Art and Design with my portfolio and had the opportunity to take a series of classes that would shape the way I make and think about contemporary art. I studied Fine Arts in the School of Painting at Otis. The curriculum was very free flowing and allowed me to explore an array of subjects besides painting. I was inspired by Digital Media through the lens of fine art. I saw it as an accessible way for artists to produce narratives that were tangible in new formats that transcended the traditional presentation of artwork.

When I graduated college I had already been introduced to the basics of filmmaking and video art. I did not have access to a studio for painting so I became invested in the virtual space to create work in the comfort of my own home. I looked deep into some of the subjects I enjoyed the most and started to work on Machinima as a hobby to produce films in which I did not have to use as many actors or film on site – Through the creation of virtual environments I was able to create narratives without limits.

I worked for a STEM enrichment program in which I worked closely with professional game designers and software developers. I learned from being in proximity to experts in their fields, and was able to apply my creativity to analogous processes. I learned how to use video editors, creative coding, and the use of video game engines to create games. I found myself staying late after work learning how to use this software to apply to my own artwork.

I am currently working as a Program Manager at a Maker Space called ReDiscover. This space encourages me to explore an array of materials and I am able to combine elements of digital media with recycled materials and wood. Much of what I currently do is inspire children to be creative with raw materials. I am able to share my passion of exploring and dissecting elements of a material to create something new which functions as an art object or serves an engineering purpose.

Whether it’s digital or physical – we’re just stacking objects and interpreting them. We’re opening up gadgets to learn how they work or we are creating things from scratch. It’s fundamentally important that we Learn how things work, how things function, and how to alter them. It’s at the core of innovation and exploration.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I tend to use social media in an unconventional way. I try to create multiple Aliases to see which one would become the most popular.

When I started uploading my work onto YouTube in 2014 under one of my aliases. After about 8 years of inconsistent video uploads – I took things seriously and I became a YouTube Partner and a Twitch Affiliate. I was initially inspired by Achievement Hunters on YouTube who would post weekly content – It was raw at the time. Gameplay with commentary: it was a fictional narrative which included elements of realism through the narrator. You were constantly pulled from the sublime and cathartic elements of video gaming by the active force of comedy and critique. It was also provided by a skilled guide who knew exactly how to win. You were directed through the narrative of a game by a seasoned tour guide.

Most of my success started when I began to post my online exploits of an interesting niche genre of gaming, “Simulation Games”. After college my interest grew in video games which simulated an array of experiences online in collaborative or competitive formats. I found that Military Simulation was an emerging style of video gaming. Military Simulation (or Milsim) is a format and genre of video games in which players simulate warfare from the mundane tasks of delivering supplies and managing logistics, to laying in a patchwork of bushes waiting to strike unsuspecting enemies – It’s fascinating to me and millions of others on the web.

I use many popular simulation games to produce machinima films for people that are interested in the subject – but also for people in the art community who are unaware of this emerging genre.

My content is promoted in three different ways: Organic Promotion: People who are simply interested in games like ARMA or SQUAD would be fans of content or modifications being produced for their community; this is my main audience. Community Promotion: I create virtual experiences for artists and video gamers alike – anyone can partake in the experiences I make. Direct Promotion: This includes posts on Instagram, Facebook, Discord, X (formally Twitter) or whatever works for you, cross pollinate as much as possible.

My advice to anyone using social media is to understand your audience and (most importantly) to understand how social media works. Algorithms are the most important feature to gain a larger audience. Be loyal to your viewers, followers and subscribers. Understand what technological trends exist – go with the flow, make new accounts, post consistently, take process shots, teach other people, do what it takes.

Also, don’t let social media drive you – it’s okay to be driven to share with your followers, but don’t create for the sake of sharing. Create for the sake of creating.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I am driven by the process of learning. It doesn’t matter what your discipline is – Keep learning, and adapting. Be willing to try new things that you might be apprehensive or even negative about. As a Painter I never respected or thought I would be interested in digital media – but as an Artist I value and respect it on a much higher plane.

As I continue to learn new things I begin to form a larger base of knowledge on which to build upon on my own. I am always challenged to practice – I have many experiences of failed works of art in which failure becomes the leading teacher of the process.

I am willing to listen to experts and learn new skills. I conduct multiple forms of research to help me understand a new medium or subject. I research professionals and established experts – I attempt to mimic their process to inform my own goals within my practice. Everyone always knows something new so it is important that I meet with people and collaborate. Communication is the best teacher.

Practice – keep your mind focused on some form of creativity. If you have writer’s block, go outside and paint instead.

My mission is to always adapt – I always have projects I don’t have time for, I have a sense that this might be a good thing for me.

Most important – I hope to inspire the next generation of artists and creatives to explore the emerging tools at their disposal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yeltsinpenado.net/
• Instagram: @TSM_TSM_
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yeltsinpenado/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSemioticMedley
• Other: https://yeltsinpenado.com