Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Martinez.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
After high school, I toured with a mediocre band. While we weren’t on tour, I’d pick up valet shifts to pay my share of the one bedroom apartment I shared with 5 other musicians. Our drummer had a little mini dv cam and I would sort of video document our journeys and made a really crappy sort of video blog with the footage. I’d avoid sleep and instead, turn my attention to the free version of iMovie to put these things together. It was so fun but the videos were so bad. I’m afraid to re-watch them. Anyways, I also began going to a church while we were in town. They needed help with video stuff. Knowing I wasn’t good enough, I volunteered to help. I made A LOT of garbage.
Eventually, that garbage got me a job at the church. There were people there that were so crazy talented and intelligent. They easily could’ve worked anywhere else but they were there at this church and I learned so much from them. The job itself, though fun and rewarding was insane. Absolutely no life outside of work. It was like a video bootcamp. Grueling. I’m thankful for my time there. I felt like a crammed about 10 years of experience into 4. And that was enough. 4 years. After that, I got a job at a small agency called Stripes and that’s where I am currently. It’s great. Not too big. Kinda like a little family. It’s sort of a dream job. Getting to do what you love, getting decent compensation for it, being appreciated, being in an environment where they actually care about you and your time. It’s wonderful. I thought my career path would lead to something in music and in a way it has. I still make music under Honor System, and I often breakout that same skillset for film work. I’ve worked very hard but, I still have so much to learn and I’m only where I am today because of the people that invested in me. For that, I will always be grateful.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Film is insane. There’s so much that goes into it. I still feel as though I’ve only scratched the surface. Maybe not even a scratch. Probably more like a small brush. I’m constantly pushing myself to learn as much as I can so I don’t look like an idiot on set. There’s nothing worse than a director without direction or understanding of what it takes to accomplish certain things on set. It’s also a huge challenge to find your voice but an even larger challenge to keep it. Hopefully, someone has hired you because they like what you do but ultimately, it’s their voice that should come through in that piece. It’s your job to bring their vision to life best you can. Every brand/client is different. You have to grow a tough skin and you can’t take feedback personally or else you’ll just go crazy but, every now and then you find clients or brands whose vision aligns with yours perfectly. Do whatever you can to hang on to those.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I work at Stripes Agency and this is what it says on the website – “Stripes is a social advertising agency in Dallas, Texas. We write things, design stuff, create films, buy ads, and think up strategies that produce measurable outcomes for our clients. We’ve moved the needle for some of the largest, most respected organizations in the world”. I take care of the film and photo stuff. We’re shooting a lot of food and beverage as of late but I really enjoy working on music videos or something with a story to it. We made a commercial for the Texas Rangers that was a parody of Stranger Things called “Ranger Things”… get it? That stuffs fun. We’re always trying to tell some sort of story, even with stills. I guess what sets us apart is the measurable portion of the marketing. I have no idea how it works but, we’ve got some smarty pants people who do. I guess it’s kinda like, getting a billboard(in the digital world) and knowing exactly how effective it was for your brand goals. I hope I’m answering these questions adequately.
What were you like growing up?
I was kind of a weird kid. I guess I’m still kinda weird. I used to draw a lot. Star Wars stuff mostly. As a kid I remember thinking the pieces of plagiarism were flawless but after seeing them later in life, they were maybe only one or two half steps above horrible. I also thought my family was perfect but then I grew up. Things were pretty tough. Definitely lower class. Lots of fighting in the household. I came to hate life. No purpose. No direction. No future. No friends. I dunno how personal you guys wanna get with this interview but I think most of my growing up was spent wanting to fall asleep without waking up. One Wednesday night, we had a huge fight at home and I just ran away. This is something I’d done several times before only to end up back home after a week or two. I knew they would NEVER look for me at a church. I hated church. There was one maybe just two blocks from our low-income housing. I got there and saw kids like me except they seemed happy. I wanted to know what they had that I didn’t and it took me a long time to figure it out and I’m still kinda figuring it out but those people there weren’t weird or pushy. They didn’t try to scare me with threats of burning forever or guilt trip me into giving them money. They were just super cool and treated me like a human being. They cared about me and that was something I felt I was never shown at home or school. I began to see that life could be enjoyed and is worth living. I began learning instruments and playing music and found purpose. My family split up but as of today, I’m closer to them than ever. I have a dream job and wonderful friends. I was given a second chance that I didn’t deserve and I’m just trying to make sure it’s not wasted. Sorry, that got real deep but I don’t think I could answer your question about growing up without that.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1999 Bryan St
- Website: https://vimeo.com/whatihavemade
- Email: rob@stripesagency.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.anthony/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
