Today we’d like to introduce you to Cameron Martinez
Hi Cameron, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Fort Worth, TX, where I attended Aledo High School. I assumed I would grow up to be an engineer like my parents since I was always good at math and science, but as I progressed in my education, I grew to dislike the areas I excelled in. I was bored and disinterested, so after that, as with most kids, I struggled finding what it was I wanted to pursue in life. Every option felt like a “job”, and school felt grinding and uninteresting. One thing I always enjoyed though was creating stories, whether with action figures in my room or thinking of another world while throwing a ball to my dog. I had always loved movies, so I decided to try my hand at it. It was the first thing I had ever done that I truly enjoyed, other than sports. That lead me to attending Sarah Lawrence College in New York. My hero at the time, JJ Abrams, attended school there, and after researching, I realized their way of teaching was everything I was looking for. Their academic model did not have any required classes, so I was able to tailor my education to how I wanted it to be. I was able to study filmmaking and theatre, and not get bogged down with classes I wasn’t interested in. I learned how to use a camera, how to direct, light, act, produce. It was a 180-degree shift from high school. I fell in love with the art and what it could do to bring people together not just for audiences but for actors and crew. After graduating, I moved to New York City where I certainly struggled business-wise. I predominately directed and acted in theatre with many theaters being in basements of other businesses. Through this grind, I learned a ton and met wonderful people, but I didn’t see where any of this was going. I moved back to Texas during the COVID pandemic, and like everyone else, all I had were my thoughts. Where do I go from here? Do I keep pursuing this or do something else? I turned 30, hadn’t made anything in years, hadn’t done anything. Like so many 30-year-olds, I hit a crossroads. Every birthday I order about $20 worth of donuts like I did as a kid (worth $10 then). While besieged by my donuts, I had to decide, “Do I have stories worth telling?” … I looked through my notes of all the movie and play ideas I had developed over the years and thought “Yes! I do have something to say…So let’s give it one more chance.” A month later I opened my production company, Mikus Road Productions, in hopes of making consistent narrative work as well as working with local businesses in their video/marketing needs. We work predominantly with non-profits, providing affordable video content such as commercials, instructional videos, testimonials, etc. In addition, I produced and directed two short films that are in post-production with intentions of a film festival run next year. I also booked a role in Hip Pocket Theatre’s production of Big Love that ran through the month of September. After being here for the last four years, I’ve finally discovered an incredible film and theatre community where the art is the passion. In New York, it can feel like the hustle is the passion, and it’s easy to lose track of why you’re doing anything. But here, I have grown more confident in what I want to say, how to say it, and who I want to say it with.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Certainly not. There’s no clear path in the art world. I wasn’t sure what to do or how to make money. Through friends I was able to get hired on various tv productions, but they require long hours and aren’t satisfying. It’s difficult to get promoted, and you aren’t left with time to develop your own projects. My writing partner and I wrote several screenplays and stage plays where we got some interest from producers who for one reason or another eventually dropped the projects. Producing your own material can require a lot of money, so you must be very careful with what you make and why. So, I felt stuck. Then COVID shut the world down, and I think many people were able to reflect and think about where they are in their life. I think for me, coming back to Texas really helped spark my love of creating again, and finding new ways to make films and theatre on a local level rather than hustling with a million people like a school of fish.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I imagine answering “What do you do?” is difficult for many artists and creatives. We’re all storytellers in one way or another. How we tell our stories vary from person to person based on our strengths, influences, and story we’re trying to tell. I love all facets of storytelling. I wish I could paint, sculpt, write poetry, or sing. Each of those mediums tells stories in different ways, and we all have different emotional responses to them. For me, directing has always been my passion, but unlike more individual forms of artistry, directing requires working with other people and bringing a team together to tell the story you want to share. I think why I developed into a director comes from my Boy Scout days where I had leadership positions, took leadership courses, and got to watch my father lead my scout groups as Cub Master and later Scout Master. And through athletics, I was named Swim Team Captain of my high school and collegiate teams. Having these experiences as a teenager, shaped how I move about the world, shaped the stories I want to tell, and shaped how I want to make art. When I direct, I want everyone’s voices heard, whether I’m directing film or theatre. What I’m most proud of is fostering creatively satisfying environments for everyone in their department to succeed. Some projects I developed are short films like An Evening with Tony (vimeo.com/490027915), which premiered at the Fort Worth Indie Film Showcase and was nominated for best student film, and I also directed a production of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman my senior year of college. Both projects were certainly bigger than I could chew. An Evening with Tony shot over 5 days during spring break, 10 hours of shooting each day. Pretty unheard of in my classes at the time. The Pillowman I produced myself outside of the theatre department or a student organization. I bought the rights to produce the play and worked with the school to find space for us to perform. Also, unheard of in the college as far as I am aware. The following years, I was limited to directing web series episodes and one act plays, some of which I was happy with, some I wasn’t, but none of them were my stories. I also performed as an actor in predominately basements around New York City. Finally, this year I wrote, produced, and directed 2 short films that are deeply personal to me as well as acted in a wonderful play, Big Love, produced by Hip Pocket Theatre. I feel creatively blessed to have met and worked with incredibly talented artists in the DFW area, whether my films are successful in their festival runs or not, the journey making them, and the people I met along the way have given me a new creative life that I will be forever thankful for.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
First lesson: know everything. Knowing everything helps you communicate with other artists to convey what you want, if you’re a director, or helps you understand what a director wants, if you are an actor or designer. It’s a daunting task to learn as much as you can. It’s taken me over a decade to learn what I know, and there’s still so much I don’t know. Some examples are: I left the film department in college to study acting and directing actors. Our film department was great at teaching where to set up the camera, how to light the subjects, but I knew nothing about actors and their process. So, when I went to the theatre department to learn that, I found a new love, theatre directing and acting. Two things I had never done, but once I tried them, there was no turning back. I knew I had to coexist in the film and theatre worlds. After college, I continued taking acting classes where I learned clowning and Meisner and all sorts of interesting techniques. I took piano lessons to better understand music and how to convey what I want to a composer. I watched seminars of producers talk about how to get projects made and distributed. I listened to screenwriting podcasts and cinematography podcasts. Any resource I could find, I listened, took notes, and learned, and through that learning process, you may find something else you love that you had never thought about. Second lesson: be open and generous. When collaborating with other people, it’s not your way or the highway. Everyone’s voice matters whether you think it’s good or bad. Be gentle in your criticisms and boisterous in your praise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cameron-martinez.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/42cammartinez/
Image Credits
Juna Drougas
Braxton Berry
Chloe Barney, PALOMEDIA
Carll Martinez
Victoria Martinez
