ABOUT ME
I come from a small ranch in west Texas where I had been living throughout my childhood. It's peaceful and quiet there in the rural area, so my family and I spent a lot of time together and made fond memories that we will cherish forever. I went to a small school in the small town of Guthrie. It's a really good school because it has a small community and a friendly environment. Out of all the places in the world, not even Los Angeles or New York, this is the place where I became interested in film production.
I started making videos in technology classes when I was a sophomore in high school. The first video is my cover of the Maroon 5 song, "Daylight" in the form of a music video. My technology teacher shot the footage with a camcorder and asked me if I can edit them. But the problem at the time was that I didn't know how to edit videos, so he taught me to edit using iMovie. At that point, I started to become fascinated of making videos. Throughout the next couple of years, I made vlogs such as "How I Became Interested in Music" along with a promo, a PSA, a how-to, and a stop-motion video, "What Happens When People are Not Around in Classrooms". Right before I graduated high school, I decided that I want to keep making videos as a lifelong career. In 2015, I graduated as a valedictorian with the decision to study video production in college.
After summer, I went to South Plains College where I made a few more vlogs such as "South Plains College with Tito Contreras". This is my favorite vlog because I got to shoot around campus and invited my friends to be in the video. I had an amazing time during the shoot. My professors were so impressed of that vlog that they wanted me to show it to aspirational high school students who were interested in attending South Plains College. Not long after, the employees of the Health and Wellness Center watched it and praised it. So, they decided to ask me if I can work there as a work-study. This led me to make a PSA for them on sexual consent called "SPC Consent", which was the most mature video that I've made at the time. In 2017, I graduated with an Associate's degree in Radio, Television, and Film. I love South Plains College because the campus and the community are small like Guthrie. I made a lot of amazing friends there, including my best friend from Vietnam. My social life was finally on the rise. I felt that I was finally starting to experience something that I didn't really get in high school which is true friendship. I miss this place a lot. I feel like my heart belongs in that campus.
Later, the next significant stage of my life took place at the University of North Texas where I studied Media Arts. This is the place where I got exposed to professional equipment and developed a lot of my filmmaking skills. The first film that I made there is a one-minute experimental film called "Remembrance". This is also the first time that I worked with a crew instead of alone. In this case, I worked with one classmate. This is the first film in which its cinematography looks professional as I started using a more professional camera, a Panasonic EVA1. Next, I made a short documentary called "College Life" that became the first film in my career to be screened in a film festival, with the Reel East Texas Film Festival in particular. After that, I made more student short films such as "Happiness" and "Whoops". Finally, my college career came to a close in December 2019 as I graduated with a Bachelor's degree with the hope and optimism of working in the film industry soon.
Since then, I've been on my own pursuing my dream to become a successful filmmaker. First, I completed my indie short film and passion project, "Censored" in 2022 with a full crew. Along the way, I bought various equipment like my own Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, Atomos Shinobi 7" camera monitor, and Moza Air 2 gimbal, and I used those equipment to create a few practice videos such as "The Journey", "My Brother", "Diversity", and "R.I.P. (Redemption In Progress)". In 2023, I was fortunate enough to volunteer as a Red Carpet Videographer in the Dallas International Film Festival, and I created the recap video that was shared on their social media. Later that year, I came across a pivotal moment in my life when I got accepted to participate in the pre-apprenticeship program for Pegasus Media Project, in which I became knowledgeable about the film industry and received support and mentorship by industry professionals to find the right path for me in the industry. In early 2024, I made my recent experimental short "Curiosity", the most successful film in my career as it got accepted to four festivals and won an award in one so far! This is a significant film for me not only because of that but this is the first project that I composed music. Besides film, music is my strongest passion and I wanted to create an opportunity to start pursuing my other dream as a musician and composer, so I can bring my passion of music along with film. This program has really affected my life for the better and I am eternally grateful for the organization to give me opportunities to expand my skills and gain resources to find a right path for me. Right now, I'm starting my independent business as a freelance videographer and composer, so I can have opportunities to form relationships with clients, create videos and music for them, and have sustainable income. My ultimate goal is to have the freedom and courage to express myself in any way possible, with filmmaking and music as the resources to help me achieve that goal. I still have a long journey ahead of me. I still have a lot to learn about the industry so I can figure out how to make a positive impact on my life and everyone else around the world. Let's see what happens next. Wish me luck.
