Hi! I'm Andrew. I'm a 22-year-old senior at San Diego State University majoring in marketing with an emphasis in integrated marketing communications. I’m passionate about bringing visions to life through all different media, and I wanted to find a way to explore that in my studies. This major allowed me to learn about cohesive marketing strategy analytics across multiple platforms, as well as dive into some journalism courses. Post-grad, I would love to experience this as part of a larger team—whether it be through cinema production, photography, journalism, or a unique combination of them all.

I am interested in capturing notable events or time periods in a run-and-gun documentary crew kind of way. I want to travel somewhere dangerous. I want to go somewhere sweltering, or freezing, or foreign, and film something amazing. I want to capture raw emotions. Joy, tragedy, triumph, adventure. I’m not particular about the context of these displays of emotion. It could be through everyday life, music, civil unrest, or, my personal favorite, surfing. I am confident in my ability to independently capture visions and turn them into tangible works, but I am also drawn to being part of a big industry set for the opportunity to learn each role from pre- to post-production.

When it comes to shooting commercials or ads, I value different approaches—especially those that take advantage of a visually-appealing moment or a witty one. You know those commercials where it’s obvious someone on set had an Oh Shit, I Have an Idea moment, and it worked out perfectly? I want to make people feel the urge to rewind and relive something they just experienced on their screen.

Two of my favorite brands are Former & Epohke. These brands, and the people behind them, are responsible for my interest in the commercial worlds of surfing, art, and music. They are trailblazers in the combination of these worlds to portray unique emotions and visceral experiences in the marketing of high-quality products.

In my early days of brand replication, before I dove into spec work, I made a mock brand of my own. I called it static, an intentionally paradoxical name. I wanted reference to the oftentimes paralyzing fear of figuring out who you are and what you will do with your life, neither of which will happen if you remain, you know, static.

I often put pressure on myself to use every free second I have advancing my abilities in this field and figuring out my path forward. Although this is a competitive field, stillness can be just as important as action. Authenticity is everything. Regardless of the technical equipment or film quality, a piece is only as good as its storytelling. As humans, we are the sum of all the little things we do in life. Our experiences (both good and bad), jobs, hobbies, adventures, and relationships ultimately shape our realities and directly influence our ability to capture stories from different, yet relatable, perspectives.

Right now, the “stories” I tell within my spec work don’t necessarily reflect an in-depth story. I am more focused on portraying a brand’s lifestyle and cinematic quality. I know that with more time and larger-scale projects under my belt, I will get better at incorporating storytelling into an advertisement.

I am still exploring which direction I want to pursue in my career, but I find more and more that I am drawn to the idea of working with a production crew. Whether I’m one of a few people on a mobile documentary crew or a smaller contributor to a big commercial set, I find the collaboration and creativity present in these settings appealing. I am inspired by the idea of one day stepping into the role of director, where I could bring my own visions to life through storytelling and leadership.

Shooting at an event in Palm Springs, California for Tolago, a Hard Seltzer Company based in San Francisco

Veracruz de Acayo, Nicaragua

I am grateful for the many opportunities I have had to travel all over the world. This is something I aim to maintain moving forward in my career. I have visited most states in the northeast of the US, for both city exploration and outdoor ventures like snowboarding and hiking. My favorites for far are New York and Vermont. I have driven  coast to coast three times, stopping to see the sights throughout. I have a sweet spot for the mountains, having snowboarded and hiked in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and California, where I currently reside.

Internationally, I have been to Costa Rica a handful of times. In 2021, during my gap year between high school and college, I lived there for a whole month. I have also traveled to Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and Mallorca, a small island off the coast of Spain.

Gassing up in Colorado during a cross country road trip from New Jersey to California to visit and camp in Yosemite, Sequoia, and Big Sur, 2011

San Onofre, California