Meet Oscar Velasquez | Creative Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Oscar Velasquez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Oscar, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?

Words of affirmation is such a great love language! It’s one that you can give to yourself, especially when you’re not feeling like your best self — these can be gentle reminders of who you are.

“The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.”

In other words, we feel the most resistance toward the things that matter most. Diving deep into understanding why there’s resistance can be used as a compass in the journey back to ourselves, letting it guide us to that calling or purpose that we should follow. Resistance in itself is what prevents us from doing our best work. The worst thing we can do is to stop once we’ve started.

“Grow through what you go through.”

As someone who was suicidal in their teens, this was and continues to be an important sentence to accept as truth. All the circumstances that we endure in our lives contribute towards helping us become the one we are today. Appreciation and connection heal us.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Storytelling is an art form that envelopes feelings. We can love or hate a movie, be brought to tears or erupt in laughter from a scene, cling to the edge of our seat by a thrilling sequence, and be left in awe of something we’ve never experienced before. Movies are magic. Ever since I understood that, I wanted to be a part of it.

As a Creative Producer, my objective is to take a concept and make it a reality. With 15 years+ of experience within animation, VFX, post-production/finishing and ad agency work, I process everything from conceptualizing ideas and assembling the right team to overseeing the project through to the finishing stages of production. I work in every aspect of the production process to make things happen. I’m known for building strong relationships and partnerships through organized project management, and being a creative and critical thinking leader in studio operations, workflows and pipeline development. I strive to cultivate the talents of my team, focused on results and able to calmly improvise and pivot quickly when necessary, and am committed to delivering content on time within budget and on brand.

There will always be challenges, and they’re unique to every project. Resistance will introduce itself in many forms: self-doubt, self-sabotage and procrastination. One of the tools that I learned to unlock is to fully confront a problem by being patient and sitting with it, creating clarity of the chaos, allowing the process to work, and challenging myself to a solution. This is where I’ve learned that only through overcoming challenges can we truly grow.

My most recent work with Billy McFarland (of FYRE festival) and his new brand isn’t released yet, so I’ll discuss the global campaign for Amazon Ads, which I’m equally proud of. Navigating clients through technical hurdles while also juggling multiple creative voices can be a difficult balance, but developing a cohesive brand campaign strategy and streamlining a collaborative direction was very rewarding, especially in the end seeing our billboard run on Times Square. Young me would be very proud.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Let’s work up an appetite with a morning hike. But first – coffee! I’m in the valley, so we’re picking up a cold brew and an almond croissant from Romancing the Bean Café. Sorry but the line at Porto’s was too long. We’re so fortunate in LA to be surrounded with great hiking spots and amazing views, but my personal favorite if you really want a workout is to start at the steep trail behind Wattles Mansion and Garden Park, continue on to Runyon Canyon, and then to West Ridge Trail. You will feel so accomplished after completing this. Next, we would reward ourselves from burning 1,000 calories with chilaquiles from Cafe De Olla or Mex Cocina Cafe, whichever has the shortest line. Ok we should definitely shower and then take a nap at this point. I’m already exhausted. This is supposed to be a week long trip? You’ve (easily) convinced me not to cook tonight, so we’ll either hit Mirabelle or drive over the hill to Pura Vita. We’ll have a nightcap (that’s 10pm for me on weekends) at Idle Hour, where I can grab a delicious mocktail.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

My partner in life Ariana Puente, who inspires me, provides a safe space, and reflects my love language. My Mom Teresa and my sister Lety Velasquez, who both raised me and instilled into my life that I am stronger than my battles.

Please hold playing me off with music. The following people shine brightly in their respective fields and in life, and I am beyond blessed to know them: Maxine Christians, Aisling Harbert-Phillips, Rushie Perera, Samantha Hernandez, Julie Ahring, Bobbie Emetu, Emma Chandler, Brianna Olenslager, Patricia Diaz, Angelina Feliciano, Astrid Gonzalez, Rosa Vargas, Angelica Vargas, Maria Raymundo, Bianca Christians, Ren Christians, Kelly Walker, Maral Khoei Sigona, Cindy-lee Marsh, Natasha Marsh, Jennifer Hendren, Claudia O’Leary, Yolanda Montes, Debbie Porcayo, Carmen Smith, Sabrina Perez, Mayra Heredia, Karla Amador, Tunisha Singleton, Dana Blumberg, Katie Fellion, Nicole Wells, Amanda Hansen, Christina Ahumada, Adriana Delgado, Amber Roberts, Nicole Zambrano, Tressa Scharf-Masid, Wednesday Standley, Sarah Webster, Lindsey Kaiser, Leila Tilghman, Alex Watson, Katie Jones, Caitlin Campbell, Andrea Stephens, Natalie Acosta-Gulyas, Skylar Stone, Sylvia Filcak, Megan Fisk, Cyla Fisk, Viviana Torrellas, Vanessa Torrellas, Alexandra Gonzalez, Margarita Ramos, Paula Marramá, Katie Hamberger, Casey Kern, Madeline Haas Hazeley, Shelly Brown, Sidney Clifton, Amber Ellis, Danielle Prochaska, Kristina Hill, Lauren Groth, Sakari Singh, Vanessa Bughaw, Jennifer Willcut, Laura Leganza Reynolds, Kristen Caplan, Jessica Smith, Yulia Shcherbinina, Lindsey Arnold, Tanya Dahl, Alexis French, Audri Talavera, Shayna Marks, Tamazin Simmonds, Bonnie Rodríguez Krzywicki, Lisa Visagie, Jessica McVeigh, Patty Hayes, Kritteka Gregory, Aileen Acayan, Jennifer Trevino, Lindsey Yates, Lexi Carter, Hana Choo, Rana Shahi, Lauren Flores, Char Diaz, Mika Nakano, Ale Georgevich, Ilse Navarro, Diane Valera, Ashley Puente, Jeanette Diaz, Cristina Pillajo, Melina Aguilar, Farah Ortiz, Tennille Wilkinson, Taylor Misiak, Liza Lash, Elsa Bodkin, Denise Zafra, Misha Molani, Kate Green, Nancy Castelan, Tagui Chilyan, Aubrey Dukes, Glorivette Somoza, Esmeralda Ramirez, Mari Levitan, Marbella Calvillo, Magdiela Hermida Duhamel, Kassey Rich, Stephanie Mitsuko Matsuba, Naisha Arnold, Monica Tracey, Gabrielle Acosta, Emmi Nakagawa, Emma Webb, Katherine Hayes, Leslie Baidoo, Effie Baidoo, Mélat, and the late Denise Carlton, who taught me to always give loved ones their flowers.

Website: https://www.oscarvelasquez.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shallowoscar/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscarvelasquez/

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3023518/

Image Credits
HALO Auragraphic (@haloauragraphic), Ariana Puente (@ari.technica), Jeremiah Willis (@j_pierre)