Meet Salvatore Sutera | Director / Writer / Producer

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

Hi Salvatore, why did you pursue a creative career?
Initially, I didn’t. I always tell people that when it comes to me, the business found me more than I found it. Growing up first generation born and raised in the US, the arts wasn’t considered a viable path. It was the thing of dreams that one shouldn’t pursue. I loved films, loved TV. In a lot of ways, HBO raised me as I spent many hours alone watching it until everyone in my family got home. That said, the idea of working in the film business wasn’t even a thought that was meant to enter our minds, so the path to getting to where I am was a lot by chance, fate, whatever you believe. It was simple. I was rejected by my first college choice and as a result, went with my second with Fordham University in the Bronx. Once there, something about being in the Bronx ignited my inner creative side that I always felt I had, just never thought to explore. As a result, I decided I wanted to do something in entertainment, but had no clue what. Then junior year we were required to do internships, and when looking for one, I came across an independent film production company down in Manhattan. I decided to apply because I thought to myself “well, that sounds cool…I love movies”. I was hired and since it was such a small company, I immediately got thrown into the fire, doing all sorts of stuff I’ve never even heard of. What’s “script coverage?”. Next thing I know, I’m reading scripts everyday, delivering scripts to known actors in Manhattan, getting familiar with Starbucks, and doing what I would consider years later as a crash course of film development. I had no clue what I was doing, but I was very well liked so much that at the end of the semester, they offered me a job that summer on the feature they were producing, making $100/day, which to me at the time was the equivalent to striking gold! That summer of college was my first job working on a film set, and I loved every minute of it. That was it. I was home. I got to see how the sausage was made. Working in a medium, that sort of raised me, was now something possible…it was feasible. For me, what became something that I stumbled upon now has purpose. Stories. That’s what connects us all if we allow it. And for me, telling entertaining stories that I, and many others, can relate to, with people that also look like me, now that’s the goal. That’s the mission that maybe, just maybe I was meant to do.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started in the film business as a PA (production assistant) in New York. It’s really the beginning groundwork of leaning how to be a filmmaker. How to create what’s on the page into reality. There was a saying when I began in NY. “Make it happen”. Another way of saying, get it done. Didn’t matter how it got done, messy or neat, just mattered that it did. With time and experience, you’d start getting better at getting things done neatly, efficiently. I was a PA on a number of films and TV shows, making the rounds, working with a variety of people. The trajectory for many PA’s was to collect enough days to become an Assistant Director in the DGA. At the time, it was customary for any PA’s to learn different responsibilities, different tasks before ever being considered to be an AD. This takes years. You had to be well rounded in every aspect and just know that it’s a long career and that you’ll day will come. That was the way then. Once I qualified to become an AD, I got the chance to work on a lot of different projects, working closely with a bevy of great film/tv directors. Projects that were great works of art, cinematic, stuff that I would want to watch even if I didn’t work on it. Like my dad who learned his trade by simply watching and studying others, I was like a sponge. I observed how directors worked, why they made certain decisions, what worked, what didn’t. When I direct now, it’s likely a collage of what I observed from the various directors I’ve worked with in my long career, but with a twist of my own methods and experiences. And no doubt, it’s likely to continue to evolve and may never stop. That’s filmmaking. It’s an organism, it’s alive and ever-changing. After being a successful AD for many years, I started to realize that I could direct. That it was my next step. I just didn’t realize when or at what point. All that stood in the way was just doing it. “Making it happen”. Sometimes I feel that in this business, people may think too much, overthink it when they should just do it. See what happens. I both overthought and underthought my leap to directing. Something that I’ve remedied in recent years. When it comes to my story, I think a big takeaway is this. Your filmmaking career can be like filmmaking. It can be a five-star cooked stew that takes time, it takes patience and the right ingredients. But you have to know when the dish is done and ready to serve.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Day 1: exploring the arts district in DTLA, with stops to eat and drink at Soho Warehouse, Girl & the Goat, and Manuela. Day 2: taking a trip to Malibu or Manhattan Beach with stops for a great fish taco. (If you can’t tell, I’m a foodie).
Day 3: a trip to WeHo to visit the dog park with my dog, and dinner at Wally’s or Honor Bar.
Day 4: lunch at George’s Burger Stand in Boyle Heights, happy hour glass of wine & food at Garçons de Ćafe, then salsa nights at Sofitel Hotel.
Day 5: hiking at Griffith Park. Follow that up with ramen at Daikokuya Little Tokyo. Top it off with a food & beer at the Angel City Brewery.
Day 6: brunch at Catch LA, then a trip to the Century City mall for food and a movie. Dinner at Eataly.
Day 7: bed rest because I cannot hang like this anymore.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost, I’d like to shoutout my parents. They immigrated to this country for the American dream, never realizing that through all their struggles as hard-working immigrants, they’d ever produce a kid that will one day make moving pictures. My second mother (my sister) who made me watch Grease, Dirty Dancing, etc with her until I could recite every word and lyric. My brother for his continued unwavering support. On the film/tv side, big thanks to the people who took my under their wing and raised me in this business. Film mothers like Jill Footlick and Amanda Slater. Fonzy and Big Mike who taught me the ropes. Mary Rae who helped guide me into the DGA early in my career. Pete Feldman who always continues to believe and support me as a filmmaker. Last but not least, Jerry Levine who I consider somewhat of a mentor for me. He’s always been in my corner, guiding me with the right words to forge ahead, especially at times when I needed it the most.

Website: www.filaginaent.com

Instagram: @suteranyc

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Filaginaent

Image Credits
Photographs by: Jane Hahn