Meet Austin Saya | Director & Filmmaker

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

Hi Austin, what makes you happy? Why?
I love to tell stories. It’s one of the things that excites me the most in life. I find it a great privilege to connect with others through the language of film. I’ve always been a voracious student of films and cinema and from this I was led down a path to become a director. I saw that I could take what I’ve studied and apply it to the stories that I’ve carried with me my whole life. There’s something exciting about sharing stories with others, I love the set up and then leading them down a path to maximize a theme or character to it’s greatest potential.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been a director professionally now for the past 13 years. My motto has always been: you have to make your own stuff because no one will give you anything. I knew early on when I got to Los Angeles that it would be a tough road so I quickly decided that if I made projects for myself in the style that I liked, people would see what I brought to the table and it would catch fire. That’s exactly what I did and continue to do today. Directing and filmmaking is a tough career choice for anyone to make but it’s one that I’m so glad I made because getting the chance to make films, commercials, music videos, documentaries etc is the most fun experience there is.

I think what set’s me apart is my great attention to detail while maintaining a large scope for the entire project. I like to think where I shine is in my execution and how prepared I am for each project. What I’m most proud of is the shot design that I implement into every story. I had an amazing professor in graduate school name Annette Haywood-Carter who taught me every director makes a critical choice for each scene. That idea has stuck with me through my whole career no matter how small or big the project.

Being a director is a challenging experience in itself but when you throw LA into the mix, it compounds exponentially. The thing I keep in my mind is to stay humble and continue to learn from others and to know that I don’t always have all the answers. It’s important to lean on the relationships and connections you’ve made to keep you moving.

The thing I’d like the world to know about me and my story is it is ever changing and always moving forward and if you come to watch something I’ve made I hope it makes you think first and smile after.

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.
One of my favorite things is to show people from out of town around Los Angeles. I usually start with a hike at Griffith Park to get them warmed up to the city. I’ll start them off on the Boy Scout trail so we can climb to the top where the observatory is. That way they can see LA from a macro view and hopefully be less intimidated by it.

From there we’d come back down and explore one of my favorite neighborhoods, Los Feliz. I’d take them to Little Dom’s on Hillhurst because it’s simply the best. You cannot beat their fried rice balls stuff with mozzarella! I’d then take them over to Vermont and show them Skylight Books and also the annex art book store. One thing you should know about me is I go to the movies A LOT! So I would definitely show them the Los Feliz 3 and Vista Vintage cinemas; my favorite local theaters.

Another place I’ve been going to recently in the past five years is the Magic Castle. I’m not a magician but I have friends who are members and it’s truly a blast taking someone there for the first time, it makes you feel like a kid again. I think lastly one thing that LA has to offer is wonderful museums. Recently my nephew came into town and even though he is only 7 years old I knew we had to take him to the Broad Museum in downtown LA. I told him before he got there that we were going to see all the “big art” and he was so excited. The museums Los Angeles has to offer are some of the best in the world and I’m so grateful to get to experience them.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
One person that deserves a shoutout who has helped me out on my journey in Los Angeles is Alana Johnston. She is an immensely talented writer, comedian, and actor. You can always catch her on stage making people laugh at places like UCB on Franklin. She’s been such a great collaborator and friend supporting me in all my creative endeavors.

Website: www.austinsaya.com

Instagram: @austinsaya

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/austin-saya-173a98166