Meet Stephen Sanow | Filmmaker & Creative Director

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

Hi Stephen, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I love risk. It’s a great board game and it really expands your strategic skill set. But, when it comes to my creative pursuits I feel like risk is a necessary ingredient. I recently made a feature film called Stripper Boyz where I had no plan, no script, the only thing I had was a DM convo with a male stripper out in Las Vegas who said he would introduce me to the male strip scene there. So I set out to Vegas with my good friend Joe Fahey and a small but mighty film crew. Some days were extremely stressful because I had no idea what was going on and if I just wasted a bunch of time and money. But we just said yes to everything and we had this amazing adventure and managed to have enough of a storyline to actually make a movie.

I feel like that is a more extreme example of risk, but I also feel like risk can be as small as framing a shot in a way that goes against the norm or writing a character you’ve never written before. Some creative risks are like roulette – all you have is your gut telling you to put it all on red 7 for no reason other than that’s what you feel like you have to do and some are like poker where you know a Royal Flush is the best move out there. I don’t think one is better than the other, but I do feel like the roulette ones end up being the more interesting choices.

I’m trying to listen to my gut more. Follow that path and see what comes out of it. I do like ending up in places I never thought I would be. Maybe I’ll end up in… wait actually I can’t guess cause then I would have thought of being there.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Maybe it’s because I’m an only child but I like making things that support individualism. We all contain multitudes and it’s always important to remember that. Growing up, I trained in ballet and loved to dance (still do), and that somehow resulted in anything I make always having some element of dance in it.

Currently, I’m in a place professionally where I feel valued for my creativity. There’s more out there that I would like to explore, but I’m very grateful for where I’m at right now. I’ve worked at a lot of not-so-creative jobs before this, but I feel like those also taught me a lot of valuable life lessons that also made me a stronger creative.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d take them to Sierra Madre. Downtown Sierra Madre feels like you’re in a movie and Mother Moo Creamery is soo good.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I like to shout out all my friends who make art whether it is film, music, poetry, painting, crochet, cooking, and anything that wasn’t there before. I know it’s a general answer but I have so many friends who are doing so many wonderful things that inspire and motivate me every day. I’m so lucky and grateful to be surrounded by so many creative and kind souls.

Website: www.stephensanow.com

Instagram: @let_it_sanow