Meet Daniel Quiyu | Video Producer and Cinematographer

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

Hi Daniel, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I never had a “aha!” moment where I decided to pursue an artistic career. Ever since I was a kid I just gravitated towards creative pursuits. Whether it was learning how play guitar in elementary school, making skateboarding videos with my friends in middle school and high school, and then eventually landing in film school for college, I always enjoyed making something, no matter the medium. As a grew older I understood that filmmaking was truly the only path that would lead me to have a career that I would enjoy. I always enjoyed having a camera in my hands and I truly enjoy what I do as my job. I understood the risk there is to pursuing a career in the creative arts but there was no way I could have been happy in any other kind of industry. If I am going to spend the rest of my life working on something, it would have to be something that fueled my creativity and my enjoyment of creating images.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a video producer my job is to make sure that all aspects of the project that I am working on are on track and most importantly, that the message of the project is communicated as strongly as possible. Responsibilities vary from project to project but in general it involves scheduling film shoots, hiring crew, scripts and shot lists, and anything else that it may involve. In my work I emphasize the quality and creativity of the way the projects are shot. Even if the topic at hand is not the most interesting I work to find a way to set it apart from how it’s been done. I am a big fan of environmental interview shots, where the space becomes a character in the project. I work on a lot of documentary style story and promotional videos and one of the challenge I often face is boring locations. Picture a white walled office with no windows and my job is to make that look captivating. I did a lot of training on lighting in order to get better at making any space work for filming.

The biggest lesson though my career is to be flexible. Changes will happen unexpectedly and you need to be ready to act fast. Most importantly, knowing how to remain calm and effective when things do not go according to plan.

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.
I would definitely take them to Princeton. I grew up in the area so I got to know a lot about the local spots. Working at the University also taught me about the history and the hidden spots around campus. Our day would start at Smallworld coffee, followed by a tour around the Princeton University campus. Grab lunch D’Angelo and then continue the tour in downtown Princeton where you have the record exchange, tons of small shops, and my favorite store of all, New York Camera where I’ve found some incredible things. We would wind down the afternoon at the Alchemist and Barister for drinks and then finish the night at Hoagie Haven, a must visit college town spot.

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?
The list is long if I wanted to thank everyone that supported me through my career, but if I had to narrow it down to three, it would be my faith, my family, and skateboarding. More specifically, if I could only thank one person, it would be my brother Roberto. He was the one that convinced my family to get me a video camera on my 16th birthday, which opened the door for me to learn about filmmaking. He had a graphic design business, which did photography on the side, and he expanded his business to include video in order for me to learn how to use my camera and to learn how to work professionally. He encouraged me to try new things and he was kind when I made mistakes. I worked with him for close to 10 years, all through high school, college, and the early days of my professional career. He supported me in every stage of my life and my pursuits. I could never thank him enough since I would not be where I am without him.

Website: https://dquiyumedia.com/

Instagram: @dquiyu

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

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

Image Credits
Jared Montano, Kayce West