Meet Juan Pablo Arias Muñoz

We had the good fortune of connecting with Juan Pablo Arias Muñoz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Juan Pablo, why did you pursue a creative career?
I pursued an artistic career because from very young I realized that there are fewer things more exciting to me than the creative process. It’s difficult and challenging but extremely rewarding. I do what I do because quite honestly, I can’t help it. I think that’s the way I’m wired. My mind is always looking for a story to tell, for a creative way to communicate thoughts and feelings about the human experience. To be able to create something that didn’t exist before you thought of it, is remarkable. Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could do anything else, so the fact that I get to do it for a living it’s something I’m extremely grateful for.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My name is Juan Pablo Arias Muñoz, I’m a filmmaker, writer and director, born and raised in Santiago de Chile. I’ve been living in Los Angeles for the past 7 years after I got a Fulbright scholarship and came to the US to study an MFA in directing at the AFI Conservatory which had been a dream of mine for a long time. The journey has been, like all things in life, has been full of great moments and not-so-great moments. That’s the way life is, and something that I’ve learned is that it’s important to ride that wave, to handle the ups and downs with the same grace. There are moments when you’re on top of the world and at moments when nobody takes your phone call. The one thing that’s important for me is to always keep working, to always keep focused and believing that what you have to say matters, that the stories you want to tell and your art matters. You don’t need anybody’s recognition nor don’t any validation to do what you do and just keep pressing forward.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
LA is full of fantastic places for people who are out of town, depending on whether you’ve been here before or not, and depending on what their interests are. You can take them to the coast, for example. If they’re interested in doing more touristy, conventional stuff, you can take them to Santa Monica pier, you can go up to Santa Barbara, you can go to Santa Barbara for the day, Redondo Beach, etc.. There’s always so many activities, concerts, bookstores, cinemas, theme parks, restaurants. My favorite thing about LA is you can always catch a classic or obscure film playing in a theater in 35 mm, that’s something that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to dedicate this shoutout to the different casts and crews that I have had the privilege to work with over the years. In all my short films and features, I really would be nowhere if it wasn’t for their talent, their generosity, and their creativity. I am really humbled by how much I’ve learned from all of these amazing filmmakers and I would love to dedicate this to them and all their hard work, and to thank them for their support, because I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.

Website: http://www.jpariasmunoz.com

Instagram: instagram.com/_jjuanpablo

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-pablo-arias-mu%C3%B1oz-4b4b73182/