Meet Daniele Joi and Nelson “JJ” Flores n/a | Film Editor and Cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniele Joi and Nelson “JJ” Flores n/a and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniele Joi and Nelson “JJ” Flores, how do you think about risk?
Daniele: Pursuing a creative career is a huge risk and I often question if it’s a worthwhile one. Now that I’m in my thirties, I am a little more risk-averse, but in my early twenties, I did take many risks to pursue my dreams of working in the film industry.

I left home to study abroad in New York, leaving my family behind in Brazil. After that, I left NY and moved to LA to pursue my career in film. All of those decisions were risky at the time and although I know there’s a lot of road ahead of me to fulfill my goals, I don’t regret where those risky choices have taken me thus far.

JJ: When I first got into filmmaking in college, I was switching majors from Pharmacy to Media Arts. I knew I was trading the stability of a more traditional career for the uncertainty of the film business, but I was young and very much in love with the idea of working in film. I never regretted my decision, but I soon realized that pursuing a film career requires a lot of initiative.

It’s a tough road, especially when you’re starting and don’t know much about the business. The biggest risk I took to get where I am was leaving New York, where I lived my entire life, and moving to Los Angeles to finish my Master’s Degree in Cinematography. I’ve lived here for almost a decade, and it hasn’t been easy, but taking that risk and pushing myself through all the ups and downs have made me more confident in exploring new opportunities and projects.

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.
We are a husband-and-wife creative team working together in the film industry for over a decade.
We created Obsidian Forest to tell stories that align with our values and showcase films that have a deep and meaningful impact on audiences.
As a young company, our biggest challenge has been finding new clients. We have to rely a lot on the relationships we built throughout the years and we’re lucky enough to have made friends in the industry who consistently work with us and refer us to other clients.
Our goal is to set up a sizeable roster of valuable clients and help them grow their businesses through video production. We also aim to partner with larger companies such as Netflix, A24, Max, NEON, and Hulu.

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?
Every time we have family or friends over, we like to stop at Smorgasburg and sample different cuisines from around the world. We also enjoy visiting the Griffith Observatory, Malibu Beach, and Santa Monica Pier.
For local food spots, we love Gorilla Pies in Valley Village – although JJ still thinks NY pizza is the best in the country – as well as Los Molcajetes in Silverlake.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Daniele: My parents have played a huge part in my accomplishments. Without their financial support, I wouldn’t have been able to study abroad in the US and eventually immigrate here. They have also encouraged me throughout my life and their support has been essential to me.
My husband, JJ, has been my creative partner and supporter for the past 10 years and his input means a lot to me. Without his encouragement, I probably would’ve left the film business years ago.
Lastly, my sisters have been a huge source of emotional support and reassurance, and I’m endlessly grateful to have them in my life

JJ: A lot of my support came from my friends and family. It was a rough start at first. Telling my parents, who immigrated from El Salvador, that I wanted to be in the film industry confused them. They didn’t see that as a viable career, but they eventually came around to it and have thankfully stood by me since. My friends both living in New York and Los Angeles have also given me an immense amount of support and encouragement, and have always pushed me to go far in this industry. And lastly my loving partner Daniele who has been with me through the whole process. She has been with me throughout my life and career and she has helped me tremendously. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Website: https://www.obsidianforest.io/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/obsidian.forest/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/obsidian-forest/