Meet Kevin Barile | Action Filmmaker

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

Hi Kevin, what principle do you value most?
There are many principals that are important to me in life and in my work. Honesty, effort and humility to name a few. But the one I’d like to focus on in the context of creating entertainment and art is loyalty.

It’s important to acknowledge that one’s success in this field doesn’t manifest by working alone. Throughout my time in Los Angeles there have been countless people that have helped me along the way. Mentors, fellow artists and friends. Any fight that I have designed needed talented, hard-working and eager performers to bring it to life. Every movie I’ve made needed a wonderful composer to complete the story. And when I do my own editing, sound design and camera work, it’s only possible because I once had a selfless mentor to guide me.

The people that helped build me are the people that I want to bring along with me in success. The people that showed up early in the morning to my all sets, fighting L.A. traffic and did it for free; the people that trusted that my work would be worth their time, and effort- those are the people I want to benefit from any kind of success I may gain in the future.

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.
I’m not where I want to be just yet. I’m not sure I’ll even recognize it when I get there. I have no desire to be world famous, just respected in my field. I just want to be the best version of myself that I can be. I want to create my art and hopefully make a good living doing it. I wan to spend the rest of my life creating. Designing and creating badass entertainment at the highest levels.

For anyone trying to follow a similar path, I’d recommend meeting and working with as many like-minded people as you can. Find the people that share your interests and goals. Work with them. Learn from each other. Grow together. I wish I did this more when I first arrived to LA.

There are so many talented professionals in my field. I know so many amazing martial artists and action designers and I learn from them everyday. I may not be the best martial artist in the room, but for what lack in physical ability I hopefully make up for with creativity and vision. I believe in being humble but I also believe that I have a perspective on this genre and a talent to express it that no one else has.

My brand is artistic violence. Non-stop, fast-paced, creative action design that tells a story. Over the top but somehow realistic. Emotional, real and dirty. But most of all, entertaining.

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?
I have no recommendations for the best hikes or museums in Los Angeles. My recommendations begin and end with food. I’d insist you to grab a slice at Pizza Wagon of Brooklyn on Ventura or a spicy beef tofu soup at BCD in Koreatown.

But my expertise is in cookies. I am a self-proclaimed cookie expert and reviewer. I have visited and rated over 75 bakeries, restaurants and pop-ups that sell fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. Most are average to good, but among the cookies that will change your life are the chocolate chip cookies sold at Proof Bakery in Glendale and a tiny spot in Culver City literally called The Very Best Cookie In The Whole Wide World.

You’re welcome.

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?
First and foremost, any success I have had or will ever have in life is entirely due to the love and support from both of my loving parents. My mother and father have always been supportive of my dreams and I’m grateful everyday to be lucky enough to have them as parents.

More specifically in regards to my chosen profession- my life is action movies. I write, direct, edit and design all the fight sequences for my self-produced action films.

I have been involved in martial arts for most of my life. And my action work in film wouldn’t be nearly as professional, emotional or impactful without the training that I did under Grandmaster Hu Jian Qiang.

Master Hu is a two-time Chinese Wushu National Champion and Chinese martial arts film star. He’s the founder of and the lead instructor at The Shaolin Wushu Center martial arts school in Los Angles, CA.

Any good martial arts instructor can teach a student to punch and kick. Master Hu, however, taught me something more- the energy, the feeling, creativity and pace of a great martial arts performance.

I had the pleasure of training under and teaching with Master Hu for fifteen years. With him, I traveled to China, performed in front of thousands of spectators and competed in many international wushu competitions. I have my own unique voice in martial arts filmmaking because of Hu Jian Qiang.

Website: https://www.youtube.com/@Barilliant_Action

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barilliant_action/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE5WBir5agI&t=62s

Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG-hoJ98L2g