Meet Marco Bazzi | Filmmaker and Musician

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

Hi Marco, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk has always played a significant role in my life. From a young age, I realized that whenever I had a goal, a desire, or a dream, I needed to commit to it fully in order to achieve it. I’ve consistently done this, both in my artistic pursuits and life choices. Trying to keep one foot in two different places never worked for me—it creates a sort of limbo, where you’re waiting for the “right moment” to take the leap instead of actually making it happen. It’s always a scary process because we fear the unknown—the risk of failure, losing what we have, and the feeling that there’s no way back. But I’ve learned that it’s often in losing everything that we create space for something new. It’s only when I take that step into the unknown that new perspectives reveal themselves.

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 passion has always been storytelling, ever since I was a kid. I grew up in Milan, Italy, without any real references to the creative world, I didn’t even know it existed. It was music that woke me up. I studied drums for many years while attending university for Psychology and working as a waiter. My first big decision was to leave everything behind and fully dedicate myself to music. Most people thought it was just a dream, but I was persistent and disciplined. Eventually, I started touring, and it opened up a whole new world for me. I realized I had been living in a small box compared to what was out there. While I was fulfilled as a musician in Italy, something inside me kept saying it was time to move on and start over. So, I moved to Barcelona, Spain, which marked the beginning of a new phase in my life. I played with different bands and musicians from around the world, and that’s when my first love, storytelling, knocked on my door again. I began merging it with music, publishing two books in Italy and making two documentaries. That was the start of my transition into filmmaking.
Then came another big decision. In 2017, I moved to Los Angeles. At that point, I had been playing for several years with Eric McFadden, an incredible musician who inspired me on many levels. Through him, I became part of the LA music community, touring across the U.S. and having the honor of playing with musicians from Fishbone, Living Colour, Queens of the Stone Age, P-Funk, and many others—a dream come true.
But even while immersed in music, I kept nurturing my true calling: storytelling. I was constantly writing. During that time, I had the opportunity to direct a feature documentary, which is now available on Prime Video. It was an incredible learning experience.
Then, during the pandemic, touring stopped, and I had this crazy idea to shoot my first feature film—alone, without a crew. When I shared it with my wife, she looked at me, and I felt her unwavering support. So, we did it together. It was a difficult process, but incredibly rewarding. The film had a limited theatrical release in 2022 before landing on streaming platforms, marking another huge learning for me.
That film led me to meet Mark Vidano, who became a friend and later asked me to direct TOUCHED. We went through an incredible journey together, shooting the film last September and I am very grateful for the trust he showed in me to tell this story. I deeply value our friendship and work collaboration. “Touched” is now in post-production.
Over the past few years, I’ve completed three screenplays and am currently seeking production opportunities. My goal now is to find people who truly believe in me—partners who can bring to the table what I can’t achieve alone, helping me achieve a higher level of artistic expression.

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.
Los Angeles is an incredible city, it has everything: the city, the ocean, the mountains. One of my favorite things to do is simply drive to different areas, park the car, and wander for hours with no specific goal, just exploring. Over the years, I’ve discovered so many hidden spots, and whenever friends visit, I love taking them to these places.
I’d show them my favorite hikes, parks, and neighborhoods. Montecito Heights and the LA River in Pasadena are personal favorites, especially the beautiful spots under the Colorado Street Bridge. The view of LA from Debs Park is stunning, and of course, there are countless scenic areas around Santa Monica, Topanga Canyon, and beyond.
I’d probably spend the day taking them to these amazing spots, then wrap it up with a dinner. I love cooking and sharing meaningful moments with friends in a relaxed environment. And by the way, some of my favorite places to buy food in LA are Korean markets!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m grateful to have a few people who truly believe in me and the choices I make. They’re not many, you could count them on one hand. My wife is always present and supportive, with a sincere belief in me, as is my best friend, my mentor, and a few others. My parents are among my biggest supporters. They’ve always been there for me, and I’m deeply thankful for that, especially because they had to step out of their comfort zone to understand the path I’ve chosen.
At the same time, there are people who don’t perceive that belief as real. I think that’s because we’re conditioned from a young age to see certain goals as unrealistic. We tend to give up on our dreams, or keep believing in them, but with this lingering doubt that they’re somehow out of reach. Maybe it’s a form of societal control, but I’ve definitely felt that pressure: the idea that I’m chasing something unattainable. There are always people who create resistance along the way. You know, it seems like everyone loves to tell you what to do and how to do it, as if everyone’s an expert when it comes to someone else’s life.
But I’m grateful for that difficult energy, too, because it becomes another source of motivation for me. While these aren’t the situations where I can share my thoughts openly, they push me to take action and achieve tangible results. In the end, I’d rather show what I’m doing through facts than explanations.

Website: https://www.marcobazzi.com