Meet Mason Bosworth | Filmmaker

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

Hi Mason, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
Hmm, I would say “fake it ‘til you make it” but I don’t totally disagree.

I do believe imposter syndrome is a real thing and perhaps I’m experiencing a little bit of it right now. There have been times in my life where I’ve struggled for confidence, self-esteem, self-belief and doubted myself in the guise of total self-awareness and that’s held me back. So I do think it’s important to back yourself and believe in yourself. But I gotta be me. I have to be authentic. It’s the only way I know how to express myself. I truly believe that, as they say, “real recognize real”, and that I will attract and endear myself to people who can see that. To be authentic and vulnerable, even if specific to you, is the most universal and therefore the most relatable and effective way to communicate an idea. It’s important to be honest about what you can improve but also be honest about what your strengths are. Present that humbly and confidently rather than bullshitting it and hoping that no one notices because people see through that. I see through that.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
From a very early age, I knew that I didn’t want to feel pressured to live up to anyone’s expectations of me. I was always encouraged to be creative, and I felt like I couldn’t compete doing it “their” way so I’d do it my way. I got older and I kept creating things and I remember thinking often about how I just hated the routine of going to school. I liked learning. I was interested in most of all my subjects, but the routine of it I couldn’t stand. I wanted to follow my impulse of the moment. So I always knew that what I valued in a career was dynamism, you know, something that’s not going to be the same every day. Something that is spontaneous, something that allows for the opportunity to work on different projects, with different people, in different places. As I’ve grown into an adult, I can say that I have adhered to those values. I do work with a lot of different cool people and on a lot of different projects and in a few different cool places. I have an uncle who’s an artist in Marfa, Texas. Camp Bosworth. I was often compared to him as a kid, you know, “you’re just like your uncle! You know, he’s an artist, he’s creative!” So that was a real-life reference that I had to look to and know that it was possible to have that kind of life. I realized that it’s a viable career that certain people have and they managed to make it work and so I kind of always figured like, “why not me?” A very important lesson I learned from this artist named Cauleen Smith, who went to my alma mater and did a talk to a class I was in. She said something that absolutely resonated with me, which is that no working artist is able to thrive without the support of a community of other working artists. To me that was such a huge relief to hear because it made me realize that all of us out here don’t have to be competitors, we can be allies. We can rely on each other and we can all be successful entertaining each other, and inspiring each other. I think about that often. I would not be able to do what I’m doing in most other places. In fact, the reason I do it here is because of the network of people, because of the relationships I’ve built here. Not to say that I couldn’t develop relationships elsewhere but the reason I haven’t left is because I don’t want to sacrifice the relationships that I have here. It’s not always easy, this sort of nomadic freelance life, but I also wouldn’t choose any of the other options. Even with the downsides that it brings, I choose this life every day.

If there’s one thing that I’m totally self-assured about, even if slightly self-deprecating, it is that I’ve got excellent taste. I can recognize what’s cool, what looks good, and crucially how to improve it. I think I’m better at adding to a pretty good idea and making it a great idea than I am originating a pretty good or great idea. So I think being a filmmaker and actor, what has been a huge part of my success is being able to bring something to the table that improves the quality of the film. I’m good at recognizing that I can’t do everything on my own, and being open to collaboration and finding people that have the skill set that I don’t have, and being able to learn from them but also articulate a vision and say, “okay, I see what you’re doing. What if you did it slightly like this? How would that turn out? Oh my God, that’s better than both of us could have come up with alone!” That has been huge for me.

I’ve been learning that success is not linear, and it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.

Creatively and professionally, 2022 was really strong for me. I kept ticking up. It was a steady climb. 2023 was a total spiral into a pit of uncertainty and despair. The most challenging year of my life so far. To make it through, I relied on my relationships, formed new relationships, and now I have begun 2024 at an even more fulfilling point than I ever have been. I’m tending upwards. Long may it continue. The path is a long and winding one, you know? The lesson I’ve learned is that a closed door is not a dead end, but a detour.

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.
Day 1: we’re waking up at 7am to get to Ye Olde King’s Head in Santa Monica to watch Denmark vs England in the Euro’s at 9am… Staying for Spain vs Italy. Then headed to Elephante for lunch. Then Bungalow for an early evening beverage. Uber home. Nap from 6 to 8ish. Walk to Jitlada. Then Jumbo’s. Think about how long of a day it’s been.

Day 2: Ggiata for dank Italian sandwiches. Melrose Trading Post. Canter’s. Improv on Melrose. Sunset and Vinyl for the nightcap. Home. Ptfo.

Day 3: Hike to the Wisdom Tree/Hollywood Sign. Head to the Academy Museum. Check out LACMA and the tar pits too. El Coyote. New Beverly, see something awesome. Salt & Straw on Larchmont. Bedtime.

Day 4: The Getty. Home. Nap. KBBQ at Magal BBQ. Breakroom 86. Home. Bedtime.

Day 5: Wake up. Head to Friends & Family cafe. Hike to the observatory. Picnic. Figaro for happy hour. The Dresden.

Day 6: Walk the Silverlake Reservoir. Red Lion. See live music at Zebulon. Drawing Room for the nightcap. Home. Sleep.

Day 7: Echo Park Lake for the swan boats. Phillipe’s in Chinatown. Dodgers’ game. Bar Bandini. Or ShortStop. Or Little Joy. Pijja Palace. 4100. Ptfo at home.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Din tai fung
Yamashiro
Pasadena generally
Walt’s
Manhattan Beach

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?
Shoutout my creative partner Nico Lavachek… my success is his success. I would’ve fled this city long ago if not for him.

Instagram: @masonlikejar

Image Credits
Mason Sloan