Meet Ponthus Pyronneau | Content Creator and Engineer

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

Hi Ponthus, why did you pursue a creative career?
I used to believe that I was more drawn to STEM related activities, but there was always a part of me that wanted to explore more “right-brained” paths in life. Growing up in a Haitian-American household, when it comes to the topic of education and employment, the options provided by my parents seldom deviated from one of the following: doctor, lawyer, engineer. It can be hard trying to live up to parental and societal expectations, while trying to follow your heart get what you want out of life. So, exploring the arts served as an outlet to foster transformational growth from a logic-driven, risk-averse aerospace engineer, into someone willing to take a dive into a completely different career choice.

I think the inflection point was when my high school literature teacher invited me to join the yearbook team during my senior year. I was already an athlete on the cross country running and track and field teams, so having to juggle between snapping team photos at meets and warming up for the 1600m event gave me the opportunity to be on both sides of the camera. From then I was enamored by photography and storytelling, and I tried to take photos of anything and everything that piqued my interest. This flourished when I moved to Los Angeles in 2021, and I was exposed to the larger creator network in the city.

I started documenting my multiple interests, whether it was taking portraits of friends, spending summer nights in Joshua Tree photographing the Milky Way, or recording videos sparring rounds at my mixed martial arts gym for Instagram Reels. Coincidentally, creating content provided as much logical stimulus as it did creative stimulus. Watching your favorite film with a notebook and trying to reverse engineer a scene drove home the point that science and art can go hand and hand with one another, not just in film and photo, but in just about every creative outlet, be it fashion, literature, music, and so on.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m honestly a mixed bag. One day I could be doing vlogging for Youtube and shooting self-portraits in the middle of the Mojave Desert, donning an astronaut costume to portray an explorer on some remote planet. The next day, I could be shooting engagements on a Malibu beach at sunset. Another day, I could be doing interviewing cosplayers at an anime convention on their opinion of the greatest anime of all time. I try to dive in on whatever projects will give me a new and challenging experience.

With content creation, you will wear a lot of hats. You are the producer, writer, spokesperson, actor, director, secretary, executive officer, etc. You don’t have the luxury to pigeon-hole yourself. There’s not instruction manual that says what you need to do succeed, so I’ve found that I’ve had to expand my personal knowledge and throw things at the wall to see what sticks.

The path feels more like I’m plotting a course through dense foliage in the Amazon rainforest. In STEM, everything is pretty much written out for you and is an “on-the-rails” experience. Get good grades, go to this top school, get this internship, get promoted at this company. It’s safe and stable, but it can easily lead to stagnation. With content creation, I feel like a mad scientist, mixing beakers of chemicals together to see if I can create gold. The process itself is enriching, and I find that it’s a fun way to connect with people around the world.

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?
They are spoiled for choice here, as LA is one of the most diverse locations for everything from cosmopolitan food to breathtaking views.

Day 1: First thing out of the airport, we have to stop by the In-n-Out on Sepulveda Blvd. to do some plane-spotting near LAX. Afterwards, we’ll long board around Santa Monica to do some slacklining on the beach.

Day 2: Take a drive up to Malibu to watch the surfers and eat some fish tacos. I’d check out El Matador State Beach and Point Dume before finally ending the evening at Leo Carrillo State Park to watch the sunset and stargaze to the sound of the ocean.

Day 3: Hike up to Griffith Observatory at sunrise. We’ll take a detour to the Old Los Angeles Zoo to do some beginner-friendly urban exploration. Afterwards, we’ll grab some hearty post hike BBQ at Bludsoe’s in Hollywood.

Day 4: Explore Little Tokyo and see the art exhibits at the Getty Museum. Grab a margherita pizza at L’antica Pizzeria da Michele.

Day 5: Take a little day trip to Palm Springs and drive through Joshua Tree National Park to see the titular plant life and unique rock formations scattered in the park..

Day 6: Go thrift shopping for creative new fits on Melrose Ave. and then check out the California African American Museum.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I definitely want to shout out my friend Preston Thomas. He was the one who told me about Shoutout LA. I helped create his movie poster for his film project, “Film Jitsu”, that highlights the world of martial artist who moonlight as actors and stunt workers. He has been a mentor for me not only when it comes to navigating the film making and content creation space, but also in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym we both train at.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ponthus.pyronneau/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PonthusPyronneau