Meet Sean Muniz | Filmmaker // Director of Photography

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

Hi Sean, why did you pursue a creative career?
I was tired of working for other people who wanted to do things by the book. Using other brands as a reference model and literally dissecting their marketing plans made me feel like I wasn’t doing anything original. Working as a creative, my only manager is myself, and Im only content with my art until it feels finished. After working with diverse and different types of companies with little to no creative freedom, that ideology was stripped me from being my most authentic self in which made me feel fake later on the road. In a way, I was pleasing people for the sake of approval rather than self-satisfaction and the moment I realized that I left the job industry for good.

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.
Nothing was easy. Living with my grandma for the past 3 years 2016-2019 prior, she was always hella mad I was working on videos in my room. I have been going to college since 2012 and me working on videos communicated to her I wasn’t in school. I didn’t even own a camera only like 6 GoPros and lost them all in early 2016 but I was filming videos with an iPhone trying to learn how to use a camera and save up the entire time. Eventually, after using friends’ cameras and gear by borrowing it as often as I could I purchased a camera. Immediately I went to work every day trying to shoot videos, and photos for anyone and everything. Applying for 35+ film and photography jobs a day on all social platforms while constantly trying to build a portfolio of work. At first, I was not getting paid really anything, but I was determined I would someday. I kept pushing and eventually found myself doing BTS photos on a few big film sets where I saw how to set up lights, tips on using a camera, how to expose images properly with video and etc. After 2 years of pure learning, I felt comfortable enough to move out of my grandma house.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The best spots are all ……..I’ll just say, SF, Joshua Tree, Oakland, Lake Tahoe, and Saratoga.

The burrito hype between SF and LA, nothing compares to the burritos in San Jose though, shoutout all the local taqueria and food trucks in San Jose.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to everyone who has taught me something beneficial in this film industry. I have been influenced by a handful of artists and filmmakers all around the world, but these key people have helped me grow in ways I couldn’t imagine. There has been hella film sets I have been blessed with to be on and without those learning experiences, I don’t know where I would be without those lessons So many elements in the film industry that I have learned from people just by working alongside of them and I am eternally grateful to shoutout these individuals in the creative space

Website: https://www.youngmuniz.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanietsunami300/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/youngmuniz/

Image Credits
Omeeze Jones took the photo of me holding the camera poolside. Thomas Lynch took the photo of me holding the camera in the garage. Everything else was taken by myself.