Meet Andrew Kiaroscuro | Producer, Director & Founder

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

Hi Andrew, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Opportunity isn’t given, it’s created. I’m a firm believer on this, and one of the best ways to create opportunities for yourself is to take a chance on YOU, your dreams, your relationships, or anything else you’re after. However, when you bet on yourself sometimes against stability, against the known, against what is safe it can many times feel risky. But, is playing it safe the least risky path to success? When I was growing up, I had no affiliations, ties, or connections to the entertainment industry. My family wanted me to join the family practice of medicine. To go become a Doctor. Unfortunate for them and myself I am ghastly sensitive to the gnarly smells that radiate from surgical rooms. I knew I wasn’t a good fit after my mother took me to watch a surgery when I was young and I smelled flesh being cauterized back together for the first time then immediately ran away to vomit. Looking back, my love for storytelling and working as a movie director was not my immediate goal. I originally did many years of acting, but through wanting to learn more about the craft, I took a chance and applied for the film program at UNC Wilmington. But, I still had no idea I wanted to work as a director. It wasn’t until my second year when I gained entry to one of UNCW’s directing classes when the professor asked the class, “What is a directors primary job? Does anyone know?”. I waited to see what others would say before raising my hand. One answered, “He runs the show.” To which the professor replied, “Not quite”. Another said, “He leads the creative vision.” The professor smiled politely, “We’d like to think so. Anyone else?”. I finally rose my hand, the professor pointed to me and I said “He’s in charge of the actors. They’re performances.” He exclaimed, “Yes! That’s correct. A directors primary job is to gauge the performance arcs of the characters. Very good.” Now, at the time, I didn’t fully appreciate nor know how much my acting background would benefit my career as a director, but it soon became quite apparent, there were thematic differences in the performances I was after in film school versus my colleagues. I recount many fellow filmmakers seeking to film zombie or horror genre stories while I was crafting heartfelt dramatic tragedies or filming adaptations of Shakespeare. During those four years, Cinema became my obsession despite “How Hard” professors claimed the career would be for everyone. I’ll never forget when they told us aspiring filmmakers, “Only half of you sitting in this theater will make it past the core classes, half of those people will graduate with a film degree, and only one in ten of you will have a real career in filmmaking”. I was so enthralled by how everything worked, I couldn’t care less about the statistics. The gear, the techniques, the history of cinema. I became so mesmerized, film classes were the only classes I aced. And, I loved it. I loved feeling like this was something I’m actually very good at. Later, after graduating, I moved to St. Petersburg Florida trying to escape an emotionally charged Italian ex-girlfriend. After, three phone number changes later, I lost her and became a bartender at the infamous haunted hotel the “Don Cesar”. The pay was decent because the guests took full advantage of the open bar, and I earned myself a generous reputation downtown because after work I would buy complete strangers drinks. I was getting popular fast, and eventually met my first film investor, Tommy, who later would tell me his real name was Donnie, but couldn’t in the beginning because he had warrants out for his arrest and was a big time bath salt dealer I would come to find out later on. But, in the beginning, he was just Tommy and I was just this charismatic cinephiliac, he believed in. So not too long after, one night, he invited me to live with him at a place he had in South Beach. I said “Why not.” Now moving across the state to Miami within 48 hours with a person you barely know seemed somewhat risky, but I was eager to get involved in a bigger filmmaking pond. So fast forward, after seven years of filming, networking, living, etc. in Miami I can say all-in-all it was a worthwhile experience. Within those years, I started Kiaro Pictures, I learned the business, and I earned ESPN, PBS, TLC, and many more as my clients, And, Donnie was arrested too in case you were still curious. One job after the next had a certain amount of risk involved. Some more than others. Working in an industry where what you’re doing for work next month becomes a consistent question you ask yourself became the norm, and for a time, I was okay with that. But eventually, everything came to a head at the age of 25 when I found out I was going to be a father. It was exciting and wildly scary all at the same time. Suddenly, my life and my ambitious dreams of becoming a movie director took a big punch to the throat, and I was faced with some critical decisions I had to make. Keep taking a chance on this dream I’ve had and wanted/worked so hard for or find a more consistent, stable revenue stream? The reality I was in was the film gigs weren’t consistent enough to contribute financially to a child’s well being and the film equipment I owned at the time (a Panasonic AF100, 3 lenses, and a crapped out iMac) wasn’t cutting it anymore. I needed a stable film job and I needed new gear. This was the first time in my life where I seriously had to consider maybe I was not meant to be a filmmaker. Maybe, it just wasn’t in the cards as much as I wanted it to be. But, something deep down inside of me, said “I’ll be damned if I can’t be a loving father and have a successful career as a director. I believe in myself and I will fight for this.” And, it was that fire that kept me motivated enough to find an investor who would loan me the money to buy competitive gear so I could earn myself a full-time job, and that’s exactly what happened. Within several weeks, I raised $55,000 and bought myself the newly-released RED Dragon with a handful of cinema grade tools. A month later, I landed my first full-time job at BPI Sports as one of their videographers/video producers. It was when I made an absolute, conscious decision to not allow myself to succumb to the fears I had and go after what I truly wanted for my life, I found the resources I was looking for. This was the first time I experienced true risk, and how the power of positivity, persistence, and belief in oneself can render your dreams into a reality. This event in my life sparked a confidence in me that would later influence so many projects coming into fruition such as my first award won from a film as Best Director, my first TV Pilot I directed, and to my first feature film I recently directed in New Mexico called “Mind Heist”. Every significant chapter of my life where I have won, there was an equal risk or fear of failing involved. What I’ve learned through my life experiences is you CAN own the dream, you can make those dreams a reality. It is going to be hard, and that’s okay! Believe in yourself and go after it for as long as it takes. It took me nearly 15 years before I was able to honestly and officially call myself a movie director. And, through those years was a lot of heartache, sacrifice, and immense struggle, but knowing that I created these opportunities for myself is priceless. And, that is something I would hope everyone can experience in their life at least once.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think one of the most significant differences between myself and other directors is my yearning desire to craft bodies of work collaboratively with fellow talented and bright minds with the sole intention to produce content that is not only commercially successful but timeless as well. The most recent accomplishment I am most proud of is producing and directing my first feature film after 15 years in this industry. Directing your first feature film is a staple mark and invaluable chapter I think in every director’s career. It is one that much like losing your virginity is something you never forget. I touched a little bit on how I got to where I am today in a previous passage, and no, it was by no means easy at all. The film industry is an industry that is shrouded in mystery. Unfortunately, there have been so many different success stories with different paths that each of them took that when you’re entering the industry, sometimes it’s hard to determine which is the right route to take. So finding which way up the ladder works best for you is something that takes time to figure out. I will say some of the biggest takeaways I have learned that I wish I had learned much sooner is this. 1. If you want to make movies, you have to go out and make them. It’s hard but the path is simple. Because so much of this business and the value of what you create is subjective, relies on reputation, and multiple individuals ability to trust you, the Only true way you can progress is by continuing to produce solid works of art. And, that won’t happen in the beginning. Even if you went to film school like I did, your first works of art won’t be your best nor your most compelling. Film is an art form that is multi-faceted and takes many years to not only master your specific role, but find a team that brings out the best in you. 2. Your word means everything in this business. Because filmmaking much like a well oiled machine requires so many individuals to be able to work interchangeably and efficiently it is imperative that you give honest feedback and reliability to your workflow. 3. Be patient. This is something that I struggled with a lot as an aspiring filmmaker because I wanted so badly to get involved with bigger productions and I wasn’t patient enough with myself to know that those opportunities would come in due time after I was ready. The opportunities are out there and they are going to continue to be out there so don’t worry. If you work hard and stay consistent those opportunities will find you. What I would love for the world to know about me is that I am an individual who tremendously cares about every person involved with any one of my productions, I tremendously care about the experience that I reviewer has watching content I’ve had a role in crafting, and I tremendously care to be the best filmmaker that I can be. It is my ultimate hope that when I’m an old man and I look back on my life I will have left behind several timeless stories like Star Wars or Jurassic Park that my children’s children can grow fond of, and grow to inspire new waves of entertainers & filmmakers.

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?
If any one of my friends was coming to visit Saint Petersburg Florida for a weeks time I would say one of the first stops would be the beaches because the water is beautiful and the weather here is incredible. Then depending upon their fancy I would show them downtown which has a generous amount of musicians who play on the street. The food within that area isn’t that bad either haha so we could bond over that as well. Next, I would say touring around downtown Saint Petersburg to see all of the murals that are done by graffiti artists around the world is definitely worthwhile. And if we made it that far I probably would try to escape with them to a movie theater till I could come up with more creative ideas on how to entertain them for a time much longer than I normally have.

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?
There is no possible way I can name every single person that has had a positive influence over my success but if I had to narrow it down these would be the top people. BENJAMIN & CYNTHIA LONG – My parents who have always supported my dreams, and encouraged me to be my absolute best. SARAH LONG – My sister who has always been a voice of reason. Her advice has been invaluable. MILENA JUNE – My precious daughter, who has motivated me to show her what is possible with belief in oneself. FAVORITE BOOKS: “Think & Grow Rich”, and “The Go-Giver INSPIRATIONAL FILMS: “What Dreams May Come”, “Hook”, and “Star Wars”.

Website: www.KiaroPictures.com
Instagram: @kiaropictures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AKiaroscuro/