Meet Ilan Arboleda | Film Producer, Managing Partner CreativeChaos vmg

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

Hi Ilan, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is the critical element in what we do at CreativeChaos vmg. Without risk, there is no creative process. Without risk there is no entrepreneurship. What makes my work so exciting is that every day is a venture into the unknown armed only with the confidence (false or not) that we will somehow figure it out. It’s what has made my career worthwhile.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started CreativeChaos vmg 12 years ago with two partners. Hatched on a farmhouse table in Virginia, we wanted to create a media company that challenged conventional norms, embraced provocative ideas and tackled systemic inequities. We’ve been successful in bringing powerful movies to the screen that have sought to do that, but it has been a sisyphean challenge. The last decade has been as much about creating an identity for the company as it has been about making successful films. In order to do so, we’ve needed autonomy, and that is not without costs. We have learned that the ability to be lean so that we can easily pivot (especially during the pandemic) has been a crucial part of our sustainability. We’re proud that our films have created laws, changed policies, and brought about industry wide overhauls. They continue to inspire and motivate.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I was born and raised in Miami and then left for almost 30 years. I returned less than two years ago and it has been one of my great joys to be back in a place that has grown so much but is still grounded in its roots and its history. If my best friend came to town, I’d take him to the Miami of my youth while some of it is still here. I”d drive down Old Cutler Road beneath the canopied Banyan trees. I’d paddle board in the mangroves that hug the coast. I’d walk the street of Coconut Grove. I’d drive around and see the historic houses of the founders of the city while explaining how the city was founded, how it was planned, how it grew, and the different peoples and cultures that influenced the make up of the city. I’d go down to Homestead and grab fresh sticky buns from Knaus Berry Farms. I”d have lunch at the counter at the Last Carrot on Grand. I”d grab a slice of Pizza at the historic Frankie’s. I’d get stone crabs or blackened fish at one of the many fish dives. I’d rent a boat and go out in the bay and circle around Stiltsville and drop anchor at a sandbar and have some beers. I”d drive to Miami Beach up Collins Avenue and show him where Wolfie’s once stood. I”d go to Calle Ocho and have a cortadito. Then I would take him to all the modern restaurants, gilded bars, gentrified hotspots, and urban revitalization that has come to signify the new Miami that I also love. I think that would be a great way to get a full picture of Miami.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
To my father – who taught me how to dream big.

Website: www.creativechaosvmg.com