Meet Nuno Gomes | Writter & Director

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

Hi Nuno, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I always hated when I heard someone from the industry reply “it’s just business”. So I will give you a little bit of context before I jump directly into the answer. When I was 11 years old I knew right and then I wanted to become a Director, no questions asked. I started to do the “School Tv News”, recording the Theater plays from our Classroom and funny bits for our Art Class and I always looked up to this “Special Presentations” before the movies started, like “An UNIVERSAL PICTURES Movie” or “20TH CENTURY FOX presents” and I wanted to have something similar on my own stuff to show before my presentations right? So I read a book which was given to me by my father called “The Magician Diary” by Paulo Coelho before he became THE Paulo Coelho that we all know. Basically before becoming a renewed/awarded writer he went on a mystical journey through the Santiago de Compostela way and he wrote about it and made it into a book with all the people, adventures and crazy experiences he encountered on his trip. I found it just magical, wonderful, exhilarating and pure fun. Fell in love with it, especially all the mysticism behind the “Compostela journey” and I just couldn’t get out of my head the idea of this special place where anything can come true and just like that, It clicked! That’s it! Compostela comes from the Latin word “Field of Stars’, like this land full of dreams of so many people ready to become real and I couldn’t find a better name to call my very own dream; my “visual business’ ‘. So what started back in School, years later evolved into my company “Compostela Films & Art”; and even though its has been almost 14 years later, with many projects already done along the way, collaborated with wonderful artists, worked on different entertainment medias, platforms and clients, I never lost sight from where everything started…this idea of make peoples dream come true. I know it’s very “romantic” and probably naive from me thinking like that, but I believe everything that we do, how we think, how we behave in life, how we treat people, how me face troubles, how we overcome problems and how we succeed in life comes from who we were back when everything started, if we lose that, better starting to find another reason that makes your heart pumped if you want to be successful and happy in life. A successful business comes from a business state of mind that feeds from a purpose. A soul without a purpose, it’s an empty vasell waiting to be filled with meaning and meaning without passion, it’s just like a company without heart. Nothing good comes from anything without heart…even if “it’s just business”.
 

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.
I come from a very unique family from complicated backgrounds. My mom’s family escaped to Venezuela running away from the Salazar dictatorship back in Portugal and my dad decided to pursue his bigger dreams at 17 years old against his dads wishes, neither blessing; basically he was cast out. Both of them were fugitives, exiled people from their homes and when they reached Venezuela it was surviving and working to not die of hunger. My mom and dad are the real heroes here, they went out very young to a foreigner city, not knowing the language and constantly adapting to the weather, laws and rules of a country who didn’t ask them to come. They worked extremely hard to build themselves up, gathered money and started a life worthy of their big hearts and even greater dreams. They finally met each other and decided to form a family, thankfully from the fruition of that love, me and my younger brother were born.

So picture after all that struggling and hustling, following all the sacrifices you made to give your childrens the life you wish you had but life itself wasn’t that kind to you,your older son by the time he becomes a man and decides to tell you what kind of person he dreams to be, he tells you he wants to become a film director, you know deep in your heart that probably God doesn’t love you; well at least that’s what my parents perhaps felt when I confess them my aspirational career when i grow up. Jokes aside, for them at the beginning was a rough ball. They worked extremely hard to give all the opportunities I could have to follow any other career that was considered “noble” or “legit”, instead of pursuing a career that sadly everybody has the wrong knowledge about, specially people who grew up in the 70s and 80s.

But thank goodness I have the best parents ever, they got my back when literally I had no one on my side, they supported and carried me on every single step of the way, helping me as my first production crew, catering, actors and both my first live audience and my toughest critics yet. We were not a wealthy family whatsoever, I never had the opportunity to study in some fancy film school or attend any master class; everything I learned from the movies I grew up with and the work on the street which I started at a very young age. I worked for free for almost 2 years in a production company who made tv commercials and what I got in return was learning from the best of the business in the front row. I asked EVERYTHING I didn’t know. Thankfully the people who took me over were amazing human beings who didn’t bother having a kid running around helping any soul that wanted to give him a shot to do anything. I just wanted to help, learn and be there. My first official job in the industry was cleaning a set full of dog crap with my bare hands and I loved it, I felt I was where I belong and nothing else matters.

Slowly but surely I started to get involved in every single department and learning from al the masters, doing 4 or 5 task more that what I should have, but I was happy about it, I didn’t care I didnt sleep, I barely had any social life i just want to live the moment, lear as much as. my brain could absorb, i wanted to be the very best at my craft so for that I knew I had to not take this opportunity for granted because I didn’t know for how long i was going to have it. I did everything I could, from wardrobe, production, art department, casting, writing room, montage, sound, acting until I got the blessing to try out to be a 2nd AD. Luckily for me the first AD got sick and I gave my all to be the best 1st AD I could be and I poured myself into the set for it. I believed I nailed because from them on I was always his 1AD. Few years went by and the same director who gave me the opportunity to work in his company as an observer, gave me my first gig as a director and I never stopped for almost 4 years. I did everything I could in Venezuela, Pepsi, Gatorade, HBO, LEVIS, etc. it was a beautiful journey which I adore and love very close to my chest, because it was fought for. I never got anything for free, I never hurted anyone to get anywhere, I always treat everyone one with respect, admiration and love. I just wanted to be happy and do everything in my power to live doing what I love.

I opened my own company focused only on Music Videos in a country where “music videos” were associated with “amateur hour”, “debts”, “horrible job”, “not worthy”, and “bankruptcy”. We changed that perspective; project by project we started to make a name for ourselves and slowly but surely people started to show up, bigger clients started to contact us and the company became a statement of quality, heart and possibilities. We demonstrate that you don’t need to go anywhere outside our country to find value. In our run for almost 7 years we made 310 music videos, 40 tv commercials, 20 documentaries, got 18 awards and up to this day as a freelancer director I got a Latin Grammy nomination, directed 2 Disney Plus tv shows already and i’m preparing for my greatest adventure yet.

Im excited for what the future holds for me. I keep looking forward without loosing sight where everything started. Im proud of everything I have done to get here and Im confident that I haven’t reached halfway yet. So much road ahead but Im still dreaming like I did 25 years ago when I watched Austin Powers 2 and I laughed so hard on the intro that I knew right there and then I wanted to become a Film director. Crazy uh? Not the fancy film you will expected right? But thats what I love about this medium art, it appeals to everyone in so many different ways, you connect on different senses, levels and layers. It’s love in motion and the best teacher that you could ever have. It taught me so much, who Am I and who I want to not only become, but who I want to be for others. I own everything to my career and the people who worked along with me. Looking back on everything I have accomplished so far, Its crazy how my life was determined by 2 words that summons up the feeling of happiness have until this day: “Yeah baby!”.

To every single creator, artist, dreamer…never hide your dreams under the pillow, live them, feed them, fight for them because some day, eventually, if you do everything in your power doing the right thing to work hard without caring the destination but enjoying the ride and the people who you travel with, those dreams will not only come true but they will loose the name of dreams and they will start to be named LIFE.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
That’s actually a really cool question because it will depend mostly on my mood that day. I have the tendency to organize very crazy, unpredictable plans for everyone that normally visit us. My first instinct tells me to grab the car, hit the road, reach Orlando and have a blast in some Park, Universal or Disney, doesn’t matter, we will definitely have the best of times just having fun and creating memories forever. Best business deals were closed on those terms.

But if the idea was to create an itinerary based on the city where I live and I can’t travel or go any further I believe it will be something like this:

1- We started with the sun rising at the beach while we meditated or just enjoyed the morning with our little dachshund. Go swimming at the sea, recharge, play UNO while we take some Vitamin D and then hit the apt.

2- After showering and getting dressed, we go to DULCE TROPICAL, the best place in Miami to eat real Venezuelan empanadas (pasty). If you are not from Venezuela, you will probably end up wishing you were. Is THAT good!

3- I will take you to the Morikami Museum afterwards; a beautiful Japanese garden, modeled after a Japanese villa from the eighth to the 20th century, and serve as an outdoor extension of a museum dedicated to spreading appreciation for the living culture of Japan. Morikami has been a center for Japanese arts and culture in South Florida. After walking the gardens and seeing the Bonsais collection, we should have lunch there for sure.

4- Then I will take you to Glitch Bar to have the best experience drinking from a massive variety of cocktails and home-brew beers while at the same time we have a blast playing Pinball all afternoon. Pinball it’s another art form of love in motion for me. Huge fan and a BIG pinball enthusiast. I will probably get you into Pinball after that, promise you.

5- We are going to be hungry after playing Pinball and it can’t get any better after that than RAMEN! We will go to Go Bistro in Hollywood to have the best Ramen in Miami (in my own opinion). The place has an incredible vibe, great music, amazing people and DELICIOUS ramen. We will drink Mango sake that’s just mind blowing.

6- What better way to digest dinner than to go to the cinema and watch a movie that we will probably love or hate? NOTHING. Like Din Djarin says “This is the way”. We jump into the theater and pick a movie to chill, relax and enjoy while we whisper at the end of the trailers when Nicole Kidman says to us: “they are”.

7- After the movie, we jump into the car while we discuss what we love and hate about it, get home, show you my geek collection, show your room that probably will be my game room full of pinballs, probably play a little bit, put some songs on the tv and sing along, my wife it’s AMAZING in Karaoke so she will probably destroy us and at the end we laugh, hug and say goodbye, for the best day of your life.

FIN.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m a true believer of the sentence “without YOU, there is no ME ”. I am who “I am” because of the people who supported me back in the days when I started to map out my life thinking I could live doing what I love the most. Perhaps at the beginning many people laugh about it because it’s such an ambitious dream to achieve right?, but thanks for the very few who believed in me, helped me to reached my goals, to perfect my craft, who gave me an opportunity to learn, to fail, to grow, to be better, not only as a professional but as a human being, to stand up on my feet and prove my self that there are no small dreams that are not worthy to be fought for, because of them I can rise above my fears, my insecurities and doubts and fulfill what I personally believe it’s why i was meant to be. Every single person who gave me from their time, their patience, their sympathy, their love and decided to take a leap of faith with me, it’s because each and every single one of them, I can become the better version of myself that I’m hoping to be; and for that reasons and that reason only I owned them EVERYTHING I have accomplished so far.

My mom, dad and brother were the foundations of my dreams, my wife my inspiration and all my friends the blood that keeps my heart pumping to always makes me go forwards without knowing what we might encounter on our way, but very certain of our destination.

I want to give a big shout out to a person who was a mentor for me when I decided to pursue this career against all odds and that was Mr Mauro Demoor. An amazing Argentinian Director who took me under his wing and guided me in my youth, teaching me the way of the business, how to interact with clients and how to be a leader, not a screamer. He was just a phenomenal artist to see on a set and he was my blueprint on how I wanted to be. Is no question that without him in my life I will not be where I am today. I hold a special place in my heart for him, for how crucial and important his presence in my life set a curse on my future but also what he represents in my life as a person to look up to, to a mentor and last but not least most important as my friend.

Website: https://vimeo.com/nunodirector

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nunodirector?lang=es

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/negace/

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

Other: https://nunodirector.com https://encuentronunogomes.com https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8959544/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Image Credits
Bernardo Torres Photographer