Meet Pedro Sanchez Mayorca | Video Director & Creative Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pedro Sanchez Mayorca and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pedro, why did you pursue a creative career?
When I was a kid, my parents would play classic movies at home. They made an effort to show me the classics they grew up loving (The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, E.T.). Eventually I started watching those movies more than regular cartoons on TV. My grandfather would even give me VHS copies of Laurel and Hardy, so I exposed to classic cinema since very little.

As I grew older, I developed a taste for films, wanting to watch as much as I could, I became obsessed with Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, The Goonies. However, I never thought of it as a career path. Growing up in Venezuela I thought of it being too far out of reach, something they only did in Hollywood. That was until The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring came to be. I loved the movie but what really made me fell in love with the industry was watching the special features in the blu-ray special edition. Seeing the entire process of making the film was showcased so well, that it completely blew my mind. I thought to myself, “I don’t how, but I need to be part of this industry”. So, I could thank Steven Spielberg for my love of movies, but Peter Jackson was the one who sparked my obsession with anything related to filmmaking.

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.
It’s definitely not been easy. Especially since I started working in Miami. Back in Venezuela, I started my own production company with some of my best friends from school. Right off the bat we were making promotional content for clients like HBO Latin America, E!, Nestlé and Netflix Latin America. We eventually became to be known as a production company specializing in music videos, working with some renowned Venezuelan artists such as Rawayana, Anakena, El Otro Polo, Los Mesoneros, Victor Drija.

I actually started as a producer and eventually started making the transition to director. Since then, I’ve directed and edited commercials, music videos and a lot digital content. After the pandemic, I started to feel stuck in Venezuela, going through every shoot felt monotonous, like I’ve done it before, everyone wanted the same thing or there wasn’t enough room or resources to grow, so I got a work visa and decided to try my luck in the U.S.

I guess the most challenging parts of this job come to trying to pitch to your clients how important every element of the filmmaking process is, why does that person or that piece of equipment have to be there (this is more of my producer side coming out). But from a director’s POV, the hardest part may be trying to bring the images that come to your mind to life.

This industry is ultimately collaborative, so you have to rely on a lot of people (actors, cinematographers, editors) and you also have to please producers, advertising executives, artists. You have to make them understand what your vision is, that the end result will be something they like, and also something that makes sense “story-wise”. I think that everything, be it a movie, commercial, music video, Instagram reel has a story, and as a director, that has to be the key to which you make all of your creative decisions. It can sometimes be overwhelming to juggle so many things at once.

Since working in Miami, I’ve worked with some amazing people and brands who have been really welcoming and trusted my work (Capelle Miami, The House of Suits, Manuel Hernández Photography, Hat by Lazo). But I also wanted to combine my passion for food and film, so I started a brand on Instagram called Oomsi Films. I’m focusing my years of experience in video production to help chefs and small business showcase their food and their life stories through a more cinematic format of storytelling. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with great places with great food, as well as other organizations such as Humans of the Kitchen.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For the last few years I’ve been working a lot with restaurants, chefs and other businesses related to the food industry. So I guess my itinerary would be mainly based on what restaurants are we gonna try. Of course, being in Miami, there are the classic stops that have to be made, Miami Beach, Wynwood… maybe even a little trip to Orlando to hit the theme parks and visit any attraction related to a movie. But trust me, no matter where my guests want to go, I’m gonna have the lunch and dinner reservations made around that area. Some of this places include Sandoches and Cowy Burgers (which are pop-ups) and other places like Katana, Lung Yai Tapas, Sanguich de Miami, Zak the Baker, Café La Trova, Miami Slice, Osaka, B-Bistro… I’m not kidding, I could go on forever listing places.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I guess it would be my parents, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson.

Instagram: @pedrojsm89, @oomsi.films

Youtube: https://www.vimeo.com/pedrojsm89

Other: https://www.vimeo.com/pedrojsm89

Image Credits
Depends on the picture, but they include, Manuel Hernandez, Beto Ortiz (Humans of the Kitchen), Raymond Fuenmayor. Jesus Cañizales, Max Sech and/or Tekki Films.