Meet Anthony | Filmmaker and Photographer

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

Hi Anthony, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always been drawn to filmmaking as a medium since high school. I remember freshman year, my English teacher gave us options as to how to present a report on Romeo and Juliet, like powerpoint, song, performance, essay, and a video. I thought to myself, “Video! Why would I choose any of those other options?” and that began my fascination with the format.
I always saw filmmaking as a combination of multiple disciplines and that was intriguing, and a challenge to perfect.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Being a professional artist can be challenging. Much of what I do is not for the sake of art, by creating art as a business. Finding that balance and ability to create for others is a skill I’ve had to learn over years of trial and error. Many times I’ve had to put my filmmaking career on hold in order to pay rent. Nevertheless, I continued to make progress during those times by making videography a side-hustle. In 2020, during the height of covid, I actually saw a large uptick in the amount of work I was receiving and took that as a sign I should go back into business for myself. In January of 2021, I left my full time job to put all my efforts into my production company, Colectivo Creative Media.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve been living in Denton since 2008, and it’s now my home. There is such a strong community of locals, artists, and creators here that every weekend has something going on. I would start the morning bouncing between many of the great coffee shops we have in town (Record, Triptych, West Oak, Avoca), grab lunch at Loco Cafe and enjoy the laid back atmosphere, then head to East Side for a couple drinks to wind down the evening and then find a local show happening somewhere near the square.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
About 10 years ago, I was given the opportunity to be an Artist-in-Residence for Jolt Initiative. They are a Latino advocacy group that I aligned with and wanted to be a part of. Through this program, I was given the opportunity to produce many projects that aided their cause, but also allowed me the flexibility to be creative with my videography. Their program essentially gave me the launch pad to be where I am today and much of what I created for them across multiple years is still in my portfolio today. Jolt also encouraged me to embrace my Latino/Chicano/Tejano identity and that I now bring into the work that I produce.

Website: https://colectivocreative.co

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

Linkedin: //www.linkedin.com/in/anthonynajera/

Other: https://vimeo.com/colectivocreative