Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Casselman.
Ryan , let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It was the first day of seventh grade. In an attempt to break the ice, my math teacher had each of the students write down ‘our name’ and ‘a place we feel safe’. She further clarifies, “it could be your bedroom, your grandmother’s house… a place you feel most at home.” Pondering a moment, my twelve-year-old self realized the place I felt most safe was at the movie theater. This was obviously pre-corona virus pandemic.
I come from El Cajon which has been described by William Shatner as the “anus of San Diego.” A bit harsh, but can’t say I completely disagree with that description. To spare you all the details surrounding my childhood (I’ll save that for a feature film one day), the movie theater always served as a safe-haven for me at a time when I needed that stability the most. As a kid, I would ride my bicycle to the movie theater where I’d sit in a dark room all day and would be completely spellbound. That passion for film and storytelling that I had as a kid is the same passion that drives me today.
My journey into filmmaking was similar to most filmmakers, I suppose. I use to experiment with my Dad’s old VHS camera making short films, before eventually moving on to a camera that recorded on DV tapes. I totally aged myself just now, didn’t I? I always thought making films was just something fun I did with my friends. I had no idea that what I was doing would actually be foreseeing what I would be doing later in life.
Now I live in Orange County area and have my own little production company called A Focus Group. I create video content for a variety of companies and non-profit organizations. I have made several short films as well, many which have gone on to screen at some major film festivals across the country. My last short was a 30-minute story called Our Barrio, featuring an amazing cast of Latinx actors. That short went on to screen at the Palm Springs International Short Fest and Kansas City Short Fest, where it won “Best Narrative Short”. Our Barrio is now streaming on Seed&Spark (shameless plug) where it has found a larger audience. Currently, I’m developing an episodic series expanding the world created in Our Barrio. I also am seeking to shoot a short film I recently wrote revolving around the issue of pay inequality.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wish I could say the journey leading me to my filmmaking career has been a smooth one. However, that is the furthest from the truth. After graduating high school, I got completely stuck working as a waiter to pay the bills. Though I loved film, I never saw filmmaking as something that was a viable option for me. I ended up waiting tables for ten years and had zero confidence in myself as an artist.
Seeking to do something creative, I took an acting class at a community college. There I learned about Meisner technique and even more importantly, I learned a lot about myself (the cheapest therapy money could buy). Eventually, after a bunch of encouragement from my girlfriend, I signed up to participate in a film competition in San Diego called The 48 Hour Film Project. We gathered up a rag-tag team and in the four years we participated, we won “Best Film” twice.
Along the way, something else miraculously happened. I started believing in myself. After saving up enough money and courage, on my ten year anniversary as a waiter, I quit my job at the restaurant to pursue freelance filmmaking. Even though I struggled a lot in the beginning, I fought my way through it. I always feared that if I quit my day job to pursue my passion, I may regret it. I’m happy to report to you that even in the hardest of days, I never regretted taking the leap.
A Focus Group Films – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My production company is called A Focus Group and we offer a wide range of video services for businesses and organizations. Whether it be commercials, promos, social media content, you name it; we work with a team of talented filmmakers and creative artists to turn any idea into a reality. Co-owned with my longtime collaborator (and longtime girlfriend), A Focus Group works closely with our clients to craft custom videos that fulfill their specific needs.
What sets us apart from other production companies is that we really pour our hearts and soul into everything we do. We have such an intense passion for telling stories. No matter the gig, we always see it as an opportunity to create something meaningful. I think our specialty in particular is making content that connects with an audience on an emotional level. We don’t actively try to make people cry, it just seems to turn out that way sometimes. One of my proudest works was a commercial we made for the non-profit organization, Little Free Library. Which you can check out on YouTube or my website (second shameless plug).
During these trying times of the current pandemic, another element that has really set us apart from other production companies is that my girlfriend is also an incredibly talented actress. So our ability to create professional content safety from our home has been a huge benefit for our clients.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’ve had a few proud moments of my career so far. I’ve seen words I’ve written on a page come to life on the screen, I’ve been nominated for a regional Emmy for directing; heck, I learned how to hoola-hoop last week!
The proudest moment of my career though, so far, was probably at the Palm Springs International Short Fest. I had just screened Our Barrio alongside some incredible shorts who have also played at major film festivals like Sundance and The Toronto International Film Festival. I’m standing on stage with this amazing, diverse group of filmmakers who have created astonishing pieces of work. As I stood there, I wondered, “how the heck did I get here?” Then I started thinking about that line near the end of Ratatouille where Peter O’Toole’s character says, “not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.” So true. Even if that place is considered to be the “anus of San Diego.”
Pricing:
- You can get a free consultation by emailing us or visiting our website.
- New clients get a 15% discount on their first project with us
Contact Info:
- Website: https://afocusgroupfilms.com
- Phone: (619) 402-7454
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/ryan.casselman
- Facebook: facebook.com/afocusgroup
- Other: vimeo.com/afocusgroup
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