Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanner Cipriano.
Tanner, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up just outside of Detroit, Michigan, I always wanted to be an artist but I leaned into drawing and illustration first and foremost. In high school, I began making videos and sketches with friends and realized how fulfilling it was to take my love of storytelling and show it off it to larger groups of people by way of screenings at school as well as a small internet audience. I ended up taking a Basics of Film and Television in college at the University of Notre Dame mostly just because it sounded cool to be watching great movies and tv for “homework.”
The more we watched and learned in this class, however, the more I realized how much work went into the productions of these movies and shows that I loved and I started seriously considering the entertainment business as a possible career after college. With the help of great professors and administrators, I scoured film and TV history and watched everything I could and quickly fell in love with all aspects of the production process. At the same time, I was making as many connections as I could so that when my time came to make The Jump out here to LA, I’d have a safety net of people and resources that would make the transition slightly less scary, especially as I’d be coming from a very different culture and community in the Midwest.
And so, after spending the summer post-graduation with my family back home in Detroit, I took a 2-week road trip by myself and arrived in LA on August 26, 2017 with no job, a two bedroom apartment for four friends, and lots of very very nervous excitement.
Thanks to the aforementioned connections that I made through Notre Dame, after about a month in LA, I started an internship at Aperture Entertainment which became my first small step into Hollywood and taught me the important entry-level skill of script coverage. While interning, I continued tapping into those same ND connections until I was lucky enough to eventually land an interview with the show Narcos: Mexico where I joined as a Writers’ PA for Season 1. It was here where I learned more about the creative process than ever before thanks to the show’s collaborative group of writers who took me under their wing. And then, in the fall of 2018, our showrunner, Eric Newman, promoted me to be his assistant at his company Screen Arcade which is where I’ve been for just about six months and where I continue to learn even more about the production process and the industry as a whole.
Has it been a smooth road?
Unfortunately, as positive as my experience out here in LA has been so far, my life as a whole has not been the smoothest of roads.
In the early morning of April 16, 2012, my house was broken into.
My dad was murdered, my mother and twin brother were put into comas, and my baby sister and I were left unharmed but were forced to move in with our aunt and uncle.
The intruders were on drugs and they were also my older brother and his friend.
So obviously this was a pretty major bump in the road.
However, I’ve come to accept that as much as this was a defining moment in my life, it is not the defining moment of my life. As such, I’ve been able to shoulder the (many) difficult effects of our tragedy just as much as I’m able to recognize all of the gifts that I’ve been given as a result of the tragedy. In other words, my family and I have been given a second chance and I believe that we are doing everything we can to take full advantage of that second chance.
My mother has made a miraculous recovery to the point that she continues to be our mom in every way including driving my siblings to their many commitments and appointments as well as worrying about whether we’re eating healthy enough or not. And while my twin brother hasn’t made quite the same degree of physical recovery yet (he is still working on talking again and regaining his independence), he continues to work hard every day with doctors, nurses, and trainers as he races down his own path of healing. And I’m just as proud to say that my sister hasn’t let our situation hold her back in any way either as she has worked her way to the top of her class academically while she simultaneously plays three different high school sports and yet still somehow leaves enough time for other extracurriculars. Personally, I’ve talked enough about me already, so long story short is I laugh, I cry, and I try to have a good (and safe) time with my family and friends.
As for my older brother and his friend, I realized early on it would do me no good to live the rest of my life in hatred and blame, so I forgave them both in honor of my father who always loved my brother and my mother who still loves him to this day.
And as much as I miss my father, I believe now more than ever, his spirit continues to live on in the actions and lives of my family, and as such, I hope to continue to make him proud. He was a generous and loving man who helped more people than anyone could ever imagine, so in his memory, I’ve made it my mission to help others through their own grief, trauma, and day-to-day difficulties.
But both my dad and my mom also shared a great sense of humor, so making a few jokes always helps me with my own struggles as well 🙂 .
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
The company that I work for is Screen Arcade which is a producing shingle formed by Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless. We’re known for the 2017 movie Bright starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton as well as the upcoming Netflix movies, PWR with Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon Levitt and Bright 2 which is set to begin shooting early next year. As an assistant, my primary responsibilities consist of rolling calls, scheduling, and emailing for my boss, but our company prides itself on its collaborative work environment so I’m lucky to be at a place where my creative ideas and opinions are also heard and appreciated.
As an individual, I’m a writer with the intention to write for TV, but I’m also interested in illustrating, animating, and photography. Because of my past, my writing and art tends to lean towards death, grief, and the absurdity of life, but I’m also interested in discovering and highlighting stories that wouldn’t otherwise be told. The world can only take so many more films and television about white men in their 20s and 30s “trying to be good people.”
As such, considering I’m one of those white men who could definitely stand to be a more good person, I’m most interested in supporting other voices who haven’t had the same chances in the past to share their story even if that means pulling myself into the background.
Also, I like to dance even if I’m not good at it and it gets me really sweaty.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The best part of this city is that in less than 24 hours, I can swim in the ocean during the day, see a weird comedy show in Silver Lake in the evening, and then go dancing in Hollywood at night.
The worst part of this city is that I’m probably gonna have to drive (in very bad traffic) to all of these things… but shout-out to ridesharing and public transport!
Contact Info:
- Website: tannercipriano.com
- Phone: 2489049820
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tcipdawq/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tanner.cipriano
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TcipDawq
- Other: https://www.ciprianochildrenstrust.org/
Image Credit:
Josh Hammaren (picture of me)
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