Juan Sebastian Valencia shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Juan Sebastian, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me combines work and creative projects. I spend 8 to 10 hours creating social media content for clients, editing the tv show Beyond the Surface, while also writing my next novel and promoting my books and short films. Outside of work, I focus on routines that keep me balanced, like going to the gym, watching movies, reading, cooking, and ending the day with a film at home.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker with a lifelong dedication to storytelling. My work spans film, social media, TV, theater, and literature, blending creative vision with technical expertise to explore the heart of people through an affectionate, poetic, and realistic lens. I direct, write, and develop projects for clients around the world, including commercials and branded content, while also nurturing my own artistic projects. I am a member of the Colombian Film Academy as a screenwriter, editor, and director.
My personal work includes the Pride Love Stories collection, which has reached over seven million views, sharing narratives I wish I had seen growing up. I am also directing and editing the third season of Beyond the Surface, a reality show following Dr. Carl Truesdale, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, and the transformative impact he has on the lives of his patients. In addition, I have published four books and am currently working on my fifth, an adaptation of my short film; Café Perseguido.
Storytelling has always been my way of understanding life, a magic I continually seek to evolve.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
One of the moments that really shaped me was moving to Los Angeles from Colombia at the age of 32 to pursue a master’s degree on a scholarship. It was a complete turning point in my life in a positive way, because I had to start over. By then, I had already built a life in Colombia and thought I would stay, even though I had dreamed of making films in Los Angeles since I was a child. That experience taught me the value of perseverance, timing, and working toward a dream with purpose. It also forced me to adapt to a completely new way of living, from everyday tasks to understanding a different culture. After eight years here, I can see how that moment shaped not just my career, but also how I approach life and change.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I don’t recall ever seriously thinking about giving up, but there have certainly been moments when everything felt incredibly difficult and the options seemed limited. In those times, it’s not about stopping; it’s about finding a way to keep going. Art has always been essential to me, it’s how I understand life, how I process the world. No matter the circumstances, I will continue creating because it’s a need I cannot ignore. When things get hard, I focus on strategies, on finding the light, rather than giving up. It’s challenging, but the commitment to my art has never wavered.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The entertainment industry is fundamentally about creating, often fiction, and sometimes that fiction reaches the level of art that deeply touches an audience. In the process, it’s easy to get caught up in superficial moments and forget the reality of what truly matters. For me, it’s about understanding the core of your art, why it’s important to you, because that’s when you find a community of people who share your energy and search for the same truth. The industry can be unpredictable: you can be on a red carpet one moment and waiting for a bus the next, but those highs and lows are part of the business. The key is not to believe in the illusions and stay focused on who you are, what you want, and the work that truly matters.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
I’m building an international studio, a goal I’ve been working toward for many years. I’m carefully developing, creating, and producing to shape it into the vision I want for the next chapter of my life. I know that reaching the level I aim for will take more time and effort, involving many processes over the next several years, but I’m committed to seeing it through.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://juansebastianvalencia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juansebvalencia/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@juansebvalencia
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@juansebvalencia
