We recently had the chance to connect with Iván Magdaleno and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Iván, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
What I’m most proud of building, though most people don’t see it, is the foundation of our collective.
It’s not just the events, the projects, or even the businesses we support; those are visible on the surface. What makes it work and brings a sense of “family” and something special is the network of trust, respect, and shared purpose I’ve built with my closest friends that are now a part of this.
Many of us are Pomona natives, and all of us deeply invested in our community. We’ve each gone out, honed our skills, and become masters of our craft. Bringing that talent back home and weaving it together into a cohesive, powerful team is the real achievement.
We’re not just a group of professionals. We’re a true collective bound by friendship, history, and a shared vision for our city and our communities. This is what makes everything we do possible, and what makes the impact we create together so meaningful in my opinion.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My work has always been driven by a creative spirit, a calling to bring things into being for creation’s sake. Every big idea starts as a late-night conversation among friends, and ours turned into a company that blends art, spirituality, and technology.
What we do is help brands not just keep up with culture, but shape it. We combine the transformative power of art with data-driven strategy to create powerful, resonant content. For me, my art is a conduit for deep emotions and spiritual visions, a dialogue between my love for Christ, pagan traditions, and the raw forces that move through me. My journey, including a profound near-death experience, rewired my perspective on life and art, making my work an act of release and a form of deep meditation.
We are, in essence, a full in-house production company for filming, editing, content branding, and strategy, all driven by advanced analytics. We believe our unique strength lies in the intersection of creativity and data. We are more than just a company; we are a collective born from shared conversations and a shared calling to build something that truly makes an impact.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a young creative driven by a sense of urgency. My father’s illness instilled in me an early understanding of what matters, and the hardcore punk scene taught me to be inherently anti-establishment and embrace do-it-yourself (DIY) culture. I was an outlier, a creative with a relentless drive, navigating a world that didn’t always understand me.
Embracing the journey of an unconventional mind path has been anything but smooth. I’ve faced the unique challenges of a misunderstood creative, lacking emotional intelligence and being ostracized by various social circles. My decision to study finance and business, while seemingly a compromise, was a calculated choice a way to support my family and, in turn, fund my true passions. This journey has not been easy, but it has forged me into a more resilient person. Looking back, I wouldn’t trade the struggles; they’ve provided invaluable skills and a deep understanding of what it means to build a supportive community.
Today, I channel that same spirit into my work, blending the practical with the artistic. I use my resources a studio, film equipment, and more to not only pursue my own goals but also to help my clients with their creative pursuits. Ultimately, my story is one of using unconventional experiences to forge a unique path, where my non-traditional upbringing has become my greatest strength.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
To my younger self, I would say: “Trust the urgency. The world might not understand the path you’re on right now the creative and the pragmatic, the rebellious and the business-minded. But all of these pieces are preparing you for something far greater than you can imagine. Your resilience, your DIY spirit, and even the feeling of being misunderstood are not weaknesses; they are the very things that will give you the unique power to build something truly special. Keep going. You are exactly who you are meant to be.”
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
The cultural value I protect at all costs is **authenticity + loyalty + altruism**. They are at the core of everything I do.
From a young age, the anti-establishment ethos of the hardcore punk scene instilled in me the importance of the do-it-yourself (DIY) culture. It’s about staying true to your roots, creating for the sake of creation, not compromising your vision for the sake of conformity and Loyalty. These are a values that have guided me through every challenge from being a misunderstood creative to navigating the complexities of business and finance.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I am absolutely doing what I was born to do.
From a young age, I felt an incessant current of light and a calling that couldn’t be ignored a creative spirit driven to bring things into being for their own sake. This wasn’t something anyone told me to do; it was a transcendent force that felt a lot like “divine grace”. It set me on a path that others might not have understood.
My unconventional journey, shaped by my father’s illness and a deep immersion in the DIY culture of the punk scene, wasn’t about following a script. It was about building my own. I chose to study finance not because it was expected, but because it was the strategic move that would allow me to fuel my creative purpose and provide for my family. This blend of street-smart grit and intellectual discipline feels like a “demigod’s duality” a mix of earthly practicality and a higher calling. My mind, constantly connecting disparate ideas and finding opportunity in unexpected places, feels like a
“superhuman brain” at work.
What I’m building now a collective of friends working to revitalize our hometown is the truest expression of this calling. It’s not just a business; it’s the culmination of every life experience, every lesson, and every instinct I was born with. I’m using the skills I’ve honed and the resilience I’ve gained to do exactly what I was put here to do: create, connect, and serve.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sonorastudioai.com/
- Instagram: @og.dasani
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sonora-studio-ai
Image Credits
@thatmozzie
@raff_creator
@chromesum
@destroyredefine
@icrutonyou
@jaayyyjaayyyrios
@sonora_studio_ai
@migsesca
