Daily Inspiration: Meet Mason Seeley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mason Seeley.

Hi Mason, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story begins in Sacramento, California, when my mom bought me a kid’s camcorder at eight years old. I’d always been fascinated by our old family camcorder and constantly begged to use it, so she decided to get me one of my own. From there, I was hooked. Over the years, I kept upgrading—first to iPods and iPads, then to my own Canon camcorder, and eventually a DSLR—making little movies and skits with my best friends.

By middle school, I had started a YouTube channel where my friends and I posted our creations. I became known as “the YouTube guy” at school—the kid who just wanted to make people laugh. Creating something that made others feel something brought me so much happiness, and at that point, that was really the goal: to make people feel.

Everything changed after I watched The Revenant with my dad in theaters. That was the moment I knew I wanted to make movies for real. During my junior year of high school, I decided to take my craft more seriously and started exploring short films. That’s also when I made up my mind to pursue film school instead of a traditional college.

In 2020, I moved to Los Angeles and began attending The Los Angeles Film School the following year. Since then, I’ve built lifelong friendships, made countless connections, worked on more sets than I can count, shot an award-winning short film, and directed two full-budget short films currently on the festival circuit. One is a sci-fi thriller called NEMOSYNE, and the other is a body horror drama titled What’s Wrong With Sawyer Smith?, which I co-directed with one of my best friends, Jacob Canepa.

Jacob and I actually started out making YouTube videos together back in the day, and we’ve always had a great creative chemistry, so bringing him on as co-director just made sense. Now, we’re waiting to hear back from festivals and have already begun developing our next project under my production company, NextLifePictures.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. When I first started taking my craft seriously, I doubted myself a lot. There were so many projects I swept under the rug because I cared too much about what other people thought. It took me a long time to get past that self-doubt—the constant feeling of not being good enough.

But that was just one bump in the road. Once I actually started directing, I realized how many moving parts go into a production. NEMOSYNE almost fell apart multiple times because of location issues, rental complications, and just about every kind of problem you could imagine. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anxiety like that in my life.

At one point, we almost got kicked out of the house we were filming in due to a series of misunderstandings and budget problems. Someone accidentally used the wrong tape on the walls, which ended up ripping off paint and drywall. Another person misreported the number of people on set—we told the owners there would be eight, but forty showed up. The owners allowed us to finish filming on our last day, but we weren’t allowed inside—not even to use the bathroom. If anyone needed to go, we had to walk down the street to a Ralphs!

And to top it off, that entire weekend, I was battling intense imposter syndrome. However, there’s truly no better feeling than finishing a film. At the end of the day, no matter how chaotic the process gets, it’s always worth it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a director, cinematographer, and editor based in Los Angeles. While I specialize in narrative storytelling (mainly short films as of now) editing has become one of my main sources of income. I love shaping a story in post just as much as capturing it on set, and I think having that editing background makes me a stronger director overall.

I started my company, NextLifePictures, to produce work that’s both visually striking and emotionally grounded. I’m most proud of my two recent short films: NEMOSYNE, a sci-fi thriller that’s currently on the festival circuit, and What’s Wrong With Sawyer Smith?, a body horror drama I co-directed with my longtime friend and collaborator, Jacob Canepa. Both taught me a lot about collaboration, leadership, and staying calm when things inevitably go wrong.

What sets me apart, I think, is how hands-on I am with every stage of the process. I’ve worked nearly every role on set, from grip to camera to post, so I understand how each piece contributes to the bigger picture. I treat every project with the same care and attention I’d give to someone’s child, because that’s what it feels like—you’re nurturing something from an idea into a finished story.

What makes you happy?
Like I said before, making people feel something with my work makes me happy. Of course, I love making people laugh, but if I can get them grossed out, scared, give them chills, or even make them tear up a little, I get this huge rush of joy. It’s like I can literally feel the dopamine hit.

Outside of filmmaking, I’m happiest when I’m surrounded by music, friends and family, movies, fitness, and video games. I need all of those things in my life to stay balanced and keep my mind busy. If I didn’t have them, if I were stranded on an island like Tom Hanks, I’d definitely lose my mind.

Pricing:

• $1,000 flat rate for short films
• $35-$50 hourly editing (negotiable)

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mason_seeley/?hl=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-seeley-137175319/

Image Credits
Taliah Taylor