Meet Niccolo Esquivelzeta Sohn of Riptide Films LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Niccolo Esquivelzeta Sohn.

Hi Niccolo, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have known I wanted to be involved in filmmaking since I was a three-year-old kid watching Star Wars VHS tapes in Mexico City. The closest I could get to filmmaking as a kid was live performance so I loved performing in school plays and writing short stories. That love for storytelling and film was instrumental in navigating me and my family’s immigration to the United States when I was nine years old – it was how I learned English, as well as how I coped emotionally through the abandonment of my home and my parent’s violent divorce.

Through middle and high school, live performance and acting was still the closest resource I had to filmmaking. It was musical theatre rehearsals at school and filming crappy little films with friends on the weekends. Although I was tempted to pursue theatre arts in college, I knew that higher education was my opportunity to learn the technical aspects of film that had previously been unavailable to me, like sound mixing, editing and cinematography.

I applied to and got accepted into the film program at Cal State University Long Beach. While the COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected how accessible the technical film set processes were in the first couple of years, I graduated in 2023 with concentrations in Screenwriting and Directing. The knowledge and network that I acquired at CSULB empowered me to launch my own film production group, Riptide Films. Following my graduation from CSULB my colleagues and I, including my best friend Elijah Villongco and CSULB classmate Isaak Nsuangani, produced the first half of the anthology series, Swipe Right, a narrative exploration of love in the digital age. That first half consisted of the award-winning short film The Lie Count and the short film Where Paths Cross which is set to release at the end of 2026.

Due to complications with my immigration status in high school I was not able to work in the US until a year after my graduation from CSULB. Not one to waste the time and the few opportunities that were available, I continued shooting as much as possible, becoming involved with the Pamana Kali: Philippine Martial Arts and Culture where I honed my skills in content creation and marketing on social media. The impetus behind my involvement there was a possible pathway into filmmaking through action film stunt choreography. Through its students and wide network, the dojo had connections to top stunt choreographers who I trained and often combat scenes with.

To continue producing material in an organized fashion after resolving my immigration status woes, I converted the loose “Riptide Films” film production group into Riptide Films LLC in August 2024. Based in Torrance, the company specializes in short form narrative production video content as well as premium, story-led video marketing for local businesses and brands.

My time studying fight choreography at Pamana Kali as well a general artistic philosophy of humanism together create the kinetic but emotionally present visual identity of Riptide Films.

The link to local independent businesses grew stronger with the launch of the Riptide Film Festival, a subsidiary of Riptide Films LLC, in 2025. Partnering with the Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation, the Riptide Film Festival also garnered the sponsorship of several exclusively local businesses. In 2025 and 2026, the Riptide Film Festival attracted an audience of hundreds, from regular movie watchers to die-hard advocates of independent film across Southern California. As of RFF ‘26 this October, Riptide Films remains and grows as a beacon of local film in the South Bay as well as a general junction for the indie short film world in Southern Los Angeles.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was just having a conversation with someone about how most of us ultimately adapt to the level of adversity we face, which alters what we perceive as normal or challenging later on. In short, for me, the bumps in the road have FELT smaller as time goes by.

In a family that was unable to work in the United States due to compromised immigration circumstances, I grew up with very limited resources. I routinely had to volunteer my time in exchange for spots in the play production program and cross country team in high school, because neither my mom nor I could pay the enrollment fees. Often, I was very fortunate to count myself as a recipient of friends’ generosity.

I still remember the moment I finally saved enough money to buy my own camera in college. It was something I never thought I’d be able to do, but the thing that made all the difference. Even as I graduated college, and had to watch my peers apply to internships and get entry-level media and entertainment positions while I couldn’t due to my inability to be employed legally, I knew that with a camera in my hand and colleagues to collaborate, there was a path for me to create.

With an apparent gap in structured relevant employment, becoming permanently hired for some kind of studio position has been exhaustingly difficult, so even as I gained the ability to work in late 2024, I doubled down on the increasingly more prominent idea of doing it “on my own” or “my own way.” Creating my own mini production company at 23 was the only option, and no less simple. Funding for independent film projects is notoriously complex and pitfall-ridden, so on top of Riptide Films LLC, a couple of colleagues and I launched the Riptide Film Festival to cultivate an engaged audience and possibly fundraise for future projects. Needless to say, we were met with more than a few naysayers, especially when it came to contracting local independent businesses for sponsorship of the film festival, the perks of which often included a professional commercial or brand film for their business or organization.

But experience is the best credential, so I am grateful for the opportunity to continue doing what I love in the industry that I adore.

As you know, we’re big fans of Riptide Films LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Riptide Films is an independent film and video production company based in Los Angeles.

Riptide Films prides itself in offering end-to-end video production services. Whether it’s a commercial brand film, a striking vertical series, or a podcast, Riptide Films shepherds projects of various sizes from development to delivery and online distribution.

Getting noticed on social media is more important than ever to generate consistent business and attention. Riptide Films also retrofits its social media video marketing process with the latest and best strategies to ensure content gets seen and converts viewers. Event videography is another small way in which we operate as a business offering to capture special occasions on video in the most cinematic way possible.

As an artistic entity, Riptide Films explores the emotional and moral complexities of human nature through compelling visual storytelling. From brand commercials to short rom-coms, we sculpt digital video to showcase the vulnerabilities and strengths of everyday people, inspired by modern cultural conversations and timeless themes.

Our work is also local, and centers around creating events that benefit the future generations of filmmakers as well as the robust crop of independent, family-owned businesses that call the South Bay and Southern California home.

What distinguishes Riptide Films from others is a practical approach to our craft which cutr through the noise by refusing to indulge in inflated, unnecessary or ambiguous processes surrounding quality video production.

The Riptide Films brand makes me the most proud in its genuine and thoughtful outreach and relations with local, independent South Bay businesses and organizations. Founded by someone who knows the South Bay better than anyone, by virtue of being raised there, Riptide Films prioritizes its relationships to local businesses to support the platform that serves as its home.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I most attribute my successes to my initiative as a leader willing to make the first move.

Pricing:

• Social Media and Online Platform Video Packages start at $500
• Individual short-form content starts at $150

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.riptidefilms.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riptide.films?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&cplk=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niccolosohne
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@riptidefilmstv
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/knick.knack.37/