Meet Norberto Garcia of Ample Creative in San Fernando Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Norberto Garcia.

Norberto, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m born and raised in LA, as an LA native you are accustomed to your city, your neighborhood is home; Only problem, when you’re comfortable in your home you don’t look up or look out and realize the amount of opportunal traffic that exist around you. As a kid from the valley, all I knew was the valley; I didn’t have reason to go Downtown, to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, or even South LA, so I hadn’t really explored LA or understood all it had to offer or the kind of people that filled this place. It wasn’t until I realized that most people in LA come from a different part of the country and world to try and make something of their lives in this city, that I knew I had to take advantage of the place I live and grew up in and that I have to look at this place like an outsider if I expect to get the results and successes that some of these outsiders get.

My journey started when I found out I was a father to be; I knew I had to work hard to change my life if I planned to give one to my child, this is where the hustle started. I picked up the camera and started filming when I was 21; I picked up the camera with the intention of shooting a few promo videos for a clothing line that I was attempting to start. The only problem was that I didn’t have any experience shooting video, so the lack of my understanding in cinematography and camera settings led to horrible results that I knew were never going to help sell any units for my clothing brand. I decided I would dedicate some time to learning the craft and I quickly got obsessed with trying to become great behind the camera. I signed up to Santa Monica College and took some film classes but after just one semester I decided school wasn’t for me and I was going to pursue this on my own without school. As I obsessed over the camera and was trying to become great, I forgot about the boxes of clothing that I had created and left them sitting in the garage as I went through my journey. The way I saw it, my experience was going to serve as my education and buying my film gear on credit would serve as my tuition, so I went out on a limb and tried to learn as much as possible as fast as possible.

My first year behind the camera I was shooting everything for free; I filmed music videos, interviews, filmed graffiti artist, the city and my friends, simply trying to make my videos cool. My second year, I felt I had gained some skill behind the camera and was starting to get a good eye, I decided on this year I would still work for free but I would make sure I got paid something, anything, atleast every now and then. So I never declined any project, sometimes I got paid but most times I didn’t. My second year, I started to meet some people in LA that I would’ve never met if it weren’t for my camera or Instagram. I began connecting with other filmmakers, started assisting on other projects and started to gain a lot more experience as I got more exposure. By my third year filming, I had a small arsenal of film gear, I had gained quite a few connections in the film industry and was jumping on various projects as well as directing my own. At this point, I was working on something everyday; some projects I worked for free, some projects I worked for very low rates and some projects paid handsomely. Finally, my camera was allowing me to make a living and I was able to provide for my family.

At the end of my third year filming I crossed paths with a man by the name of Jorge Peniche who was Nipsey Hussle’s road manager; when I met JP I offered my services to him for free and sure enough he called me out to film a couple of events for him and after seeing the edited videos, he expressed his liking for my work and complimented my style. One day I got a call from JP to see if I would be interested in filming a lookbook for The Marathon Clothing featuring Dave East as a model; of course I said yes. Excited to leave yet another good impression, I did the best I could while filming, I got a quick drop/interview from Dave East, and I quickly edited the piece and submitted it the following day. From what I heard, JP and Nipsey Hussle’s brother Sam loved the piece, I felt accomplished. A month or two after I would get a call to shoot another Lookbook video for The Marathon Clothing, this time I would meet Sam and he complimented my work and said “this is the look we need for every lookbook”, again I felt accomplished. Some months down the line, I got a call from both Sam and JP, they wanted to know if I would be interested in filming with Nipsey and deliver short-form content daily as they were getting prepared to drop the Victory Lap album. I was so excited because Nipsey was already my favorite rapper and someone I looked up to, this was an opportunity of a lifetime, and after all the hard work I put in over the last few years I finally felt ready for an opportunity like this and was enthusiastic to take it on and prove myself to be capable.

A few months before the album dropped I filmed a few short form pieces wiht Nipsey and from what I saw he loved the content. Finally, the album dropped and we began travel, this would be the first time my camera open doors for me to travel. From then on, I worked alongside Nipsey capturing all his content, going on tour, traveling the country and even internationally. I grew so much in this time, I learned how to operate along side someone with celebrity status, how to respect their privacy and how to be a fly on the wall and letting the camera roll. Now, on my fifth year behind the camera, I have built a clientele base large enough to keep me busy from returning business and referrals. Everyday I wake up and feel blessed to know that as a young kid from the valley who didn’t have much going on for him, I was able to come this far and work alongside some of the culture shifters of this generation, some of the biggest brands, and I’m just excited to see what else can be accomplished in the next five years.

Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all; being Self Taught, I’ve had to learn through the process of making mistakes. No matter how big or how small I’ve always owned up to my own mistakes and I’ve taken full responsibility even when I was not the only one to blame. It’s tough learning without guidance because through mistakes along the way money is lost, time is lost, people are hurt, relationships are lost, clients are lost, but nonetheless, through all the negatives one thing always remains consistent and that is the lesson attached to every situation. Every one of my struggles or negative situations has always had a positive in the form of lessons; I’ve learned how to avoid being taken advantage of, how to avoid leaving money on the table, how to negotiate, and how to set limits on my clients.

Some of the struggles I had early were struggling with the confidence to attach a price to my work or understanding the value that I was providing the client, with that I also struggled with putting limitations on how much I would actually do for each project and I would find myself editing videos with clients up to 20 times because I didn’t have the confidence to say that I would have to charge an additional fee for extra edits.

I also struggled quite a bit with my work/life balance as I dedicated so much time to my work and I was on the field for 12-15 hours a day filming, spending almost no time with my wife and kids for the first few years of my career. Sometimes I still struggle with negotiating the best deal for myself because I’m still wanting to grow and take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ample Creative – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My Company, Ample Creative is a production company currently operating out of North Hollywood, we specialize in high-end video production for music videos, commercials, and long-form documentary content. We’ve worked with brands such as Kappa, Gumball 3000, Streetwise Gear, Ilthy, and artists such as Nipsey Hussle, Wiz Khalifa, Dave East, O.T. Genesis, Lil Xan, Ralph Tresvant, J-Stone, and Pacman Da Gunman. One thing that remains consistent with every client and project we work with is that positive attitude and humbleness that my team carries, also the fact that we go above and beyond for every one of our clients every time. I’m proud of the team we’ve built over the years and the clients we’ve been able to service and build relationships with.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Los Angeles is by far the best city in the country, we have the best food, we have the best Mexican food, the best weather, we are the largest creative hub in the country, there is opportunity everywhere if you’re willing to seek it and work for it, at any given time you can be an hour away from the beach, the city, the suburbs, the mountains, the desert, and the forest.

The only thing about LA is the traffic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.weareample.com/
• Email: norbievisuals@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/norbertogarcianava/

Image Credit:
Onemost

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