Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean French.
Hi Sean, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was raised in Park City, UT, where I became an avid fan of movies and specifically acting. My father, uncle, grandfather, and grandmother were all stage actors, so I grew up in the theater. I got trained in opera singing, dance, acting, voice, all the parts of being an actor. I moved to Los Angeles at 18 to go to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After graduating and working in odd jobs (carpentry, restaurants, etc.) in addition to local and traveling theater, I got a job at Quixote Studios. I was looking for more out of life as acting wasn’t cutting it financially. I started there as a carpenter, became a studio manager, and eventually, 3 years in, took over the Production Rental dept. I are that business (and Quixote trucking once we acquired trucks) to a 20M+ business and oversaw 5 different business units and over 100 employees.
After Quixote was bought out, I left to go into business for myself as owner and partner of Versatile Studios. Part of the new business was to take what I knew (equipment, vehicles, and stages) to monetize a business while also teaching myself cinematography as I am working toward becoming a filmmaker. My new business is taking off in the commercial and print spaces of the industry, and I have begun producing my own content in the past year. My dream is to create positive, humorous, inspiring, and educational content that helps create a better world. In my experience, storytelling and media is key to how we shape the human experience. Young people learn from what they see, watch, and love. I’d like to tell stories as a producer, director, actor and writer that affect the paradigm of the world to create more empathetic and understanding humans.
Sidebar: I also ran a Burning Man camp for years and am an avid camper, backpacker, golfer, pianist, guitarist, singer, and foodie. I am also a partner in Coast Range, a Michelin-rated restaurant in Solvang, CA.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well, I would say no road is smooth or rough. The road of life is defined by its ups and downs.
For me personally, it has been a variance of both. I was dirt poor when I first moved to Los Angeles and didn’t have a lot of self-confidence or self-respect as it related to my health. I had a lot of childhood trauma that shaped me. I struggled with addiction and isolation for years while also being the life of the party and someone a lot of people looked up to.
As a matter of fact, I went so deep into healing that I am currently producing a TV show about plant medicine and alternate forms of healing. My journey has been easier than most as my success in business helped me not struggle financially as so many do. But my personal demons and my lack of emotional resilience have been something I have contended with my whole adult life. Because of the nature of my own trauma, I have had trouble maintaining healthy relationships with romantic partners. That led me to learning the “how” and “why’s” of what healing really is.
I know there will always be struggles but I would say I have learned to make the road a lot smoother in the last few years.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My studio business is a combination of both my art and creativity and my life’s work.
I offer high-end Production equipment, walkie-talkies, mobile wireless internet, HVAC systems, 3-ton trucks, vans, grip, lighting, and camera rentals from my studio. My studio is also a multi-purpose space that is great for photo shoots, events, fittings, pre-pro meetings. Temporary office space and as a location. And we are full service to the Nth degree. Showing Production teams what it really means to be serviced day in and day out.
I am building this business specifically so I can have my own “sandbox,” if you will, to become the creative force for good I always believed myself to be. It just took 20 years to figure out how to get there. And if I can be even half as fiscally successful as I was with Quixote, I’ll call that a win for this business regardless of how my creative career turns out.
Concerning the above question, an entrepreneur can also be an artist and a creative. I believe in the unlimited learning potential of the human brain and while I am no genius, I find I am quite capable of being an upstanding, moral businessperson and a creative at the same time. To be entrepreneurial is to be creative, to have vision and to look at the world and how to improve it. It takes both.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Happiness, to me, is a choice. I find most people don’t directly understand how to influence this choice day-to-day. What makes me happy? The softness of a cool breeze when I walk my dog. A nice hike in Griffith Park. A small group of friends discussing something deep and tangible. Being in the present moment. Working out. Playing golf. Singing. Nailing an acting performance. Making my clients happy and blown away with how my businesses service them. Making a great purchase…not purchasing to buy happiness but rather making a very educated purchase with precision. Being generous. Enjoying great food and music. Dancing. Making passionate love to a woman for all the right reasons. Creating community. Making other people feel safe. Inspiring people to become better people. Improving my own mind with microlearning daily. Listening to a great book on tape. Helping the community in some small way. Throwing great parties. Spending time with my family. Playing on the floor with my pup. Owning myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rentals.versatilestudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seaniethepooh/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gearforyourshoot
