Exploring Life & Business with Antonio Flores of Bezé Studios

Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonio Flores.

Hi Antonio, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Having been born and raised in Oakland, CA the arts and politics were second nature to me growing up. When I was a teenager, I dreamed I would work in the music industry because my friends and I actively dabbled in the underground hip hop scene. When I was 19 I founded a DJ company, and with my earnings I built a music studio and then secured a corner suite on the sound floor of the Fantasy Studios building in Berkeley, CA, where I owned and operated a sound engineering suite with my best friend Eddie Flowers. Fantasy Records and the building itself was owned by Saul Zaentz, who is the second largest independent filmmaker to come out of the Bay Area after George Lucas. So naturally the 6 story Fantasy building was also the largest hub of indie film in northern California. Operating out of Fantasy soon exposed me to independent filmmakers of all kinds. Before long I was being recruited to record sound on set, and before I knew it I was engineering on-set audio for a nationally syndicated network cooking show. After one season of engineering audio for TV, I knew that I had found my choice industry: a well-paying and fun medium that could influence the masses, with opportunity to give accessibility to, and change the perceptions of, people who look like me. Little did I know that this would land me deeper into the music industry than sound engineering ever had, as I now have several platinum plaques as a result of marketing musicians from the visual side.

After crewing up repeatedly with other fledgling filmmakers, and performing nearly every role possible on a set, it soon became obvious that I was actually meant to be a film producer. I started cutting my teeth by producing low budget music videos for local Bay Area hip hop artists, and my film mentors advised me that I needed to move to Los Angeles sooner than later because there is no Hollywood North. They said I was ready for the big leagues. My sole director at the time, Quinn Alvarez, was originally from the LA area and was moving back. He also encouraged me to make the move down south. He had identified 3 companies in LA whose work we liked the best; he started emailing them and after 6 months of persistence, one of the companies responded. It was a high profile AICP company whose owners were major players in the commercial and music video production industry with a deep roster of high-level talent.

Quinn applied for the media coordinator position and I wrote him a stellar recommendation letter from my audio engineering company that made me seem more established in film than I was at the time, but not a lie was told about his skillsets or my company. This letter helped him secure the job. He made such a good impression with one of the EPs, that about a year later when I was finally ready to make the move to LA, she was willing to guarantee me 1 day a week as an office PA. (a couple years later she finally put 2 and 2 together that I had written his recommendation letter and summoned me into her office to call me on it, but by that time I was in-house coordinating special projects and so a hearty laugh was had by all the executives while she teased me about it).

At the time I was hired, the rate for an office PA was $125 per day, but I knew that I could at least rent a room for that $500 per month, and I also knew that once I got into the production office I could make my way onto the film crews. So I left everything in Oakland – my business dealings, my family, my friends, my dog, my girlfriend, my apartment with almost everything in it – and left for LA in order to basically start over from scratch. I was making about $100K per year at the time through all of my biz dealings up north and had decided to trade EVERYTHING in exchange for a guaranteed $6K per year and the opportunity to pursue independent film at the highest levels. I drove straight to their Santa Monica office from Oakland early on the same morning that I started my first day. That same day, I landed my first job on set as a PA for one of their crews whose director was not only one of the owners of the company, but was also one of the biggest directors in the commercial industry, and the shoot was scheduled for later that same week. It was a passion project for the director’s film and the pay was only $50/day for 2 days. Because of my work ethic, I was offered to work the next job with them which was a commercial shoot that paid $200/day. That crew immediately became my primary source of set work, and although I was freelancing and would work for other big AICP crews, that company became a second home for me as I continued to grow my repertoire on sets and in production houses across LA. I lived out of the Hacienda Hotel in El Segundo for a month before leasing an industrial loft in the rundown part of DTLA, in order to stay aligned with my new monthly budget. I soaked up everything I could at the highest levels of commercial film from the biggest AICP companies, working 12 to 16 hour days, 26 to 30 days per month, intent on using the gained knowledge and credibility to not only build my own production brand, but to do so correctly as I rose in the ranks.

I had filed my own entity as a production company about 6 months after first moving to LA, quietly producing my own small jobs on the side even as I transitioned out of working for the company that had sustained me and into freelancing as a commercial producer for other large companies. 1 year after I graduated to commercial producer, my company landed it’s first major label contract with RCA Records for the Wolf Alice video “You’re A Germ,” directed by my company’s first signed director in LA, Chris Grieder. A month after it’s release, the video was curated by the Hammer Museum for it’s Flux Screening Series of “innovative short films, music videos, filmmaker presentations, and the most interesting visual work from around the globe.” Soon after walking into the Hammer theatre for the screening, I saw the director/owner of that first LA company that ever hired me, sitting with his daughter. Upon greeting them, I learned that his big budget video for a huge artist was also on the bill that night. Being screened alongside my former boss who is a legend in the industry was a special type of full circle moment for me, especially since he is also from the Bay Area, and also a man of color. It reassured me that I was on the right path in my filmic journey. By now I had moved apartments a few times, each time that I rose ranks; from DTLA to the Jungles as a highly sought after PA, from the Jungles to West Adams as a coordinator, and then from West Adams to Mid-City as a producer (I was offered my first producer job while working my first production manager job and never looked back).

From there I continued growing my company through 2 different iterations; in 2019 I merged my company with Triple Seven Productions and stopped working for other companies in order to focus on leading my brand into a formidable player; after a few years of exponential success, I founded Bezé Studios under Triple Seven in order to focus on larger projects. About 6 months later my partner decided he wanted to go work as director for the competition and so I left him with Triple Seven while took Bezé Studios, and absorbed myself, my roster, and my resources fully in to Bezé, where I am currently an Owner and EP. One of my partners and co-founders, Shaun Daniels, is actually the person who gave me my first job on set that first morning I arrived in Los Angeles, and my other partner and co-founders, Sarah El Khawand, is a person that I was able to help break into the industry in kind. Paying it forward really pays off, and I like to think that our company is a prime example of that…

There’s a saying in the film industry: Be careful how you treat that PA today, because they could be your boss tomorrow. I am an embodiment of that saying, and because of that I prefer to remain incognito when I walk onto my sets; I don’t like special treatment and I don’t like to distract from the goal or the attention that should be reserved for our directors, clients, and technicians. I do my best to treat everyone with kindness and respect as a baseline, especially as an Owner/EP. I make sure that I thank everyone on our crews individually after wrap and before I leave for the day because I know what it feels like to be mistreated and overlooked as a low-level worker on a set, and I never want anyone feeling like that on my sets. No one should be made to feel below or above anyone else as a human being, and the attitude of the leadership sets the tone for that so I lead by example.

I got to where I am today simply by being altruistic, by absolutely killing it every time I step foot into any arena, and by doing what I’m supposed to do regardless of what anyone else is or isn’t doing. This is a direct result of my parents raising me to always help others whenever I can, to always do my best no matter what the circumstances, and to persevere in the face of discomfort. My father also taught me patience, grace, and that everything I experience or learn will come in handy at some point. My mother also taught me organizational and leadership skills, most importantly not to shy away from leadership, but to lean into it. All of this has really carried me through life, not just through my filmic journey.

Providing accessibility was one of my main goals in making the switch to film and I am proud to say that I have been successful in that regard. Along with giving many people their start in the higher tier LA industry over the last 15 years, I have also been able to help elevate many of my colleagues to key positions that unlocked new levels in their careers, and I have advised many others along their own paths. Being selfless and generous in this way has helped to elevate my own status because everyone that I pour into also pours back into me when I need it, and we all continue to rise together.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been always been a smooth road, but you can’t advance if you don’t keep moving forward and you’ll never reach your goal if you quit. Some of the struggles I’ve faced along the way include extremely long hours for days on end, short turnarounds, sleep deprivation, fraudsters who simply don’t pay what they owe, company owners that rob Peter to pay Paul so they can live outside their means while delaying payment to their employees, disrespectful and abusive attitudes from higher ups, being pressured to falsify documents or carry out illegal procedures, producing seemingly impossible budgets, and although rare, inappropriate sexual advances/pressure/harassment from female superiors.

Right now one of the struggles industry-wide is low volume coupled with historically low client spending. This last year has been the slowest and least profitable that I’ve ever seen in my career. As a company owner this is especially bothersome because even though we are blessed and grateful to always have some type of work happening, everyone on our roster is not always as fortunate to be actively working.

There have also been a handful of times in the earlier and lower stages of my career when I felt stagnant in my position and questioned if I made the right choice, but I have found that each time that I work through these doubts, I almost immediately unlock a new level of success in my career. Keep pushing!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Bezé Studios is a creative powerhouse rooted in cultural agency. We champion diverse voices and seamlessly integrate cutting-edge trends and technologies to elevate both our creatives and clients. We specialize in producing commercials, music videos, branded content, and original narratives, delivering projects on time and on budget while maintaining the highest standards of service and quality. Our team includes award-winning directors and producers, and is led by award winning executive producers.

We are known for housing and hiring ethnically diverse directors and crews, that are comprised of men, women, and LGBTQ. What sets us apart from others is our ability to seamlessly scale from micro-budgets to million dollar budgets, as well as our status as an MBE and disability certified company.

Brand-wise, what I am most proud of is our body of work, our roster, and our relationships. I am also proud to say that we can successfully deliver when and where others usually cannot.

Our offerings also include photography and volume wall capabilities, as well as international production worldwide. Whatever the needs of your project, we can meet the challenge.

Notable Awards held by our team:
Clio Award
Webby Award
LA Film Festival – People’s Choice Award
Los 40s Music Awards – Music Video of the Year

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
So many people deserve credit and have played big roles in the success of my business: First of all, my parents, Antonio and Gloria Flores, deserve credit for instilling in me everything that I am and for supporting my unconventional career choice; my maternal grandfather, the late Larry King, for breathing into me the spirit of entrepreneurship; all of my friends and family (too many to name) for cheering me on and always being proud of me; my business partners, Shaun Daniels and Sarah El Khawand, for joining me in this venture without hesitation and always having my back; my clients (also too many to name) for repeatedly entrusting me with their products and their money; David Telles and his father Ray Telles for being the first to introduce me to the world of independent film; Quinn Alvarez for convincing me and assisting me to finally make the move to Los Angeles, Eddie Flowers for opening the studios at Fantasy with me, and; last, but certainly not least, all of the EPs, directors, and producers over the years who have helped me and entrusted me with their companies, careers, reputations, and products, especially John Mazyck, Chris Grieder, Zach Merck, Taj Stansberry, Max Lanman, Max & Madison Shelton, Val Vega, Paul Hunter, Kerstin Emhoff, Ali Brown, Miles Mueller, Gevorg Juguryan, and my very good sis, Michelle Parker.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bezestudios.com/home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afproduces