Today we’d like to introduce you to Barret Bowman.
Barret, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I left Colorado Springs at 18 with a fat, awful, private loan that would allow me to go to New York Film Academy for their one year filmmaking program. Ironically, that program was in Los Angeles back when the school was at Universal Studios. That dream year ended in 2012 and I’ve been working since, all sprouting from the small connections I built while studying there. I went on to be a location manager for a while, then went to be a part of an in-house production team at Easton Sports, doing mostly post work. There, I met Duke Stump, who invited myself and some colleagues to produce and be a part of the Do Lectures USA. The Do Lectures is where I owe a lot of my career credit. Over the last seven years working with them, I networked and proved my worth, and on the third year I auctioned myself off at the event to trade production work for food and a place to stay. It was one of those really rough years and I just went for the most Hail Mary approach I could think of. Three people won that bid who owned businesses. That led to a year full of travel and producing content for brands as me and my partner, Peter Castagnetti, steam-rolled into starting a production company called, OhForShow. That was about four years ago. Since then, we’ve produced and directed work for musicians and brands here in the US and abroad. Some brands of note include YETI, Lululemon, Paypal, goodr, and many more. This work also led us to be involved in feature documentary films such as Accidental Courtesy, Charged, and the up-coming This Is Not Normal. Today, I spend most my time producing and directing for goodr running sunglasses and work on personal narrative and music projects. Still paying that student loan and it feels like I always will be but, I am able to pay it doing what I love.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’ve never felt comfortable and I think that’s a good thing. I once left to travel Europe for three in a half weeks and hadn’t realized that the industry wasn’t going to be sitting around waiting for me when I got back. I spent the next year living on people’s couches and that was when I started trading work for a place to stay and food. There have been countless failed creative collaborations but some really strong wins too. I’ve been fired out of nowhere, stiffed on payment, cursed at, stranded, and all of it has just made me learn from my mistakes and fight harder. No matter who your “friends” are, contracts are dope. haha Things I still struggle with are delegation and trying not to do everything myself. I’ve always loved the saying, “A musician needs an instrument, an artist needs a paintbrush, and a filmmaker needs an army.” With all the technology and tools out there today, I think it’s important not to get too deep into the approach that you can do it all yourself. You can certainly get much further than you could ten years ago. I’ve also learned a lot about dealing with agencies and clients and have had my fair share of overreaction towards the process and notes.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with OhForShow – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Our mission statement is that we help purpose driven people create culture through storytelling. Pete and I are probably known for our personalities on the job, to be honest. I think that we obviously have to prove ourselves with quality work but that speaks for itself. I am really proud of our collaborative spirit and the strong, intimate relationships we’ve been building with those we work with and break bread with. It takes a lot to sign on someone to work with creatively and enjoying that process goes a long way. We strive to make impactful work, but to also always remember that we’re lucky to do what we do and we should always enjoy the process. That includes when dealing with serious and vulnerable subject matter. You have to care about what you’re doing and how you’re sharing the story.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I plan to continue to provide my best work for the clients that we have and will grow to have. My main mission is to steady my schedule and pursue narrative directing in every way I can. It’s been difficult to keep my head above water but I can finally feel myself wading the water comfortably enough to focus back on writing. I went to film school initially because of my passion for screenwriting and now with my knowledge of directing and production, I’m eager to push harder into that direction. I never thought I’d be where I’m at now with my own company but am grateful for all the opportunity to work and direct consistently. From here, the plan is to continue to capitalize on opportunities but to also choose them wisely and always make sure I set aside time to create the projects I’ve been writing on my own. The big mission is having a career in directing commercials, features, and TV.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4600 Brazil St.
Los Angeles, CA 90039 - Website: ohforshow.com
- Email: barret@ohforshow.com
- Instagram: barretbowman
- Twitter: barretbowman
Image Credit:
Winky Lewis, Eduardo Garcia
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