Meet Clément Oberto

Today we’d like to introduce you to Clément Oberto.

Clément, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Toulouse, south of France in 1984. Got a couple of short novels published at nine years old and I knew pretty early that I wanted to become a director, as it appeared to be the best way to combine my passion for storytelling, music, colors and teamwork.

After spending ten years in Paris, doing fashion films, commercials, shorts and music videos… I was able to create a visual short film called ‘Matin Lunaire’, which put me on the map and got me signed with my first production company in Paris (Bandits). Following the release of the film, I visited LA and was surprised to see that other production companies were interested in me.

Worked for a little bit with ‘Motion Theory’ which was representing Guillermo del Toro back in the days and ended up signing with ‘RSA Films & Black Dog’ who took care of my visa… six months later I was moving in Los Angeles. It’s been four years now that I live here, went through all the ups and downs and overall feel really happy with the experience.

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?
It has not been a smooth road… It took me a long time to adjust to the pace, the culture and the people. On top of that, I did not know anybody and it was lonely at first… it also took me a while to start booking jobs and to be working as much as I wanted. Not an easy transition, but change and taking risks are the best way to evolve and I’ve grown so much out of it.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
So far I’ve mostly directed music videos and commercials. A music video shot in Super35mm for Gary Clark Jr. was just released recently and I’m currently working on a new fragrance commercial. Also this summer I finally wrote my first feature in Japan, so I should be working on this soon-ish too. What I’m the most proud of is how passionate and dedicated I am towards my craft. I’ve always set my own path to stay true to myself…which I think shows in my work. This is pretty much everything to me and it brings me a tremendous amount of joy.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’m alive, in good health and I was raised by smart and loving parents with decent values. That’s pretty lucky if you ask me, and it helped me become the balanced and passionate human I am today, so I’m very grateful for that. As for the bad luck, it motivated all the introspection I’ve been doing over the years and pushed me to be stronger and to never give up.

Good luck or bad luck, in the end I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn, adjust and move forward. There is wisdom in being able to let the world drive you to where you are supposed to be, and this is exactly where I am right now.

Contact Info:

• Address: West Hollywood
• Website: http://www.clementoberto.com
• Email: hello@clementoberto.com
• Instagram: @clement_oberto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helloclement
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/clementoberto

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.