October 15, 2016

Meet East LA’s Christopher Vasquez

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Vasquez.

Vas Media began its roots in Los Angeles, CA in 2012 by founders Christopher Vasquez and Michael McDougal. Focusing first on small budget documentary filmmaking and photography, Vas Media began to entrench its roots in the classic car community and with projects focusing on the racing and restoration of the classic car culture. In 2013, Vas Media expanded its expertise into the audio/music industry with ventures focusing on the recording and creation of instrumentation as well as digital music and has worked with dozens of local LA artists and musicians throughout the years. They are now a fully functioning digital creative workshop with project emphasis on the visual aspects of design, cinematography, and photography.

Has it been a smooth road?
With opening such a diverse and creative platform for artists and businesses to develop themselves, there is always a wide range of individuals that we interact with on a daily basis. This has been one of the most inspirational aspects of my work here at Vas Media but has also been one of the most difficult hurdles to overcome in completing each project. The problem lies in the eclectic demands of each creative project. One day we will be on set working DP for a documentary and the next we are shooting a fashion editorial for a print campaign and each with their own set of requirements and specifications. By enhancing our skill set over the years, we have been able to complete projects in a wide range of disciplines which has allowed for us to see and meet many amazing places and people.

So, what should we be on the lookout for, what’s next in store for you?
Our plans for the future include expanding our reaches into the industries of feature length cinema and other high-end photography editorial projects as well as truly establishing a Digital brand presence that will be recognized for years to come. As we grow we maintain a top priority of staying true to our core beliefs by never forgetting what it truly means to be an independent artist. From the reaches of Photography to Animation we take pride in our work and guarantee a reaction every time. To “feel” is one of the greatest joys in life and those here at Vas Media understand the importance of evoking these feelings with every project that walks through our doors.

Let’s dig a little deeper into your story. What was the hardest time you’ve had?
I would say the most difficult time in our history was during the developmental stages of designing and building the business. Though we are far from being at a stage of comfort we have finally found a rhythm that seems to guide us in all our projects on both a business and service side. The struggle however throughout the development of a business always lies in the finances that go with project managing creative projects. With many good ideas come many financial struggles in translating an idea to screen or print… This hurdle, however, has allowed us here at Vas Media to truly examine the many ways media can be translated and has forced us to test creative ways of capturing this media in order to meet client standards and budget.

What about “Wow-moments” – any moments that stick out? Any moments when you felt like you had made it?
We are humbled to think that we are thought of as inspirational or noteworthy but the truth is our success lies in the subjects and creative artists we surround ourselves with on a daily basis. We truly see ourselves as a medium to translate information and what you see is simply what our world is throwing at us. What we try to accomplish in each of our works is to evoke feeling. With that being said if we had to choose a moment of realization it was upon receiving an email from a previous customer. The email described the feeling in which he felt in receiving a printed photo in the mail that was commissioned for a music festival. He said that at first he was upset on the subject matter of the print and instead was hoping for a live performance related shot. He then preceded to explain how in fact he was drafting up an email to request a re-shoot when he glanced down at the photo one more time and realized the level of thought that was required to understand the photo. The more he looked at the backstage solo shot of his artist the more he realized his emotions coming to life in the photo. After explaining his thoughts in a bit more depth he ended his message with this… “To this day the print sits on my desk, staring at me as I struggle through my own life concert… helping me realize the importance of perception and subjective thought in general. Thank you for allowing me to remember this feeling every time I see your photo.”
For some reason, this message struck home with us here at Vas Media and in a way serves as a method of inspiration in all our works. We continue to create because of those around us and reminders like these help us remember why we do what we do.

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