Today we’d like to introduce you to Francisco Martin del Campo.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Francisco. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was never meant to go into Film and TV; It was all a misunderstanding. I was raised in a family of architects —Frank Lloyd Wright, Luis Barragan, and Le Corbusier were gods in my household— Architecture was engraved into my brain, it was my destiny, my true calling; but then why was I so damn bad at it? In class, I kept on making half-assed cardboard model buildings that served as messy love letters to Tim Burton’s Gotham City. I was thrilled at my own audacity, I expected a standing ovation from my peers but, for obvious reasons, that praise never came. I thought to myself: “you’re ahead of your time; they don’t understand,” but in fact I was the one that didn’t understand. I was enamored with the idea of buildings but not with the actual process of designing and constructing them. I was at war with reality, a battle that started with my family’s romanticized conversations about the craft and a total misreading of Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead” that nurtured a false narrative that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Shit, I wasn’t even particularly good at drawing. So what was next? Where do black sheep with no particular skills go? Media Studies.
Let’s face it… Media Studies doesn’t have the best reputation, it’s like the Quibi of careers: no one asked for it and it doesn’t serve any real purpose. We weren’t journalists, or filmmakers, or PR savants; we were an island of broken toys trying to figure shit out, and that’s exactly what I did. I learned to embrace my personal war with reality that led me towards fiction. Soon after I graduated, I landed a job at Sony Pictures Entertainment Television Mexico, where I was introduced to the blood-sport known as “Telenovelas.” I was the right-hand-man to the VP of Mexican content, which meant churning out three scripts of whatever we were shooting each week, making sure every unit shot their twelve to sixteen pages a day and checking that the rough cuts weren’t too rough for the clients to watch. I learned the ropes in a fast-paced environment that ranged from comedies to dramas to biopics. Those were some of the best years of my life, but I was ready for the next step…
Nine shows, an International Emmy nomination, and two years had gone by when I finally moved to LA to study for my Master’s Degree at the Peter Stark Producing Program. I was stoked that I was moving into the big leagues, even though my family wasn’t thrilled I was emigrating to Trump’s America— “Never forget what they’ve don’t to us,” was the sweet good-bye chant I got when I left for the city of stars— but little did I know what awaited: Culture Shock. I had to quickly learn to assimilate, to cheer effusively for Cinco de Mayo (note to reader: we don’t really care about Cinco de Mayo back in Mexico, it’s not a thing), and to not greet women I just met with a kiss on the cheek. More than just learning to perfect my craft, I had to learn how to fit in a new cultural realm where ambition and individualism are the norm.
My leap of faith paid dividends though: I interned at multiple companies, finished my Masters, and I joined a prominent Hispanic Production Company. It’s been a journey, but I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Great, 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?
Trying to produce content during a pandemic is tricky. But I can’t complain though: I was lucky enough to get some short films done during this madness with a wonderful international team. We have already received some love from the Portland Comedy Festival, London Comedy Festival, Virgin Fest, and Lakeview Festival, and we’re looking forward to submitting to more. It was a feat to write and produce six shorts in less than month, but it somehow got done.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My life changed after watching Marty McFly shred that cherry-red Gibson guitar on Back to the Future; I learned to play the guitar and quickly jumped on the bandwagon of wannabe rockers. I hoped it would’ve been a smooth journey into quick stardom, but it was the complete opposite: after playing with multiple bands at half-empty venues, the time came to accept that my dreams of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame sadly would never come to fruition. Nevertheless, I learned to appreciate music in a whole different level that enhanced my storytelling skills in a way I would’ve never thought possible. I went down wrong paths in life due to strong first impressions and assumptions, but some turned out to be very fruitful. Did I mention I read “The Fountainhead” during a fragile period of my youth? Don’t do it.
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