Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Galindo.
Justin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. I’ve always wanted to work in the film industry low key because my dad and I would watch movies at least two-three times a week. It was very interesting to me. I fell in love with it even though my parents never thought I would even work in it. Neither did I.
So, while I worked side jobs doing cart pushing for Walmart, working at my families restaurant and even being a solicitor. I knew something inside that this wasn’t my life, I went on vacation to Los Angeles, loved the weather and realized how much different the city is compared to Cleveland.
The people were different and much happier too. While I was visiting LA, I met a talent manager at an event, and she referred me to a top 15 agency at the time a couple of days later. My mind was blown!!! It happened so fast, days before I leave back to Cleveland I worked a TV show.
Then my manager said if you want to take this seriously you have to move to LA. I went back to Ohio and drove back to LA. My mother didn’t want me to go, but I knew Ohio wasn’t for me. So, I packed my bag and drove 36 hours straight. I even got pulled over by a cop for driving too fast and told him I’m moving to LA to become an actor. He smiled and said, “I haven’t heard that one yet.” So he let me go.
So, reality hit me and realized I’m not working all the time. What happened? Then I went to school as well and majored in Psychology and minored in film. I would act and go to school plus work side jobs. During my many years in acting, I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I just knew this was a stepping stone to something bigger.
So, I moved to Glendale and lived with eight roommates. Not easy. I still acted and done some respected projects, indie films, Disney music video, Discovery shows, commercials, you name it. I have done it in front of the camera, but nothing that paid for all my living expenses. While I wasn’t acting, I worked three jobs doing mostly retail plus working out at night after work. Yes. I was overworked.
Then I realized I barely had time to go to school even though I transferred to a pretty prestigious school. While I was at school, I wanted to practice my shooting skills. I had all this awesome gear I could use as long as I went to school, so I did, a lot! I made music videos, commercials and shorts with practically no budget. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker. I even started shooting actor demo reels for fun.
I remember telling my father that I wanted to build a production company. I just didn’t know how. I even posted it on Facebook, but everyone kind of laughed at me about it. So, I realized with the few years of acting under my belt I understood how the industry worked a little at least in front of the camera. I knew demo reels were going to be a thing. So, I started JIG Reel Studios. (JIGReelstudios.com).
I used to shoot these demo reels outside my place with eight roommates walking around. Looking back now, I can’t believe people worked with me. Not just that, I shot them by myself at first for $50-$100 dollars a scene. I only needed the money to build the company such as lights, sound, etc. If I didn’t own the equipment, I would rent it from my school.
I probably used most of the budget just transferring gear from my school. So, I really didn’t make any money, it was just fun for me to shoot. Then I would interview people at Starbucks to get help with shooting these, and some of them are still with the company till this day. I appreciate them a lot. Then I got an office in downtown Glendale. We’re now one of the top demo reel companies in LA.
We have helped clients get signed, booked guest-stars, series regulars, etc. Plus, we have worked with major projects from small indies to major studio projects such as Disney. We have even made a short that got into 36 film festivals and won tons of awards, and that helped us get a feature film (title: LOCO) made that we just finished a couple of weeks ago.
We’re very excited for the future and can’t wait to bring up JIG Reel Academy which is based on one of our most popular 1-on-1 classes called the Mentoring Program. It’s where we teach the business side of acting/marketing. Very excited to see what the future brings to us and can’t wait to make more films with other people and make another
feature film.
Now, I am currently 11 years in the industry from when I met my first manager and agent till now. I hope this helps inspire someone out there that dreams do happen. It takes tons of persistence and hard work. Just got to keep pushing. Feel free to follow me on IG @jigreelstudios & @justingalindo. Check out the website at jigreelstudios.com.
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?
No. Long and tons of hard work. I struggled mostly trying to survive for a long, long time. I had to figure out what worked for me and build off that. I’ve learned that being uncomfortable is the best and fastest way to grow.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about JIG Reel Studios – what should we know?
JIG Reel Studios is known for making short content. We make short films, commercials, but we’re especially known for making actor demo reels. We’re very proud of that have consistently helped our clients climb over certain hurdles like trying to find an agent or find an increase in auditions.
We love our mentoring program class that has gotten most people rep that taking the class except two people in 2018. That’s insane! What makes us stand out in the country is we are the only demo reel company that works with major studios.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Loyalty, passion, persistence, and hardworking.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jigreelstudios.com/ | Warehouse1productions.com
- Phone: 818-839-0704
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Bradford Rogne
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