Rising Stars: Meet Samuel Avila

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuel Avila.

Hi Samuel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2000, my Mom and my Grandma took me to watch How The Grinch Stole Christmas in theaters, and I was star-struck. It was my first theater experience, and seeing everyone coming together and appreciating a movie created by humans just like me entertained the idea of me creating a character and bringing it to life. As I began to grow up, I entered school programs, worked on many student short films, and worked on a stage crew in high school to learn as much as I could from any position available. From being a grip to an assistant director, I wanted to be a part of it all and adopt the best qualities for any future project of mine. When I entered college, I met many talented upcoming filmmakers like myself who still work with me till this day. One of them, Garren, asked me to help him film a rap music video.

Keep in mind I have NEVER worked on a music video, although my life revolves around film and simply being an avid music listener. I accepted his offer, and after I told him how much I enjoyed it, I asked if he had ever considered directing a pop-punk or any rock genre music video. At the time, he was working with a lot of upcoming rappers and told me maybe I should give it a shot and direct the style that draws closest to me. So I did just that, and my life has changed since. As a music fanatic and film lover, I get to direct the best of both worlds. I’ve been blessed to have these opportunities, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me. I have a team project (short series) in the works and cannot wait for the world to see it. I just want to put out the best content and work with my team like my all-time favorite actor, Adam Sandler.

Alright, 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?
Many struggles have presented themselves throughout my journey. Coming from my single mother’s household, I’ve had to work since high school and didn’t get the opportunity to go full-time into college. On the contrary, I had to work full-time and go to college part-time so I could help pay the bills. It’s been tough, even frustrating at times, because I live in the mindset that I could’ve done better each time. But now that I’m growing older and wiser, I wouldn’t change a thing. I believe God put these obstacles in my way to shape me into who I am today and to never underestimate myself and my abilities to get it done. It all stems from where your heart is and the reason why you do what you do. If your heart is in the right place for the right reasons, the seed you water WILL grow.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I used to call myself a photographer, then a director. Now, I call myself an artist. I don’t believe in one label when you have lots of talents. I like to photograph; I love to direct, and I continue to learn to edit, do graphic design, develop merchandise, and, as of late, screenwriting.

My brand is called TheTypecasting. A typecast is someone who continues to play the same role. I chose that name for the irony because, deep down, I knew I would use my platform for all the content I wanted. And by adding the “ing” at the end just made it unique to my style.

Directed by Thetypecasting, pretty unique, don’t you think?

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Although my brand has been centered and swimming around the pop-punk scene as of late, I’m a sucker for 50’s doo-wop. I’ve always said if I could listen to one genre for the rest of my life, it would be doo-wop and Dion DiMucci to be exact.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetypecasting?igsh=YzZhZTZiNWI3Nw==