Today we’d like to introduce you to Dominic Giannetti.
Dominic is a storytelling enthusiast and autodidact filmmaker. Dominic created his first animated short film at the ripe young age of 8, storyboarding and illustrating figures into animated form – long before digital was used by professionals let alone everyday creators. The process of figuring out how to make the animated short ignited the film flame, and he has been sharing his passion for creativity – entertaining and delighting those around him ever since. Various displays of creative initiative continued throughout his childhood. In his formative teen years, Dominic started the theater program at his high school after learning they didn’t already offer one, all while writing and directing his first play. Similarly, when he moved to South Florida to pursue college film classes, he saw a need for a sub-culture art community in West Palm Beach, where like-minded students and artists could come together to share their own brand of artistry. ), Dominic was instrumental in cultivating the sub-cultural art community in West Palm Beach over the course of several years, from (1990-2000): He served as President of the WPB Independent Film Festival; Launched and served as President for the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers, South Florida chapter; Founded and co-published “art Street” Magazine; Co-produced a number of performing art installations under the banner of Anxious Art Collective (performance street art and mobile multimedia art gallery); Became a partner at Palm Beach Studio Theatre; and wrote and directed several award-winning short films with his production company, Film Factory.
Dominic began his professional film career in (1996), when the Palm Beach County Film Commissioner, Chuck Eldred, offered him a job on a major motion picture being filmed on location in WPB. Dominic started as a production assistant as many do, though worked hard and furiously to quickly advance. By the time he was hired on his 3rd feature film, he was head of the location’s department and moving up fast. Demonstrating quick, creative on-the-job problem-solving alongside the art of networking, enabled Dominic to stay top of mind, getting hired and promoted from one project to the next, including several major blockbusters like Any Given Sunday, Random Hearts, and Heartbreakers. Dominic also set up an office at Palm Beach Ocean Studios with friends to help usher in and crew for short-term projects and productions in film, commercial TV, and music videos in-between his work on feature films. He gained invaluable experience in nearly every aspect of production from location management and assistant directing, to office executive and producer, and worked alongside Hollywood A-listers such as Harrison Ford, Burt Reynolds, Richard Dreyfuss, Al Pacino and Cameron Diaz… to name a few.
Throughout his journey, especially in the earlier stages, Dominic always wished he had someone to guide and mentor him… someone to coach him on how to channel innate creativity into moviemaking, someone to teach him the various technical aspects of filmmaking, someone to show him the ropes when it comes to the non-technical in’s and out’s, and somewhere he could go to get the education and hands-on experience needed to break into the film industry… behind the camera or in front. Today, as the father of 2 young, multi-talented, daughters under the age of 10, he recognized a major void – there really wasn’t a place to send his own children when it came to teaching media communication to young creative minds – film, photography, video and new media – from a production and talent lens. Seeing the void for young creators made him reflect on his personal journey – he never forgot how difficult it was to navigate and figure out the Biz on his own. This shaped the inspiration for opening You Create Academy.
At You Create Academy, Dominic hopes to share his passion knowledge and expertise in storytelling to help aspiring young creators find and ignite a creative spark that brings them from storyboard to screens of all kind. He understands how technology has transformed the industry – in terms of developing and capturing, as well as distributing content. Celebrities born out of Instafame and YouTube stars monetizing their channels with millions of fans and followers have A-list celebrities scratching their heads. Content is still king, and it’s everywhere, giving young creators an incredible opportunity to forge their own.
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? Creating a new business from scratch is never easy. I left a thriving car dealership that I started to pursue my passion.
Please tell us about You Create Academy. At You Create Academy we educate through entertainment. Our young creators get a chance to work with the studio grade equipment, act in front of the camera and learn all aspects of film, television and YouTube video creation. Many of our instructors are actively working in the entertainment industry. We blend our real-life connections with our Creator’s with the goal of preparing them for the future. We are proud to pass along our vast knowledge of the entertainment industry to our young Creators. At the end of our one week camps our young creators know more about the film industry then I did on my first day of a feature film set. Within the first few months of opening we already got a couple creators jobs in the professional world. I often have local filmmakers and TV/film producers stop by and offer advice during class. Soon, we will also offer a more robust curriculum by discipline – bringing in industry professionals in modeling, music production and licensing, casting and news journalism to host and instruct workshops.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood? My favorite childhood memory is the day my mother brought me down to an electronics store and bought me my first video camera! I spent weeks running around the outdoors with my friends making my first short movie. She has always supported and believed in me.
Pricing:
- Classes start at $15/class
- Camps start at $250/week
Contact Info:
- Address: 500 NE Spanish River Blvd
Suite 21 Boca Raton, FL 33431 - Website: www.youcreateacademy.com
- Phone: 561-405-6125
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Instagram.com/youcreateacademy
- Facebook: Facebook.com/youcreateacademy
Image Credit:
Dominic Giannetti
Lucas Stein
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
