Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Domingo.
Johnny, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It was 2008, the ironic bearded D.B. douchebag look was in its infancy and wannabe pre- Instagram butt models were being turned down by Elite modeling agency and they still are. I had just given into a headhunter who had hired me to be part of this vast corporation that was Apple. It took 4 turbulent fun years for the Kool Aide to wear off.
Let’s just say that one day as I was teaching one of the many of my student client One to One members either how to take a photo and “make it look blurry” in the background or set up a Match.com account and how do I hide my browsing history so my boyfriend doesn’t see it only to later in the day teach her boyfriend the very same thing, except it was porn sites. Yeah and there was a moment when we stumbled upon it and the whole store had to endure 21 iMac inches of high gloss breasts and other various body parts in full surround sound glory. Have you ever seen a 40-year-old man blush and shrink before? And no, I wasn’t 40 at the time. It was after this and several incidents that I began questioning my place and purpose.
After almost 4 years of this and most importantly seeing these same student/clients actually start making money from what I had help teach them coupled with my slow amusing train wreck of how far can I push my corporate existence with the hire ups in Apple that I started to finally listen to reasoning from my longtime friend and mentor Douglas Voisin. This is the guy who years before was shooting my ultra hot model girlfriend at the time Chantille. I thought he was just another D.B. fashion photographer just paying me bs compliments of my photographs on my wall just so I was cool with him shooting my girlfriend. Nevertheless, it was Douglas who never let up and eventually was the reason I never put down the camera and finally left Apple. Douglas was the main one of several friends that said I was wasting away. Don’t get me wrong I will forever be grateful for my time at Apple. But he was right, I needed to step out on my own. But I wasn’t exactly sure how and what to do.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s been 15 years since I began this part of my journey. I can’t say it was a smooth road but I do know It would have been a-lot rougher road travelled without key friends and mentors T.G. Herrington and Douglas Voisin.
T.G. who first gave me a chance to find myself and put me through Moviola school for editing in Los Angles in 2003. Douglas who cleared and pushed me down the path to today only to become my partner and team leader and second core member of Blue Bunny.
The hardest part is always taking the first step out of whatever comfort zone you’re in.
After that it will be a series of learning mistakes that you’re just gonna have to get over it, laugh and move on.
I knew I didn’t wanna just be another first name here last name here photographer with a website. I wanted to develop a brand and somehow involve people whose work I love and people who I admire.
So learning from the best computer company in the world and arguably one of the most recognized brands I decided to give a bunny meaning and worth in media production.
Because what the hell does a bitten apple have to do with computers? Apparently, everything today.
Before I knew this yes, I was JohnnyDomingo.com. Man, that sucked. Because of how my name sounded like a Quentin Tarantino character people were trying to figure out if I was an actor or pimp. I guess I should’ve put a camera on the card. Lol.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Blue Bunny Productions was born out of this desire to bring meaning to the name itself in production standard. Through hard work creativity and most importantly integrity. I wanted us to be recognized as this standard in media production. I wanted to put everything I learned and every break I got into practice. It was in doing this that I came upon the third core member of Blue Bunny. Izzy “rockstar’ Silva. He literally is a rockstar in Modernage and Casino Strange. Izzy was my give back to what my mentors did for me. It’s important in whatever business or profession that you’re in that if you ever find yourself a wanting student that you become that mentor. His passion and desire ultimately lead him to not only be a well versed photographer and cinematographer but now be a permanent core teammate in Blue Bunny Productions.
Although we are a company whose strengths are creativity and integrity it also is a company of challenges. Challenges to constantly grow and perfect your craft through learning together and sharing our knowledge in an atmosphere of fun.
Because we offer a home to all the talented freelancers I know here in Miami from gaffers, grips to makeup artists like Max Aponte, Rene Gotero and Shiri Fauer to name a few, we are able to do weddings, fashion branded photoshoots to a 15 film crew team to do corporate branding projects or produce music videos and broadcast quality sizzle segments for network consideration. I believe that this mantra to create, inspire and connect and the flexibility to be able use this vast source of local experience is what sets us apart from the rest. We literally can put together the best team for your event, brand or production and make sure every last detail is executed to its best.
I feel very fortunate to find myself here today. To be part of this brand that not only I began but also share its continued growth and change with my partners Douglas Voisin and Izzy Silva. and all my freelancers who add to its strength to continually create, inspire and connect with the world.
What were you like growing up?
Born to Filipino parents and raised in Hawaii, I was fortunate to of lived in a time where we would drink water from a hose build clubhouse, ride bikes, eat Spam and rice on the beach after surfing all day. A child of an eventual divorce, my catholic school altar boy days was numbered entering high school in New Orleans, Louisiana. I was transformed into a rebellious liberty spike haired punk rocker. It was here that I eventually gained knowledge of a different kind of world away from my Hawaiian paradise. A world where I opened a Hip Hop Rave clothing store Cyber Pig and was very active as a rave and hip-hop party producer. A path that would force me down to a series of life altering choices that would bring me to Miami via Los Angeles and the turbulent life style change that led to my present transformation to Blue Bunny Productions. But that’s another story all together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bluebunnyproductions.com
- Email: johnny_domingo@me.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnny_blue_bunny_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueBunnyProductions/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-bunny-productions-miami-2
Image Credit:
Douglas Voisin (guy on left)
Izzy Silva (guy on right)
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