Today we’d like to introduce you to Castro Tarantino.
Castro, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Since I could remember I was always glued to a screen, there were certain films and shows that would capture my interest and also strike me emotionally, My parents are hard-working individuals as well as great parents but they weren’t always home and busy working, which opened up a route where all I had was tv to sometimes teach me major life lessons. I became infatuated with how tv can manipulate your mood, and since that moment I grabbed a camera as a kid and always filmed home videos alongside family and childhood friends just to replay them back and laugh. I even went as far as making short films, my dream has always been to be a big-time director but the passion for it grew short when I got older about 18 years old things seemed difficult to reach, financially I didn’t think it was possible for a person like me, as time passed the friends around me got involved in music, actually all my friends. I would put myself in their creative environment, and one day it clicked… they need videos! So I took it upon myself to learn and create visuals for them. I remember my first video camera was a Canon t3i. God knows I shot 99+ videos with it. What was a hobby suddenly turned into a career when my favorite artist reached out to me and wanted a video from me. It was overwhelming, but I took on the task. Sadly the video was never released, but I was more motivated than ever to pursue film as a career. I knew I wasn’t at the caliber he needed nor any major artist. So I took it upon myself to become greater each day, and I did. A year later, my phone didn’t stop ringing, and my cameras kept evolving as well as my talent. my name was something everyone in the industry was getting to recognize, now fast forwarding to 2019 I’ve dealt with multi-platinum award-winning artists, major events and campaigns but ill never forget the local scene that took my work mainstream and for that ill always have open arms for My city. Miami, Florida
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I create anything visually from music videos, film, commercials, photography, even graphic design, but what I mainly focus on is music videos and film. I love the fact that in this world, there are so many stories to tell and how a simple picture can tell a complex story fascinates me. My inspiration for what I do every day comes from “Greats” of my industry, past, and present while trying to always create a bodywork that people can get inspired from, cry to and share laughs with. My goal with film is to create a mood, and feeling people can relate to instantly. There’s never a dull moment watching my work and as long as that happens then I know I’m pushing the boundaries and leaving a legacy in this world as somebody who captured moments with a unique perspective.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
I believe its become easier to be an artist nowadays, the tools are at our disposal and affordable. Twenty-five years ago, a music video that cost 100,000 can now be executed for half the price. People are more in tune with their inner artist, and you can see art everywhere you go. I think the best way to encourage to help art and artists is to support difference and make art a bigger part of the learning experience in schools.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Eventually you’ll see my work everywhere, but as of now you can always stream my work through my youtube page (castrotarantino) as well as visiting my Instagram page, I’m in the works of building a great website done by August for my collective company KULTLEADR where you’ll be able to shop from music videos, graphic design even apparel. Until then you can always check out my youtube and Instagram page for my latest work.
Contact Info:
- Email: directedbycastro@icloud.com
- Website: FollowtheKULT.com (coming soon)
- Instagram: @castrotarantino
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/castrotarantino
- Twitter: @castrotarantino
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