Today we’d like to introduce you to Alejandro Arenas.
Hi Alejandro, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story is a bit of a cliché. I have had a passion for art since I can remember. I used to draw endlessly and began oil painting from a very young age back in Colombia. When I arrived at the United States at the age of 14, I took a little hiatus from painting until I was introduced to Graffiti in High School. It wasn’t until I went to college that I stopped practicing art altogether and began studying Mechanical Engineering. I liked engineering but it was a lot more different than I thought it would be. I struggled to find joy in what I was doing with engineering late in my college career. That’s when destiny knocked on my door and introduced me to video production, all by chance. I was studying late at the library and began browsing through YouTube when I saw a video of a young kid that blew me away; in it, he had changed his face and applied some effects to it in what I could closely explain as photoshopping, but for a video! That’s when I fell in love with Visual Effects. I thought, if a random kid on YouTube can do something like this, surely I would be able to do it.
I found the tutorial for this exact effect in a website called VideoCopilot.net and immersed myself completely into learning how to do it. I watched every single tutorial in that website by the one and only Andrew Kramer. I bought myself a camera with some money I had saved up and I began practicing what at the time was nothing but a hobby. I tried to learn as much as I could and realized that I had developed a deep passion for VFX. Right before graduating, I was introduced to Bryan Dillard. Bryan had a company called Viral Crew, a group of videographers who were hired to film all the famous DJs and all big events at clubs in Tallahassee. A friend I used to breakdance with was part of Viral Crew. He put me in contact with Bryan and he gave me the chance to work on a video they were shooting featuring Benny Benassi, the famous DJ. It was my first opportunity at putting everything I had learned into something besides “videos for fun.” I remember pulling two all-nighters and ultimately, I blew the team away with the effects I had created. From then on, I began to work with Viral Crew on every video they were creating. It was a side job. It was fun. I loved it. Well… graduation day came and I had no job prospects. So, I decided to follow my gut and continued to work for little to no money with Viral Crew. I spent two more years in Tallahassee, working on something I enjoyed, but it wasn’t paying the bills.
I moved back to my parent’s house and decided to give mechanical engineering another try, something my parents and everyone around me insisted I do. “You shouldn’t waste your time with this video stuff,” they all said. All except my now wife, who supported me through thick and thin. After applying to numerous jobs and getting no offers, I decided to follow my gut once again and switched my attention to jobs related to what I loved. Within a week, I had an interview at a place called Moore and Scarry, a marketing company that specialized in tier 3 car commercials, you know, the ones from local dealerships you see on TV. I was hired immediately and became one of their best motion graphics artist within a few months, only because I was able to learn from the veterans that had been working in the industry there for years. I loved being surrounded by a small department of people that did exactly what I loved doing. I learned so many tricks from everyone there and made some amazing lifelong friends. I had a stable job in what I did. I enjoyed it, but then my life changed again when I decided to propose to my wife.
I knew I wanted to move in with her but at the time, I was living in Naples, FL, with my parents still. I knew I had to find a job in Miami, something good, doing what I loved. After a few weeks of searching, I found a listing online for a position as a motion graphics artist for none other than the Miami HEAT! That same night I put together a demo reel of the best car commercials I had created, submitted it to their website and filled up the application. I thought there was no way I would be considered. Well… a day later, I received a call from Ed Filomia, the senior director of broadcast services at the American Airlines Arena, asking me if I could be there the next day. I called in sick and drove to Miami, where I interviewed with them. Within a month, I was quitting my job at Moore and Scarry and moving to sunny Miami, FL, to work for the Miami HEAT.
I loved working for the HEAT. I couldn’t believe that I had gotten that far being self-taught but I was very thankful and humbled. I made incredible friends at the HEAT and amazing connections, connections I still use to this day. I thought I would work there forever but fate had other plans.
Bryan Dillard had recently moved to Miami, where he landed club E11EVEN as a client. He contacted and told me he was opening up a new company called Media Monsters. At the time, my job was stable. I had just gotten married to the love of my life and we had an apartment together. I decided to work with him as a freelancer and do Media Monsters work at night. Media Monsters grew so fast and the jobs were so demanding that I found myself basically working two jobs. I would work at the HEAT, come home, my wife would go to bed at 9:30 PM and I would work from 10 PM to 2 or 3 AM. Then I was offered a partnership in Media Monsters so I left my job at the HEAT and joined the Media Monsters crew. My last day at the HEAT was August 5th, 2018. I’ve been a full-time monster since.
Our company started small. The company started in Hypoluxo, in Bryan’s apartment. The moment I joined the team, we moved into the WeWork in Downtown Miami. I brought one of my co-workers from the HEAT and we began growing the team. WeWork was great but we needed a place where we could network more. After a year, we moved the company to Ampersand Studios in Edgewater, by Wynwood, a rental studio for companies like ours. It was amazing and the team grew even more. It got to a point where we had 12 employees, a great environment and I even had some people under my supervision. We began to work with bigger clients and sports teams like the HEAT, the Marlins, Philadelphia FLYERS, among others. Then… COVID. A lot of our work became a bit stagnant. Everyone had to work from home. This is when we decided to restructure ourselves. Some of our team members decided to leave and we focused on becoming something different. Well, we now have our own studio, which has been under construction for quite some time now. We hope to be moving in within the next two months or so. It’s crazy to think that something that was a hobby became a career. I was true to myself, followed my gut, and continued to learn as much as I could. I am still learning, but I’m proud to say that I truly love what I do. I know, very cliché, lol.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest struggle was making that decision to continue to do what I loved, despite everyone else telling me it was the wrong decision. “You have a mechanical engineering degree. What are you thinking?” I mean, at the time, I was making little to no money, but I’m glad I persevered.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are a full production house soon to be located in the design district of Miami, FL. We shoot high-end commercials, promotional videos for high-end clubs and have produced high-end animation work for numerous high-ranking sports teams and other clients. We pride ourselves on our work ethic and providing the best possible products. We’re not afraid to go above and beyond. We are always hungry.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I have had a few mentors along the way. Sometimes all it takes is looking in the right direction. My first mentor was Andrew Kramer, someone who gave free online tutorials and someone I eventually got to meet years later and be acknowledged by. Sometimes you will find mentors at your place of work. In my case, I learned a great deal from my co-workers. A fantastic way to network is by attending events for what you love. Find a local organization or club, meet people with the same interests as you and attend conventions. Don’t be afraid to say hello and interact with others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://monsters.video/
- Instagram: @arenasvfx, @mediamonsters
