Today we’d like to introduce you to David A. Vargas.
David, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been running around with a camera since I was a kid growing up in Hialeah. I never really knew the answer to “What do you want to be when you grow up,” because I genuinely had no clue. Little did I know that I had already been planting the seeds for my career in the funny videos that I was making at school and with my friends over the course of countless weekends.
After graduating high-school (Msgr. Edward Pace), I attended two semesters at Miami-Dade just taking core classes, still with no direction thinking that film school was too unconventional of a future. Working a desk job at a bank counting the seconds go by in my life, I decided to take a leap of faith. I enrolled at Full Sail University in Orlando and started film school nearly two years after Pace. The friends I made, the classes I took and the general energy I was surrounded by told me that I was finally in my element. I exceeded in every way possible at Full Sail and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Film and TV Production.
At the tail end of my time in school, I was able to get a part-time job with the Production Department at Universal Studios Florida. There I worked as a production assistant on the biggest TV and movie projects that came to use the facilities. The Ellen show, Halloween Horror Nights commercials, TNA Wrestling, Ace Ventura 3 and Beethoven 4 are only a few of the many productions I assisted in. After spending three years in Orlando, I moved back to Miami where I doubled as a production assistant on the hit Miami-based TV show “Burn Notice” while interning with the creative department at HBO Latin America.
My time at HBO allowed me to realize that I could make my path in the industry more direct if I left behind being a “PA”and started to do what I really loved, which was always directing. I started my production company “Penilican Pictures” in 2007 (Penilican is a word I made up in high-school that describes the metal banding that connects the pencil to the eraser) and started producing the only thing I knew I would get hired to produce without a giant portfolio to show for…weddings.
As I improved my craft as a whole and started to gain popularity in the wedding industry, I was also growing with HBO. Editing promos and trailers for their shows and movies eventually transitioned into becoming a Director of Photography for their in-house interstitial show called “VIP Pass.” This show gave me the opportunity to start expanding my network in Los Angeles and New York as I covered every single HBO red carpet premiere, including the after parties for the Golden Globes and Emmys. As of today, I have helped produce, edit and shoot this show for almost eight years.
As wedding productions began to evolve into commercials, corporate gigs, and music video opportunities I felt that I was ready to take yet another leap of faith and finally make my first feature film. In May of 2014, along with my writing and producing partner, Javier Mayol, we successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter nearly $43,000 to make the romantic comedy “Love and Hostages.” This is a movie shot in Miami about a one-night stand gone wrong, leaving the odd couple locked up with one another after they try and go their separate ways. We made the movie in under two years and won three film festivals in Florida. The movie was distributed and can now be found on most digital platforms including iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube and Amazon.
My follow-up project has arguably seen even more success in a shorter amount of time, and was shot on virtually a $0 budget. “Hialeah” the comedy series is a creation that I was inspired to make after a video that I shot in Hialeah the night Fidel Castro died, “A Miami Funeral,” went viral on Facebook. The pain and emotion that people expressed to me that night pushed me to tell a story about my family, and the story of so many other families in South Florida. The only thing is, I also wanted it to be funny! “Hialeah” is a love letter to my family to thank them for the sacrifices they made to give my sister and I the opportunities we have in this country today. The entire first season can be seen on Facebook.com/HialeahSeries or by visiting our site at HialeahSeries.com.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No road to success is smooth, nor are there any shortcuts. What I am amazed by most within the context of my journey is that you never know which person you meet along the way will be the one to either help you jump over a hurdle or introduce you to someone else that will.
Taking on the life of a business owner/freelancer/artist takes lots of sacrifice, patience, resilience and positive thinking. My supportive family has never doubted me, and Maria, my wife/high-school sweetheart, will always bring a fight out of me that I never knew existed. Journeys like this are always hard, but they are considerably easier when you have people that you love in your corner rooting for you.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Penilican Pictures – what should we know?
What I am most proud of with what I have done in my career till now, is that I have tried to diversify myself and gain as much knowledge as I can about the world and the different ways in which I can tell its stories. I’ve always detested the “cookie cutter” formula, in which I would’ve created a premeditated format of production approaching every client with the same execution of a project.
I love to learn about the people and companies whose stories I’m trying to tell, so that others may be able to experience a story told organically, emotionally and truthfully. I approach every creative endeavor with the mind of a filmmaker trying to make a movie, and though I’d like to eventually be known for the movies that I made, I think most will know me today as a person who works very closely with his clients to deliver a truly unique message that was molded specifically for them.
Today we work mainly with creative agencies providing video production for their various clients, as well as producing campaigns for our own clients. Through the process of finding my footing in this industry I served many non-profit organizations which was beyond humbling. It exposed me to many of the disparities that exist within South Florida, and even the world, that many may not know about. It inspires me to hopefully be in a position one day to open my own non-profit that assists adults experiencing homelessness.
I think what anybody and everybody should know about me is that if they are going to work with me, they are going to laugh eventually. I also always try to work-in notes of humor in everything that I do, because I can’t imagine a life without laughter, no matter what I’m trying sell or who I’m trying to impress.
What is your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite memory from childhood was playing catch with my dad in the street. He passed away when I was 15, so those are visceral moments that I like to play on loop in my head.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.penilican.com
- Phone: 786-303-1986
- Email: penilican@gmail.com
- Instagram: david286
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/PenilicanPictures
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.
