Today we’d like to introduce you to Raymond Knudsen.
Hi Raymond, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I wouldn’t be who I am without my mother. My story starts with her journey of immigrating from the Philippines to the USA at a very young age. She has sacrificed so much for her children and is the bravest person I know. My mother wanted to provide a lifestyle for her children that she wasn’t able to have herself. With the best of intentions, it often led to overindulgence in both material items and food. As an overweight child, I was often bullied and found comfort in food.
When I was 8 years old, my childhood home in New Jersey was destroyed by a flood. I lost my friends and became the strange new kid in West Palm Beach, Florida as we moved into my grandparents’ home. Throughout growing up, movies were something constant, a safe place for me to escape. They made me feel less alone and brought joy to my life. I would eventually start video editing and made montages and movie trailers with clips from the movies that I loved.
In West Palm Beach, my mother found a community of friends with similar ethnic backgrounds, which led to me befriending Jeff Cantor. Jeff was one of my first mentors. He taught me how to workout and when he noticed my passion for video editing, he recommended that I take One to One sessions at the Apple Store to learn more. My weekends were spent there with David Kossin, one of my earliest teachers.
After middle school, I attended a summer camp for the G-Star School of the Arts hosted by Larry DeCarmine and Robert McClory. That experience sold me on attending their art-focused high school. During my senior year, I was blessed with a college scholarship from the legendary actor, Burt Reynolds. He grabbed me on that stage and said “You’re gonna make it kid!”
I attended the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts, specializing in producing and directing. In 2017, I directed a short documentary titled FULL CIRCLE, which follows Superbowl Champion Anquan Boldin and his charity efforts throughout his hometown of Pahokee, FL. The film was broadcasted on PBS in 2019. Shortly after graduating in 2019, I was hired as a Field Producer for the show 4TH AND FOREVER: MUCK CITY, which streamed on CuriosityStream and HBO Max.
In college, through following various bodybuilders on YouTube, I found my way into competitive bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is where I found my voice as a filmmaker. Although I fell in love with the sport and gained a new sense of confidence, I, unfortunately, developed an eating disorder and tied my self-worth to my body image. Following my last competition, I worked with an eating psychologist named Shelby McDaniel. She helped me develop a healthy relationship with food.
This experience showed me that there’s not only a lack of stories about this complex sport and art form but more importantly, a lack of stories exploring a man’s relationship to his body and food. I made this my mission and shortly after wrote/directed two short films titled STAGE READY and PREP. As a second-generation American, I feel an obligation to highlight inclusion through my work, so every movie I’ve made leads with a diverse actor.
The next project will be titled BODYBUILDERS ANONYMOUS, which is an unfiltered interview series with those who’ve been in/around the sport of bodybuilding. My goal is to show all perspectives of a complex and often overlooked sport that’s seen by many from a surface level. I plan to interview competitors, judges, and my eating psychologist in hopes of creating a long-lasting resource for others.
In 2020, I moved to Brooklyn and began producing short films and coordinating union commercials for brands such as Under Armour, Walmart, and Truist. With a large network of alumni from the FSU Film Program, I began making short films with my former classmates. One of those films was WEAPONS AND THEIR NAMES, which has screened at festivals around the world like Sundance, Palm Springs ShortFest, and the Miami Film Festival in 2023.
I’m excited to make my way back to Florida in 2023 to produce my first feature film titled THE BIG GAME. The film is a dark comedy about extreme football fandom. The film is directed by fellow FSU alum, Stephen Musumeci, and executive produced by Jim Cummings (THUNDER ROAD).
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Finding the balance between working hard and self-care. I’ve always been a driven person, sometimes to a fault. Therapy has helped with setting boundaries and making choices that are in my best interest in hand. I also sought specialized care from an eating psychologist following bodybuilding to overcome my eating disorder. Now I use my work to raise awareness of these common issues.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Your journey and timeline are unique. Don’t let our inpatient world make you feel like you aren’t where you’re supposed to be. Comparison is the thief of joy. Energy is everything. Only surround yourself with those who make you feel good and genuinely support you. Make the choice that makes for a good story one day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bigbluepictures.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raymondknudsen/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymond-knudsen-5a370140/
- Other: https://vimeo.com/bigbluepictures
