Please introduce yourself. What do you do? Why? What do you want people to know about you?
I always had problems with speaking up and expressing myself but it wasn’t until I went into film production that I knew I could channel my voice through this medium of art.
My name is Chris Andrade and I am a Filmmaker based out of Belleville, New Jersey. Since my discovery in film, I knew that I could not only tell my story through film but that I can also use my art to tell other people’s stories.
I’ve built up a production company (SO-CALLED STUDIOS) in hopes to keep those stories alive. We believe that everyone has a story to tell and we are here to bring it visually to life!
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
The indie film industry is very competitive and very over-saturated but I know that my mind brings a different angle to the table. I have something that no one in the world has and that is my mind.
With my mind, I can bend the rules and tell the stories that I want to tell. I can help you find your voice just the way that Film did for me. I feel in my short life I have learned and experienced so much that I will put up all I have to offer on the table for the better.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you’re doing what you were born to do.
Early on in my time studying film in Florida, I had bought a last-minute ticket to go see Majid Jordan live at a venue. I was excited to be attending as a fan but I wanted to try something and see if I can bring my camera inside to take pictures.
I made the line but was turned down at the door for bringing in a camera without a photo pass. So I took my camera back into my car and made the line once more. The line was so long it wrapped along the side of the building close to where I parked my car. While in line I saw a really nice tour bus and to myself, I said, “Wow, it would be crazy if Majid Jordan walked out right now,” and moments later Jordan walks out to have a smoke break.
I approached him and told him my situation about being turned down at the door because I didn’t have a pass and he proceeded to say, “Let me see your work.” I showed him my Instagram page and viola. He says, “Give me one second, let me go grab you a pass…” At the moment I was so in shock and in complete excitement.
Fast-forwarding a little, I took some amazing shots and made a really cool recap video for them! I sent my photos to their manager and the next day they were used on their page to announce future show dates.
That was the first time that I had ever done something for someone else and received an acknowledgment like that. It was at that point where I knew that manifesting works but that in order for it to work you have to be ready for the opportunity.
Now, this event happened in about 2017, and funny enough I had another opportunity to shoot for them this winter 2021 in Brooklyn, NY. This event became full circle for me YEARS later and it was honestly just the start.
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve had to go through and how did you grow through it?
When I built my team for SO-CALLED STUDIOS, we started off as 7 friends with a common goal.
As time progressed people got a little too comfortable and weren’t putting in their work. There was a point in our careers that we were working nonstop every day while others wouldn’t do the same and it got to a point where they got left behind.
The hardest part was having that conversation with friends about breaking off that business relationship. It was harder than breaking up with a girlfriend… But I knew that I had grown in that situation because I was fighting for something bigger and better and by being a business owner, I had to take the right steps in order for the company.
Who are the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could elevate your career or business? Why these specific individuals?
The top 3 people I’d want to meet all have something that I want to learn about.
John Mayer is a creative genius and talking to him would teach me about progress and about PROCESS. I would love to talk to Mike Amiri, founder of the fashion brand AMIRI, and simply talk ideas with him. His inspirations got him to where he is and I feel like we could work on some great projects together.
The last person I’d want to meet would be the founder of the LA Note. I feel like I have done so much realization about myself by writing these prompts and I think that the person at LA Note could elevate my production company and me.