Today we’d like to introduce you to Pedro Vera
Hi Pedro, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My Story… Well, like all good stories it started with a dream. Born just outside Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, I grew up in a family of dreamers and go getters. My mom taught kindergarten throughout the day, would come home to hang out with me, then go take night classes to get her Masters degree. Working hard so she could afford to take me to Disney or Pennsylvania for train conventions. Her dream being: to be the best mom out there. (At least that’s what I believe.) Since my dad didn’t stick around, my grandfather stepped in and worked around the clock, some days three different jobs, just so my mom and I could live a comfortable life and I could go to private school. And don’t get me started on my saintly grandmother, my storied uncles, and my wise aunts. My life teamed with inspirational family figures and opportunity.
But I had a problem. Fear.
As a little guy, my mom and teachers quickly noticed that I was quite the imaginative kid. Like any kid, I performed out these crazy little stories with toys, played pretend war with my brother, and would reenact all of Captain Jack Sparrow’s famous lines from the Pirates films. (That last part is probably just me.) All the while my grandfather was recording every little bit on his SHARP camcorder.
However, when it came time to be in a group or to present, they found that I was quite reserved and straightforward.
Cue the theatre lights. The school I attended always put on an end of year theatre production. ‘Course as the reserved kid, my teachers and family expected me to cower from taking the stage. They worked hard with me during rehearsals, helping me project my voice rather than fearfully mumble. But when it came to show time, they barely believed what they saw. The kid, who would shy away from show-n-tell, is now performing alone with ease on a stage! And once I experienced my first successful show, my dream to become an actor came to light.
We moved to the North Georgia area when I was 15. My acting pursuits continued into high school, where they melded with video production. As the only actor in the video production class, I became the full time anchor for our news network, the Knightly News. With around the clock performance practice, my confidence in my acting abilities grew, and I thought I was on my way!
Then reality hit in college, when I discovered just how competitive the acting field was. Questions of how will I make money? Am I good enough? Do I look like the rest of the successful actors? Should I consider a different path? All flooded my mind, to the point where fear won.
I decided to drop out of theatre and try something else.
I jumped to Psychology, then Chemistry, then Game Design. But nothing felt right. As a man of Faith, I finally cried out to God and asked, “What do I need to do?” And though it wasn’t immediate, He answered.
Cut to 2016, I just wrapped up all my classes for an Associates of Arts in Art, the degree I finally fell on. As a part of the graduation process, my advisor sat me down for an exit interview. During the interview she asked the usual questions, “How’d you like it here at UNG?” “What would you say could be done better in your degree field?” “Did you enjoy your classes?” And I answered accordingly.
Then she asked, “What are you going to do next?”
I told her, “I don’t know.” She then asked, “What do you want to do?” I confessed that I still wanted to be an Actor.
She looked at my transcript and noted that I was on a college track to be a theatre major but dropped out. I simply nodded. She then asked if I ever considered a film major track. I didn’t even know they had a film major. She mentioned it was a new degree they had just begun offering. And she encouraged me to give it a shot.
I spoke later with my mom about the degree, and I confessed that the fear of failure was still there. She quickly reminded me that fear only comes from a lack of faith. She encouraged me to try and go after my dream, leaving the details to God.
So I took a leap of faith.
And I soared. During my 3 years in film school, I discovered a love for the filmmaking process, studied under some outstanding acting coaches like Carrie Schrader, Jim Hammond of Gainesville Theatre Alliance, and Elisa Carlson, and met some of my closest friends.
I crossed the graduation stage in 2019, with my degree, a fairly strong acting portfolio, and a drive like no other. And shortly after, I landed my first professional acting gig on a show called Homicide Hunter. My senior thesis film, A Devil in God’s Country, in which I starred, was in festival circuit, being shown internationally. I felt high in the sky.
Then 2020 hit. And everything halted. Productions stalled. Films and shows were canceled or shelved. The world stood still. And I was wrecked and restless. I thought the breakthrough had finally come through!
After months of quarantine, the pandemic situation improved but film production still kept at a crawl. And I needed money and a film outlet. So I decided to put my film skills to work by opening my own production company, Visceral Film Studios. With me at the helm, and my best friends, Seth Chapman and Wesley Banks at the camera and editing station respectively, we began filming small commercial ads for local businesses, and when we had time, our own shorts.
And I shifted from just Actor to Filmmaker/Actor.
Since starting Visceral Film Studios in 2020, I’ve had the pleasure of directing an industrial for King’s Hawaiian, producing ads for Red Hot Media, and screenwriting many fun original series’ and shorts, such as ‘A Taste of DorTalye’, a fantasy-style cooking show, and our original short ‘Cafecito’, an ode to my Cuban heritage. As for acting, my passion for it remains strong and at work. My most recent performance being Felipe Rivera in Fatal Attractions.
I’m blessed to say that faith overtook fear, and God answered my prayer with a new dream.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like all great journeys… No, it has not been an easy road. But where’s the fun in smooth sailing?
As a growing actor, rejection, competition, and uncertainty are a part of the journey. One week you may have work, the next few months you may hit a dry spell. Auditioning for roles, sometimes you’ll hear back and land it, and others you’re left with just a ‘thank you.’ This field requires a level of thick skin, determination, fearlessness, and… a little insanity.
You have to love the process and art more than the possibility of fame and fortune. ‘Cause the truth is, not everyone will be an A-lister.
Couple that with running a film and video production company, where the same challenges pressure you, life can get hectic and lonely. Owning a business sounds great on paper, but in practice, especially in the beginning, it takes immense drive and sacrifice. I’ve missed birthdays, vacations, and have had to give up some personal desires, just so I could keep the business on a growing track. And a lot of times, I feel isolated. Not everyone understands the challenges and wins. Thankfully my faith in Christ has carried me through the lonely times. And seeing how others, like my younger brother Charlie, have faced similar challenges before, has inspired me to continue.
But my biggest challenge by far: perfectionism.
This fear-fulled attribute (that’s what I find it to be) killed many great ideas and dreams before they even began. I’ve not auditioned for roles, started film projects, or tried new avenues, all because I feared it not working perfectly. If it wasn’t for my brother giving me a ‘Just Do It’ talk, I probably wouldn’t be a production company owner today.
It’s ironic, because as humans we aren’t perfect. Only one was and He didn’t expect us to be. And as an artist, what is perfection? Acting thrives best when it’s messy but true. There’s no one way to perform. Filmmaking shines when we break traditional barriers and norms. The life of an Actor/Filmmaker revolves around seeing life through a different lens. And sometimes those lenses are broken, imperfect. Thankfully as I’ve come to learn these truths and taken more leaps of faith, my perfectionism has diminished. But it’s still a daily battle.
Which is why I remind myself, “Do your best, and leave the rest to God.”
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Visceral Film Studios started with a dream of creating cinematic films, documentary videos, and promotional content for local businesses. And I act as its Owner/Producer/Lead Creative Director. As mentioned before, we specialize in film and video production from concept to delivery. Our most notable clients being King’s Hawaiian, Brenau University, and eXp Realty, to name a few. We create industrials, promotional ads, brand videos and even cover events, all with a cinematic edge. When we are not filming for clients, we create fun originals shorts and series for entertainment. Our most notable being ‘Cafecito’ and ‘A Taste of DorTalye.’
What I believe sets us apart is our desire to work with new talent, both client-wise and crew-wise. When we started, we aimed to work with local businesses. Telling the stories of business owners who have passion and drive for their craft, just further inspires us. Our other aim has been to open a mentorship program with local universities and film schools to provide on set experience to their students. The hope being that when they cross the stage, they will have a strong professional portfolio as well as a degree.
We pride ourselves on our ability to scale to a projects needs. As mentioned already, we’ve worked large businesses like King’s Hawaiian, where we were running a fairly sized crew. However, we also work plenty with “Mom and Pop” type businesses, who require smaller, less invasive sized crews. We also travel for some of our clients. We’ve worked in Alabama, South Carolina, and some of our team members have traveled outside the country to film. A dull day at VFS isn’t the norm.
We are always looking to collaborate with new clients and filmmakers. If you’re looking to get your business known through video marketing, we offer video services that make you stand out! We offer packages for monthly social media campaigns, yearly brand videos, and project to project industrials. If you dream it, we’ll aim to do it.
And if you have a film or series idea that you believe in and provides a great message, that’s our wheel house. We stand ready to hear it and produce it. Our company started from filmmaking, so reach out!
How do you define success?
Success for me would be using my talents and skills to the benefit of others and making a living doing so. If my filmmaking and acting make the world better and give glory to my Creator, then I’m doing well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://visceralfilmstudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pedro.j.vera | https://www.instagram.com/visceralfilmstudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visceralfilmstudios
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@visceralfilmstudios
- Other: ‘Cafecito’ Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfAnGxLzcQk | A Taste of DorTalye channel link: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTastefulBard
Image Credits
Ryan Davis Photography
Northbound Photography
