Daily Inspiration: Meet Andris Braeuer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andris Braeuer.

Hi Andris; so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Despite being born in Austin, Texas, Arizona will always be my home. My parents married in Phoenix and moved to Gilbert just a year after my birth. I’m a first-generation American and grew up in a multicultural household, so I have a lot of influences shaping the person I am today.

Since I was young, I’ve always felt passionate about filmmaking. Collaborating with others and utilizing different mediums to tell a story excites me in a way that can only be described as passion. Everything started as a small hobby when I was a child, and I’d use my family’s camcorder to make silly videos on my own or skits with my friends. This hobby followed me through High School, where I took video and photography classes, and eventually to college, where I studied Film and Media Production at Arizona State University. It’s safe to say this hobby transformed into something I love.

At ASU, I met many incredible people who felt just as passionately about film as I did, and I’m still close friends with them today. The film program provided a space for me to learn, test my knowledge, fail, and try again, and ultimately I was able to push my creative boundaries to create meaningful stories. Eventually, my senior thesis project won four awards at the AFA Film Festival, including Best Picture, which granted me a film package to create my next project out of college.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have loved ones who continually support my dreams and believe I can do great things in my chosen path. This has been a huge motivator in my career, but I am still fresh to the film industry, and there have been ups and downs. For me, the biggest challenge in creating films at this stage in my career is getting projects off the ground and providing the proper compensation to support my fellow collaborators for the work they contribute. Finding the proper resources and funding for projects is hands down the most challenging part of working as a creative in the industry. When you have neighbors like Los Angeles and Albuquerque with powerful film industries, it can be easy to overlook the talent that’s right here in Arizona. Fortunately, in recent years the industry here has been growing a lot, and a film career has become more and more plausible. I’m incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been given and those who gave them to me, giving me a space to learn and grow as a filmmaker. It’s not an easy or steady job, but the community makes it great. The film industry is a very social avenue, and networking is a huge part of the career, which can be challenging to navigate in its own way, but it’s the support artists here give one another that I think is unmatched compared to some of the other film hubs.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I keep myself busy with hobbies like photography, modeling, and experimenting with other art forms, but filmmaking and storytelling are what I am most passionate about. While I work as a project manager or production assistant on film sets, TV shows, and commercials, my passion is writing and directing. I love working on set and seeing a vision come together, whether it’s someone else’s project or mine. For the last year and a half, I’ve been working on a short film, Bird of Paradise, which I directed and produced. I worked with a very talented crew, many of them were ASU alums and other local film workers, and we gathered a lot of support from people and businesses around the Valley. This film was made with a lot of intention and is bound to strike up a conversation. We wanted to tell a meaningful story and show what the Phoenix film community could do. Even though it’s a small project, the whole experience of bringing this story to life was exceptional. Creating an independent film has difficulties but opens the door to many learning opportunities. People often see the finished product and not the months or even years of preparation it takes to create it. I’m just really grateful for all those who were involved. It was a great community effort to make this film, and while some thought it wasn’t feasible given the scope, I am proud of everyone and myself for getting it done.

Networking and finding a mentor can positively impact one’s life and career. Any advice?
The film industry is incredibly collaborative, and getting anywhere without some help is nearly impossible. Something everyone in the industry knows is that networking is one of the most important factors in finding work. Still, putting yourself out there can also be incredibly difficult, and that goes for any career path. The most important thing to know is there isn’t one right way to connect. I went to film school, which immediately gave me an environment to network with like-minded creatives. However, I’ve met other people on set who didn’t go to school, and they’ve been working gigs for years because they had a few great connections. The film industry in Phoenix is increasing; you can find jobs through people you know, attending local meet-ups and events like film festivals, attending school, and looking online. Pursuing a film career is no longer a huge risk which is incredible. It opens the doors to new ideas and diverse stories. However, it can be a challenging industry to break into. I’ve learned that working hard and leaving a good impression on just one person can get you where you want to be if you’re willing to put in the effort. I’m thankful for all the work I get, and I take every opportunity to learn.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gofundme.com/manage/bird-of-paradise-short-film
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andybraeuer/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@andybraeuer106/featured 

Image Credits
Camille Misty, Phillip Gabriel Steverson