Rising Stars: Meet Sun Czar Belous

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sun Czar Belous.

Hi Sun, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I came from the small copper mining town, Globe, AZ. My father worked for the mines and was a biker. My mother came from Mexico with her parents and lived in a small humble home with ten brothers and sisters. I had a happy childhood despite my family splitting up when I was in the 3rd grade. My mother raised me during my youth, but my father was not far and eventually taking me in during my teenage years. Despite the tough environment, I managed to avoid being a delinquent, and I had enough good people and good friends around me that kept me on the straight and narrow. One of those friends was Adolpho Navarro. We grew up our entire childhood together and were making movies with his father’s camcorder along the way. Eventually, we went to college together and even still to this day maintain a very close association through profession and the passion of media arts that has lasted over 30 years.

While Adolpho has maintained excellence at filmmaking, I have shifted my focus and passions towards photography as my main craft while still maintaining involvement in video and filmmaking with Adolpho. Photography has given me my own space of creativity and has served well for my career as a media artist as I’ve had work published for several Arizona publications, including the Arizona Republic and The University of Arizona. I have photographed numerous public figures, including Former City of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, US Congressman Greg Stanton, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams, and Liberian Vice President Joseph Boakai. Beyond my profession, I have enjoyed experiences in creating photography of nature, wildlife, landscapes, and other styles that have kept my passion for the craft fresh and healthy. With the pandemic’s impact on our world, I have shifted gears and have focused on a family gaming YouTube channel that just launched on New Year 2021. While we are far from establishing ourselves as the next YouTube sensation, we are very happy with the traction we’ve started with and hope to continue building momentum for our channel W00T! W00T! Be sure to check it out and subscribe!

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?
I’d say I’ve had my share of struggles, just like everyone else has had for the most part. Stress, finances, time, life… But that’s par for the course. I’ve found that for me, the key is how to manage those struggles properly and not let them overcome you and rot your creativity. When I was younger, I used to be overloaded with stress and it directly affected my creativity and confidence. I used to think that I needed money to buy better gear and that was why my creativity suffered. I was wrong. Once I realized that I needed to manage myself better and minimize the stress, take care of my time and funds properly, and manage my life better overall, everything else fell into place easier and my creativity and passion for the crafts flooded back in like they were unclogged in the drain and everything was running smoothly again. Not everyone is like that though, some have the ability to use their struggles to amplify their creativity, and it’s a beautiful thing as long as it’s not self-destructive.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a media artist. I specialize in photography these days, but I also can produce video, provide graphic design, photo restoration, and more. My day job has been to provide these skills for the University of Arizona, and I’ve done so for the last 19 years for the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix. I’ve grown alongside this medical school and have been there nearly every step of the way and am one of the longest-tenured employees at the Phoenix campus. Beyond the day job, I frequently collaborate with my longtime friend and local filmmaker Adolpho Navarro on a variety of film projects. This collaborative relationship has allowed me to be involved and work with other media artists and filmmakers from the Arizona independent filmmaking scene and support local filmmaking in Arizona. I also pursue more artistic photography ideas that are outside the box from the University and am always hunting for “the next best photo I’ve taken” because it’s all about the journey as much as it is the finish. When you recognize your next best photo is happening right in front of you, it’s euphoric. You recognize it, and you just pounce on it just like in a hunt. It’s a fantastic feeling.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I have been a lucky man, without a doubt. I got lucky I stayed out of trouble as a youth. I was lucky I found the right friends that steered me into the business and profession that provides for my family today. I was even lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time in college when I was handed a job opening sheet to the University of Arizona. I’ve nurtured that job into a 19 year career. Luck has been significant for me, but what you do with that luck is the difference-maker. Doing your best to be a good person and productive individual makes a world of difference with the luck of the hand you are given. Making the most of your opportunities is paramount.

Contact Info:

• Email: belousphotomedia@gmail.com
• Website: http://www.belousphotomedia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sun_czar/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/belousphotomedia/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_LtXUMUbWDp3LvspOMESxQ
• Other: https://phoenixmed.arizona.edu

Image Credits:
Sun Czar Belous
The University of Arizona
Almost Famous Film Festival
N’Raged Media