Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniela Goncalves and Brian Tortora.
Daniela and Brian, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Both Brian and I were interested in photography and cinematography in our teens. Brian took the more direct route to get here while I took a few detours along the way.
If there’s one thing to know about Brian is that he always knows he’s wanted to do this. He’s been playing with cameras since 13, getting published in skateboarding magazines by 15/16. He jokes that while his friends were getting better at skateboarding, he was becoming a better photographer and filmmaker. I don’t know if he’s thought about anything else. He’s incredibly good at what he does.
My dad was a photographer so I’d grown up around the medium. Then, I took the more conventional path by attending college, getting a job, and working a 9-5. I don’t know how many people know what they want to do by 18, I sure didn’t! Sitting in a cubicle with fluorescent lighting wasn’t fulfilling but I didn’t realize that until I sat in a cubicle with fluorescent lighting. My mom convinced me to go to photography school. It was a little roundabout way to get back to what I’d always know.
When we met in photography school, we didn’t think about anything except that we wanted to make cool shit. We started doing free work for people and companies, a lot of free work. Somehow, that morphed into a business, Bearwalk Cinema. I’ll stop to think, wait for a second, people are actually paying us to do this? We feel incredibly lucky.
Has it been a smooth road?
The path to every journey is filled with obstacles and bumps along the way. Anyone who says it’s been a smooth ride is omitting something.
I mean, what haven’t we struggled with? Lack of experience and a network, access to equipment, how to run a business, etc.
There is something so beautiful in the chaos. We often reflect on the memories of these moments, some of these stories are pretty funny.
A few years ago an interviewee was incredibly nervous and wanted a drink to loosen their nerves. An interview can be intimidating. So they drank a little, then a little more. By the time they were “ready” for this interview, they were a little too loose and the interview didn’t work out.
There is still a lot to learn. I think it’s going to be a lifetime of pursuing knowledge. I hope we never truly figure it out all.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Bearwalk Cinema story. Tell us more about the business.
We help others share their stories, specifically through filmmaking and photography. Did you know we respond to pictures 60,000 times more than words? Now, imagine video?! It’s such a powerful way to communicate, to share ideas worldwide.
Have you ever seen a commercial that seems thoughtless, typical, or predictable? I don’t know why we’re still doing things that have been done a million times over. There is so much opportunity to create really interesting things but there is this fear that venturing out won’t provide a return. Everything we do rests on the foundation of an idea, a really good idea doesn’t cost anything!
We have clients with us that have been working with us before Bearwalk was official! We don’t treat projects impersonally. We want to know why something is important, why we are doing what we’re doing. Forming a relationship is important because we’re better able to understand what it is you’re looking for and deliver on that. We love getting to know our clients personally and have formed friendships along the way.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The accessibility of technology, equipment, and software have been brilliant. We’re not taking the traditional route anymore. You don’t have to climb up a hierarchical ladder to make it. There is going to be a new generation of the self-made, self-taught; it’s already taking place, we’re certainly a part of it.
It’s refreshing in ways because we have the ability to change some outdated elements of the industry. Those with important things to say don’t have to wait for permission to speak.
There is enough work out there for those who want to make a living in this craft. It’s a remarkable time to be here, to get to work as a filmmaker and photographer.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thebearwalk.com
- Email: hello@thebearwalk.com
- Instagram: @bearwalkcinema
Image Credit:
© Bearwalk Cinema
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