Spotlight: Juan Fernando Pinzon Moreno – Self-Shooter, Director, and Editor

Who is Juan Fernando Pinzon Moreno?

I’m a self-shooter, director and editor with over a decade of experience, recognised at an international level. More recently I’ve focused on working in corporate and documentaries alongside blue chip companies such as Diaego, Philips, The Sun, and London Stansted.

How did your career path develop?

After getting my degree in Film and Television I was open to directing anything – short films, documentaries or commercials. It all started with the dream of being a director. As a Colombian, it is very difficult to make a living from this profession because of the lack of opportunity in my country, so I started taking work in news, radio and corporate in order to pay the bills. I’ve had many ups and downs throughout my career – after finishing university I started a company with a friend which was pretty successful until a client took advantage of us and we were left with a huge debt.

Any projects you are most proud of and why?

I had an amazing opportunity to produce and direct a documentary about the indigenous Tikuna people in the Amazon. I was also Assistant Director on ‘The Origin of the Tikuna People’ which was recognised on an international level, winning acclaim for Best First Feature at the Big Apple Film Festival in New York City and was in the Official Selection at the Native Spirit Festival, among others. I have also directed a campaign for children’s rights in Colombia with social awareness commercials broadcasted on national television and nominated for national awards.

What do you consider your greatest achievement/s so far?

With the freedom of shooting and editing my own content, I feel I can offer a unique perspective that stands out and captures the attention of viewers. The experiences I’ve had in my work life have boosted my creativity, which I have maximised in my work. I am lucky to have been able to shoot in a huge variety of locations, from the Amazon Rain Forest in Latin America to an air-traffic control tower at a London airport!

Share your biggest lessons in life and work

I think my biggest life lesson was something I learnt from my mother: “we need to enjoy life now, tomorrow might be too late”.

View Juan Fernando’s Portfolio

Robin Schmidt: Director, Editor, And Motion Graphic Designer

In the Blueberry Spotlight is Director, Editor, And Motion Graphic Designer Robin Schmidt.

Robin is exceptionally skilled in several fields; shooting, directing, writing, editing, performing and motion graphic design. Before joining Blueberry in 2008 Robin ran his own production company – Chrome Productions, for 8 years and during this time produced, directed and edited music videos, commercials, TV programmes and extreme sports films. After making the leap into freelancing, Robin was able to expand on living his potential and pursuing his own creative projects mixed with commercials and brand films. In 2010 he won the Bahamas 14 Islands Film Competition and was named “One to Watch” by Moviescope magazine. Following this he was taken on by Canon as a pro ‘envoy’ for a year and became one of their leading DSLR bloggers, experimenting and pushing the boundaries with new kit, and sharing tips and tricks along the way. This led him to win a year-long contract designing and implementing a content marketing strategy for a luxury resort brand in Mauritius. Making original and seriously creative content for commercials, Robin is paving his way into directing features and has written and directed two award-winning films to date; ‘Afterdeath‘ and ‘Dog‘.

Road to success: tell me about your ups and downs

I feel like these go hand in hand. My feature film had both ups and downs, I’m so glad I did it but it took so much out of me. I directed ‘The Indestructibles’ for the channel Dave, that was a big ‘up’ but when I finished I didn’t get any work for 4 months, which is rare.

Greatest achievements so far

My award-winning feature film ‘Afterdeath’ was a huge achievement. Winning the Nocturna 2015 Best Picture ‘Dark Visions’ and Best International Fantasy Feature at Feratum 2015. Setting up my own Production Company, Chrome Productions, was huge and became a great platform. And my children, they help put a lot of things into perspective, an ultimate goal would be to provide for them, whilst still being able to do something I enjoy.

Projects you are most proud of and why 

I recently directed episodes for a new TV show for the channel Dave called ‘The Indestructibles’, an action sports show. It was good fun and something I am extremely proud of, although it had a challenging budget I worked really hard to get the best out of it. I enjoyed the creative freedom I was given on this project which doesn’t happen often on a TV series.

Biggest lessons in life and work

I believe you should never regret where you are in life. There are things I could have done differently, I could have focussed more on the things I valued from an earlier age and been more constructive, though I would have been poorer! I really like the podcasts from Scriptnotes – they offer a lot of advice and are quite inspirational. I am in a good position at present, I could be either a director or an editor, I’ve got options open to me. I would like to get into screenwriting next, there is a lot of power to influence and educate people, plus creating a library of work that continues to pay when your not working on it, is more financially stable!

View Robin’s full portfolio