Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Restivo.
Hi Sean, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, I always had a love for filmmaking and the creative arts. Every night it was a tradition for my family to watch a movie or tv show together. It’s one of the things that brought us closer together.
When I was little, I would take my moms camcorder and run around like a little menace, documenting everything I could. Many of it was incomprehensible, but it was the beginning of a life-long love for storytelling.
When I was around 12 years old, my siblings and I, along with a friend experimented with making short-form skit content on a Youtube Channel, inspired by the online creators of the time,
In my Junior year of high school, I was encouraged by a classmate to join the Analy High School ROP video program, even though we we’re halfway through the semester I was accepted and was asked to join both the TV broadcasting class, and the Advanced video class for my Senior year.
In my Senior year of high school I was tasked with documenting and creating promotional material for the school’s football team, where a love of sports content I never expected began to blossom. Another notable project that I participated in was a lip-synced music video for the 1980s Aha hit, Take on Me, that took the class by storm, still today I hear appreciation for it from many peers I attended high school with. The editing I experimented with in that video cemented editing as the profession I wanted to specialize in going forward with my career choice.
I attended the Santa Rosa Junior College from 2017-2020. I took the whole gambit of video production classes available to me headed by industry professionals, Brain Antonson and Mike Traina. From Beginning video to advanced video, documentary filmmaking, TV live production, screenwriting, film history, etc…, I made sure I experienced everything the program had to offer.
I transferred to San Francisco State University in the Fall of 2020, a tumultuous time to achieve higher learning with the COVID-19 restrictions being enforced country wide. Around this time I also lost my mother to a two-year battle with Stage-4 Metastasized Breast Cancer. Through all this struggle, I persisted through online learning and eventually made it on campus for the 2021-2022 academic year.
My year of on campus learning provided that most beneficial experiences I could of ever had in furthering my love and passion for filmmaking. I became acquainted with Dr. Daniel Bernardi and Jesse Sutterley from El Dorado films and was brought on as an assistant video editing intern with them for the academic year. After graduating in 2022, they asked me to stay on to assist with finishing up some projects. The end result was being offered to write, direct, and edit two of my own short documentaries, and to provide editing on a separate project directed by Dr. Bernardi himself. I still collaborate with El Dorado films today.
Another notable experience gained from my time at SFSU was the opportunity to produce and direct my own thesis film titled, Together. Inspired by my own struggles with losing my mom and trying to be a support system for my grieving siblings. This experience taught me the ups, downs, and processes that come with organizing, shooting, and exhibiting my own project. I got some commendations for it as well.
Today I work in the event industry, most notably as back of house for the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors. I still work in film production field working mostly as a video editor with El Dorado Films, and other independent creators.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Like all journeys, there have been some considerable obstacles that I’ve had to overcome.
The first being my own insecurity. In every classroom throughout college, 80%-90% of professors will tell you to do anything else. They are right of course. Filmmaking requires a certain type of person to be able to make a successful living from it. You need to live, eat, sleep, bleed, and die for it. Sometimes there are days even now where I honestly don’t know if I’m cut out for it or not. To overcome this, I take every project like it’s my last and make sure I exhibit the best of the best of what I’m capable.
The second was the death of my mother. She’s always encouraged my siblings and I from the time when we we’re small to embrace art. Without her, none of us would be the people we are. I’m a filmmaker, my sister is a talented musician, my brother has worked in multiple creative art fields from glass blowing, to miniature sculpting, to DJ’ing. Her death rattled all of us, and it made us all struggle to find base again. But today we use her inspiration as a guide to embrace the challenges that comes with doing what we love.
Lastly, the third was the COVID-19 virus. It’s pretty self-explanatory so I won’t give as much detail, but I spent a year and a half house-ridden with opportunities that I once had disappearing. The demotivation that resulted from that was very hard to get over.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In my day job, what pays the bills, I’m a IATSE Local-16 stagehand who holds/have held positions at multiple companies throughout the Bay Area. Events including Golden State Warrior basketball games, many different concerts at Chase Center, the Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park, and benefits for the V Foundation to name a few.
The responsibilities here are basically getting the venue ready for showtime. Stages getting built, lights getting rigged, security entrances being set-up to name a few things.
My side job, doesn’t quite pay the bills but I’m trying to get there, is as an Artist. I’ve worked as a video editor on 5 projects for Dr. Daniel Bernardi and have given advisory criticism on many others. For freelance, I’ve worked on some promotional material for local venues, music videos, and I’m currently working on a personal documentary about Owl preservation in the Bay Area.
In addition, I’ve also worked as a grip on many projects over the last few years.
I think what sets me apart is my attitude when it comes to work. In the film and event world, things are on a tight timeline, there’s no time for complaining and sitting around. Unfortunately, I’ve found many of my peers don’t hold the same values when it comes to getting the job done and I believe it’s made me shine above the rest of the pack.
Another strength I have is my attention to detail, I have a drive to make sure every direction is followed to the best of my ability. If it’s not done right the first time, I got to go back and fix it and I hate having to redo things. This applies to my editing as well, I never want to send back a unpolished product.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan to make filmmaking my full-time job. Whether that’s as a Video Editor, lighting team, writer, director, etc.., I want to be able to say that I work as a full time creative. Which who doesn’t honestly.
I’m looking forward to finishing up my Owl documentary and seeing my work be released by El Dorado films. Two of my shorts have already been made public on YouTube, named, The Sioux: From Red Cloud to Wounded Knee and Baptiste Garnier and the Indian Wars.
A big goal I set for myself is to work at the 2028 LA Olympic games in any position. Growing up and still today the Olympics always inspire me to strive for greatness in my life, so it would be the culmination of my journey if I was able to work from them.
Then my other plans are again to do everything I can to gain professionalism in the film/production industry.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Gyr8manatee
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Restseanivo
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-restivo-ba1776230/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Gyr8manatee
Image Credits
Pamela Kennemore
Marcus Ward
Morgan Hamilton-Lee
