Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Florenzano
Hi Daniel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
This won’t be brief. Lol. Hope that’s alright.
Everything really started when I was 6 years old in São Paulo, Brazil. I used to draw storyboards for fun as a kid—complex drawings and full stories that would expand for hundreds of pages. I have always been fascinated by storytelling. My folks were from the working class in Brazil and things have always been tight, but my brothers and I had a good and happy childhood.
At 10 years old, I took a stab at writing my first script using a typewriter that belonged to my mentor and life inspiration, my grandfather Julio. I believe I only managed to write a few pages. It was hard using a typewriter, especially at 10 years old. But I still recall the first words on the script: “Mr. Thompson…” I don’t know why that stuck with me. I don’t really remember anything else besides the name I wrote, but it marked the beginning of my dream to create stories.
Although I kept drawing for a little while longer, by that time, I was already a full-time skateboarder. I would come home from school, and aside from soccer and the schoolwork I hated, I would skateboard all day until about 8 or 9pm. I loved the freedom and thrill, but deep down, I still felt a pull toward creative pursuits.
The year is now 1993, and I went through the same life and tribulations as every child goes through nowadays, but without a cellphone– thank God for that! I am 17 years old. and I was redoing my third year of high school at a new public school (at the time, Brazil only had 3 years for high-school). I had to redo it, because I failed the regular third year because I was sick. Depression, and Panic Attacks had hit me hard for the entire 3 years. I was doing much better now on this 4th year academically. I even liked a girl who went there too. We went out, made out, and it was one of the highlights of my high school years. Because I was doing much better), I started to reconnect with my passion—storytelling in all its forms. I dabbled in acting again and tried out a few gigs. I explored acting, modeling, and anything else that could help me make some money while pursuing my dreams.
In 1994, I joined a theater class at a famous course in Sao Paulo, Brazil called “Macunaima.” The dream was alive and well. Later that same year, I joined a theater group with one of my best friends, “Lemon.” We performed in a play about the Brazilian dictatorship for about three months. It was so much fun, and I was incredibly proud to be part of it, even though I was still broke.
After graduating high school, I grew tired of making no money working for Pizza Hut. I realized that if I wanted to save money for my dreams, I had to change a few things. So, I quit Pizza Hut and came up with the idea of selling beers outside concerts. I would buy beers at the market, ice them, and sell them cold to concertgoers. The venture was successful enough that a good friend of mine, Marcelo Dacar, decided to join me. He had a car, which allowed us to grow the business. We started making our own ice to chill the beers and sodas, and he would drive us to the spots. Sometimes, we even parked cars for concertgoers and scalped tickets.
While hustling to make ends meet, I also kept trying to land promotional and commercial jobs as an actor. These were tough and hard to come by, but I managed to find freelance gigs promoting lotteries, pharmacies, beers, and other products through marketing agencies. These jobs helped me raise some money while sharpening my people skills. During this time, I also worked with my cousin, JR, who was one of my biggest mentors. I saw him as an older brother, and his guidance motivated me to keep pushing forward. I also had to quit drinking (I started drinking when I was 15) because of the medicine I was taking for depression.
By 1995, a dream I had harbored since I was 14 solidified in my mind again—I was determined to go to the United States. I believed that if I wanted to be an actor, stunt double, director, or writer creating the kinds of movies I loved, I had to leave Brazil. The Brazilian film industry at the time was lackluster, producing mostly softcore porn movies. However, in 1995, Brazil released its first respectable film, *O Quatrilho,* starring the beautiful Patricia Pillar. It made me proud of my country, but by then, my mind was already made up.
When I told my parents about my plan to move to the United States, they laughed in my face. They said, “You will never make it! We don’t have any extra money for your dream. Go get a regular job, like at a bank or insurance company. Stay there for 30 years, be a company man, and be happy.” But I was determined to prove them wrong. I knew I would make it on my own.
Backing up a few years, back in 1993 during my official last year of high school (which I had to repeat), I met a girl named Fabiana. Although we were just friends, there was no other interests. Fabiana had traveled to Chicago as part of a student exchange program, and when she returned, she shared pictures from her trip with our class. Among those pictures, one stood out to me: a beautiful brunette girl named Michelle Smirick. Intrigued, I told Fabiana how much I liked the girl in the photo. She smiled and said, “Hey! Why don’t you write to her? You never know!”
Encouraged by Fabiana, I decided to give it a shot. I got Michelle’s address from her and thought, “Why not?” There was just one small problem: I didn’t speak a word of English. But for a determined young man with big dreams, this was just another challenge to overcome. With the help of a friend from class named Robert, who spoke good English. He had lived a long time in the US; for about 7 or 8 years, and helped me out a lot, with a few other classmates. I also spent a lot of time with a dictionary, and the I managed to write to Michelle.
This budding connection to Michelle felt like a small piece of my bigger dream: to come to the United States and pursue my passion for acting, directing, writing, or any movie-related career. Every couple of months, I’d receive a letter from her, and I’d send one back. It was beautiful and romantic. Michelle was the only girl I ever made mix tapes for, and I poured so much effort into creating them. I’d also send her gifts like t-shirts, and she’d send things back. I’ll never forget the first t-shirt she sent me—a white Iowa State Hawkeyes shirt with their cool hawk logo. It was awesome.
Meanwhile, I was working hard to save money for my ticket to the U.S. It wasn’t easy, but I was determined. Just when I was close to reaching my goal, I landed an acting gig in a bank commercial, where I played a young father. The pay was decent and gave me exactly what I needed to complete the amount for my ticket.
Then, the big day came: November 29, 1996. It was my first airplane trip, my first international trip, and my first time leaving home without knowing what lay ahead. At São Paulo’s airport, my family and about 30 friends came to see me off. No one could believe I was actually leaving. The support was overwhelming. I have some incredible photos from that night, including one where everyone lined up against the glass wall separating the security gate from the waiting area. They filled the wall, cheering and waving, as I prepared to cross to the other side.
I arrived in Iowa just shy of my 22nd birthday, ready to start my new life in America. Many things happened, but if I wrote it all down, it could fill a book. One thing I’ll say: Michelle wasn’t there waiting for me when I arrived. It was “crunch” time and I was all alone to resolve everything on my own. A couple days passed from my arrival, and I gotta a job in Ames as a cook in a café called “Café Beaudelaire.”
Claudio Gianello, the café owner, gave me a job there and a chance just 13 days after I landed. That opportunity became the foundation of my life in America, and I’ll always be grateful to Claudio for believing in me.
I spent three and a half years in Iowa, attending community college and working hard. The city eventually felt too small for me as I had finished my courses there. I even tried to take theater classes, but I clashed with the only theater teacher at the school, nearly failing two of the classes. It was frustrating, but I didn’t let it crush my dream. By August 2000, I had saved enough money to move to San Diego, California—my original goal.
San Diego was the dream. Back in high school, many of my friends had traveled there to surf and skate, and while I never surfed, skating was my life. I had come close to going pro in Brazil, and I knew that San Diego was where I wanted to be. I enrolled full-time at San Diego State University, ready to give my dream a fresh start.
In the fall of 2000, I embarked on my theater program at SDSU, full of dreams and excitement. But reality hit hard—life in San Diego wasn’t what I imagined from the movies or the T.V. show *90210*. The city felt big, lonely, and indifferent. By the semester’s end, I was yearning for a break and decided to go back home to Brazil. But before arriving in Brazil, I went back to Ames, Iowa to record a 5-song demo, fueled by a recent breakup and my passion for music. My friend Jay Gray helped bring it to life in his studio. By mid-December I was on my way back to Brazil, where I would recharge my spirit and reconnect with family and friends for the next four months.
Returning to the U.S. broke but determined, fate intervened on a plane ride back to San Diego. I met Carolina Pereira, and on a whim, stayed in Chicago (My layover) with her for three unforgettable days. Penniless and spontaneous, I then took a bus back to Ames, where my brothers Marcelo and Vinny lived. Claudio rehired me at the café, and I started saving to return back to San Diego. Carolina even visited Iowa while I was there, where we explored the state’s gems like the Bridges of Madison County and John Wayne’s birthplace.
In 2001, I met Terese Stanek, my soon to be girlfriend, who encouraged me to complete my SDSU degree. During this time, I began writing my first screenplay, *Symunye: We Are One*, a tale about fighting apartheid. Two years of research and writing taught me that creating meaningful stories is no easy feat.
By 2006, I graduated from SDSU—a proud moment witnessed by my parents. But finishing school left a void. Because my job until that very moment was as a Pedicab rider, the idea to fill that void came easily. I spoke with my two brothers, and we decided to found our own pedicab company. While running a successful business with my bros, my creative spark dimmed under the weight of responsibilities.
That same year, 2006, I met Scott Oram, a pivotal figure in my filmmaking journey. Our friendship began serendipitously in a film course hallway. Though my early projects were rough, I was learning the ropes and setting the foundation for the creative career I always dreamed of.
One day, Maggie—my ex (I had broken up with Terese in 2006 and by 2007 was already dating Maggie), who I dated for five years and who is now, without a doubt, my best friend (yes, I know, my life is a fairy tale of weirdness)—and I went to a liquor store. This was sometime in 2007. Lo and behold, there was Mr. Oram, talking to people and conducting business. It turned out his father owned that liquor store, which was near Maggie’s place. Scotty and I struck up a conversation, and the rest is history.
Not long after, my two brothers decided to leave the pedicab business. They were tired and returned to Brazil, leaving me to keep things running. By 2010, I saw an opportunity to make my first short film. I had some savings from the business and decided to take a shot at it.
While I had participated in shorts, music videos, and student productions at SDSU, this felt different—it was mine. Actually, thinking back, I had already created two of my own projects during my time at SDSU. One was for a directing class taught by the incredible Peter Larham. He was one of those rare professors who genuinely cared about his students. He even took the time to read my first-ever screenplay, *Symunye: We Are One*, and helped me refine it. Having lived in South Africa, he deeply understood the story’s context, which was centered on apartheid.
Peter also allowed me to write and perform my own one-act play for class instead of using a pre-written script. The result, *The Promise*, was performed twice at the school and later became the inspiration for a short film I made.
Another influential figure was Peter Cirino, who guided us through an eye-opening project where we collaborated with single mothers who lived in some kind of shelter sharing their stories. We were tasked with transforming these narratives into one-act plays. My piece, a comedy called *The Fart*, was a hilarious crowd-pleaser, based on one of the mother’s experience of eating beans before a prenatal visit and uncontrollably passing gas during the appointment. The play’s success was a testament to the power of storytelling, even in the form of humor.
Fast forward to 2010: with my brothers gone, I was dating Maggie, and life was good, despite a few hiccups on my part. That year, I decided to enter the 48-hour film competition. The challenge was exhilarating but daunting: write, shoot, and edit a short film in just two days.
I teamed up with Yago Duarte, a talented young filmmaker and photographer I knew through my friend Bill Glazier. With a “hell yeah” from Yago, we grabbed a camera and dove in. On Friday night, we were assigned a genre (horror), a line of dialogue, a character, a profession, and a prop. We had to incorporate all these elements into a seven-minute film.
Excitement and nerves kicked in, but I believed, “If it’s meant to be, it’s going to happen.” With nothing prepped ahead of time, I went home, posted a casting notice on Craigslist (yes, this was pre-Facebook’s dominance), and by Saturday morning, we had four responses.
The first hurdle? Finding a location to shoot. Friday night, after posting the casting notice, I dove into writing the script. It was simple—few characters. The main character was supposed to be named “Lance,” a sportsman. By 4 a.m., I had finished the script, which I titled *Runner’s Hell*. Scotty helped me out with a little script doctoring and, of course, came up with the title—he was, and still is, the king of titles. By 8 a.m., I was already up and ready.
Yago and I met around 9 a.m. and had two big tasks ahead: finding a track where runners ran, and a house for a party scene. For the track, we headed to Yago’s high school, sending a couple of actors there to shoot. We got the scene done.
On Sunday, Yago worked his editing magic—wizard fingers, I swear—and I stood by, giving my director’s input, as we pieced together our seven-minute film. By 6:52 p.m., the final project was on a USB drive, and I was racing through the city, running every red light, to make it to *Hazard Center* by the 7 p.m. deadline. We delivered the film on time. The little film came out great, funny even, and people laughed. Sadly, it didn’t advance anywhere, but it was the beginning of my journey into filmmaking.
After that, we made *Pedicab Killer*, followed by *Last Chapter*, and then *Charlie’s Karma*. These three short films were crucial for me to learn the ropes of working with actors and figuring out what worked (and what didn’t) as a writer, director, and actor.
In 2011, we sold the pedicab business. My brothers had already gone back to Brazil, and I was left to run it alone, which was a real pain—no time for anything else. But I managed to sell it and keep pursuing my dream of becoming a filmmaker and actor.
Scotty and I didn’t slow down; we kept making short films and exploring the idea of creating a feature. We teamed up with Eric Williford and started working on a horror film concept, *Saint Yves*, set around a hotel. It was a great idea, but we couldn’t secure the $150K we thought we needed. To make matters worse, we got tangled up with a thief (a *major* understatement), and we had to abandon that project.
Instead, we decided to move forward with a feature film, even if it meant doing it on the cheap. Scotty and I put together what little money we could, and Eric, with his more seasoned experience on larger projects, stepped in to direct. We helped produce it, and in 2014, *Bikini Mayhem* was born.
That project, however, was stolen from us by two shady distributors. We were first-timers in the business and had no clue what we were getting into. It took us ten years to get the rights back, and we made zero money off of it. But it was a tough lesson that, in the end, helped prepare us for the road ahead.
Right after *Bikini Mayhem*, I came up with a new horror film concept, loosely based on *Saint Yves*—although, as it turned out, it wasn’t much like it at all. I pitched the idea to Scotty, who liked it, and we began discussing the story. There was never a formal outline, though Scotty would always claim there was. I started writing *The Evil Rises* and we began mapping out the budget.
The year now was 2015, and Maggie and I, as best friends, decided to open a smartphone repair shop called *Smart Repair*. I remember many slow afternoons at the business, where Scott and I would sit down and discuss budget plans. We had crunched the numbers, and we were convinced we could make it work with about $8K in our pockets. It felt like we were on the verge of something big.
Then came 2016. One day, I came across a local newspaper competition to create a short film under five minutes, with the prize being a cool *GoPro* camera. Inspiration hit, and I came up with a quick plot. I reached out to my buddy Yago, who by then had worked with me on a few projects—he was the camera guy and editor, while I was most often the director, actor, writer, and, of course, the producer. Over the years, I had learned that if you want to be a part of cool projects that align with your style, you have to write and produce your own. And that’s exactly what I’d been doing for the last six years.
I wrote a motivational script about an MMA fighter overcoming adversity. I reached out to Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, the #1 MMA fighter in the world at the time—and still pretty much is. Since we were both Brazilians, the communication was smooth, and she was even attending the same church as one of my other friends, who had introduced us. She agreed to let me come to the gym to shoot some footage of her in action for a few hours. Yago, a couple of other actors, and I showed up at the Arena in Point Loma, where we met Mrs. Cyborg. She was super cool and easy to work with, and since there were no lines to memorize, the shoot went smoothly with little to no need for complicated lighting setups. We wrapped everything up and *Coração (Heart)* was born.
We submitted the film to the *CityBeat 5-Minute Short Film Festival*, where out of 30 films, ours was chosen by the public as the number one film. It was a sweet victory, and as a bonus, I walked away with a brand-new GoPro.
2016 wasn’t just about *Coração (Heart)* though. It was also the year we wrapped up pre-production for *The Evil Rises*, the feature film we had been working on for the past two years. By mid-year and draft #6 the film was starting to take shape, and we shot the movie.
2018 came by, and after two years of hard work, the film was finally completed. *The Evil Rises* was an 84-minute campy horror feature that went on to win a couple of film festival awards. We took home *Best Horror Film* at the 2018 Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival in Los Angeles, and we also won *Top Horror Film* at the 2018 International Hotel Film Festival in Cleveland, Ohio.
By mid-2018, we had finished our festival run. It was a treacherous road full of scams and disappointments. We ended up screening at 37 festivals, qualifying for three, and winning two. One would think that those victories would be huge to push the film forward and to be successful, but the answer is a resounding *no*. Regardless, we kept pushing forward and signed with a distributor in early 2019. We were careful not to get caught in another bad deal—we did our homework and chose what seemed to be the lesser evil. After investing $25K to make the film, plus some extra cash for the festivals, we ended up $17K over budget. Looking back on it, we just laugh, and know that a lesson was learned; or was it? Life’s too short to take seriously all the bumps in the road. Luckily, we had Mr. Amir Oram, who came to our rescue, bailing us out. A true gentleman and scholar.
Unfortunately, the distributor we signed with turned out to be another letdown. They weren’t “low-life” thieves like the ones we dealt with on *Bikini Mayhem*, but they never communicated with us and pay us near nothing during the 4 years we were with them. Yet, Scotty and I refused to let the fire die. We kept the passion alive and pushed forward, no matter how tough it got.
*The Evil Rises* turned out to be the real film school we never had. We hired actors, designers, a post-production team, editors—the whole nine yards. Keeping up with schedules, trying to keep costs low, feeding everyone, and managing egos—it was a ride. After a successful premiere screening at the MOPA (Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego), the movie, as I mentioned above, was picked up by the least terrible distributor, and after a year, we started receiving pennies and dimes. But during that time, we were already deep into developing our next project, *Sellout*.
Now, the year is 2020, and the world is hit with the Covid-19 pandemic. We had everything set to shoot the film by mid-year, around July. But then, the world fell apart. Two of our main investors pulled out, worried about their families and finances. Once again, Scotty and I, Batman and Robin, were faced with adversity. We decided to push the schedule to November, and though we had hired a writer for the project, I felt like the story wasn’t what I wanted, and had to intervene. I wanted a layered film, and we were just not seen eye to eye with the script.
Despite that setback, she was essential to the project’s core coming up with the project’s background or spine if you will: “the wedding anniversary party!” It was crucial for the project.
We were already at draft number 3 when the pandemic hit, and I decided to take over the writing and completely rework it. I ended up writing another 6 drafts on top of her 3, making it 9 drafts in total before we were ready to shoot. By November 5th, 2020, we were set to shoot our second film under the Florenzano Films banner—our third produced feature, counting *Bikini Mayhem*.
We hired and fired actors before getting into production of the film. The film was very ambitious: 125 pages, no money, and actors coming from all over the country—New York, Arizona, Las Vegas, and a few from Los Angeles. We did try hire locals, and we did, but there were parts that we could not find locals to play. Rehearsals started online and some presential two months before the scheduled shoot, and it was a massive undertaking.
When the first day of shooting arrived, even after explaining everything to my friend and Executive Producer of the film, Gustavo Duarte, he was shocked by how many people showed up at his house. Plus, it was Covid-19 time, so we had to have a CCO (Covid-19 Compliance Officer) on set—what a headache! Everyone wore masks, and we even had to wear boots to walk around the house. Imagine doing makeup while people are masked up and wearing visors the entire time. It was a real pain in the ass.
The shoot itself was a preview of what *Sellout* was about to become—a real nightmare. Miscommunications between the upper and lower levels, terrible scheduling, and long days left me and Maggie—yes, saint Maggie—having to fix and adjust schedules after 12-hour shooting days. Sleep was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Unlike *The Evil Rises*, I had a major role in *Sellout*, and juggling that with everything else was brutal. We finished the 15-day shoot, and by some miracle, we all survived. But that was just the beginning of the nightmare.
I hired an editor I trusted from “The Evil Rises” days, paid him upfront, and thought we were in good hands. He had done an amazing job with our previous film, but long story short, he walked out on us, claiming there weren’t enough angles to work with. He disappeared with our editing budget, and we had no more money to hire another editor. I took matters into my own hands and learned how to edit using Premiere Pro. It was tough, but I had no choice. I had to create additional angles and use different footage to make the film work. We ended up doing a 5-day re-shoot and went through two more camera assistants/DPs before we could finally finish the project.
Our first day back for the reshoot at the original house was in March 2021, and things took an unexpected turn. The HOA showed up and kicked us out. Apparently, an angry neighbor had gotten fed up with our presence in the neighborhood. We were about to “kill” the day, but one of the local actors, Eddie Lain, came to the rescue. He offered his house for us to finish shooting, and we took him up on it. Eddie’s pad was amazing—filled with cool things—and we completely transformed his living room into an awesome set.
After that, we shot the remaining days at a bigger house with a nice pool in the backyard at East County. Of course, we had to pay for it, and by then, we were already way over our $11k budget. We wrapped up, all together after the original 15-shooting-says, another 7 days—not all in one go, but close enough. We needed more footage to fix some earlier mistakes and patch up some plot holes.
While I was managing the editing, we were also on the hunt for VFX professionals and colorists. Over time, we went through about 10 different people in these areas. We had 1 sound mixer and engineer, Tadahisa Yoshida, who had worked on *The Evil Rises* and was a solid professional. There were 2 editors—the thief and myself—3 colorists, and 4 VFX guys. Once again, we got scammed on the VFX side, with one guy walking away with $500 of our money. My lawsuit against the first editor was underway, but I knew it would take time.
With all the headaches from *Sellout* and other projects, I started branching out into new areas of filmmaking—lighting, editing, and a few other things. I took on some projects that helped me make decent money while working for other people.
By 2023, the project was finally edited, though some parts still needed fine-tuning. I also started taking acting classes during the summer to stay busy.
In 2024, we found a producer’s rep for our film, which is now called “Bloody Anniversary” and decided to skip the usual festival run. We decided to showcase the film on the big screen for our cast and crew and local friends. The theater was packed, and it was a huge success. Public-wise, at least. Financially, not so much. We tried to make some extra bucks from the screening, but unfortunately, there was no money to be made. We filled 200 of the 250 seats, but the amount we spent on the theater rental and advertising left us breaking even. Welcome to my long, “passionate” film career.
Our film now called” Bloody Anniversary” (old “Sellout”) was accepted at the *San Diego FilmWeek Film Festival* and again, it was a great opportunity to show it to locals, and again to whoever else who wanted to see it. This festival led us to an interview with *East County Magazine*. Our film had ties to East County, San Diego, since nearly half of it was shot there. It’s crazy how a supposed one-location film can end up with 5 different locations—two of which were in East County. During the interview with Michael Howard, the three of us, Scotty, Michael and I stroke a friendship, especially because Michael was a filmmaker himself. We got to talking, and I suggested that the three of us—Scotty, Michael, and I—should create a reality TV show based on a project and a family Michael had worked with. We debated back and forth, but eventually decided to move forward with it. We are in the editing trenches now editing what will be called, “Candy Pop Life,” and our main star has 5 million followers; not too shabby.
As we reach December 2024, I’m currently working on a horror-comedy script, with the best title ever given to a feature film, “Two Guys and a Raccoon,” and this time I was the title master, not Scotty. The project is well underway—I’ve already lined up most of the cast and am still in the process of deciding on a location. We’re searching for a ranch with a house that would be perfect for the shoot. The outline is already in place, and this time, I’m aiming to make it a SAG film, featuring one or two well-known independent actors—not A-listers, but solid performers who bring depth to their roles.
Additionally, we plan to donate a portion of the funds raised through crowdfunding and fundraisers to animal institutions, including local pet shelters and international animal organizations. It’s a cause close to my heart.
As of now, Florenzano Films has three films awaiting new homes for distribution: *Bikini Mayhem* (2014), *The Evil Rises* (2018), and *Bloody Anniversary* (2024). We are also finishing post-production on our reality TV show, *Candy Pop Life,* and aiming to shoot *Two Guys and a Raccoon* by summer 2025.
I apologize if this turned out longer than expected, but trust me, I’ve left a lot out that I initially wrote. I want to sincerely thank you for helping me writing and reflecting on what has been a truly interesting and unpredictable journey so far. I hope this story serves as both inspiration and something useful for you and your readers.
Thank you again,
Daniel Florenzano
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Hahahaha. Sorry. Pardon, my digital laugh. But no. Ohhhhh no. No smooth road, but it hasn’t been treacherous either, just like life 🙂
I have to say that the biggest struggles have been two. Two that are like mountains in this film business: 1) Lack of connections. 2) Lack of financial support/money. Everything is pretty much part of the game.
Some small things that I could mention are actors and post-production artists’ “egos.” Everything else in filmmaking you can say that’s pretty much fun!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a filmmaker and actor, and I proudly embrace the term *filmmaker* because it embodies the essence of what we do. It’s a multifaceted role—writing, directing, lighting, filming, editing, producing, and so much more. While the term might be loosely used by some, for those of us in the indie world, it often means wearing *every* hat to bring a vision to life.
Acting has been a lifelong passion for me—I’ve been performing and studying it for as long as I can remember. It’s not just a skill; it’s a part of who I am.
A few years ago, I founded *Florenzano Films*. Since then, my producer partner, Scott Oram, and I have focused on creating films that resonate with us. We’re always mindful of budget constraints but strive to make content with commercial appeal. Horror has been a natural fit—it’s both a genre we love and one with strong market demand. Over time, we’ve become known for our solid storytelling and some seriously badass death scenes.
In addition to films, *Florenzano Films* specializes in commercial and corporate projects. These “for-hire” jobs keep us afloat, and I approach them with the same storyteller’s mindset: clients share their vision, and I craft a narrative around their product, brand, or concept. Even in the more structured corporate world, storytelling remains at the heart of my work.
Our first official feature, *The Evil Rises*, was a campy horror film with a straightforward, punchy story—a necessity given our limited budget and resources. It was my first time directing a feature under my company’s banner, and simplicity was key. For *Bloody Anniversary*, we pushed ourselves further, creating a more complex, layered narrative with B, C, and even D storylines.
As for what I’m most proud of, there are several moments that stand out. Performing in a three-month theater run in Brazil and seeing audiences turn out night after night was unforgettable. Finishing my first script was a milestone—one that represented countless hours of research and hard work. Graduating from San Diego State with a Theater Degree, signed by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger, was another huge moment for me. And of course, completing *The Evil Rises* and *Bloody Anniversary*—both monumental undertakings—stands as a testament to my dedication and love for the craft.
Now, what sets me apart? *Passion*. You won’t find me without a smile on my face or complaining or running out of energy on set. Problems? I don’t see them as problems—just creative challenges waiting for solutions. I approach every obstacle as an opportunity to innovate. My commitment to filmmaking isn’t driven by money but by sheer dedication and love for the craft.
When you work with me—whether on a film or a commercial project—you’re partnering with someone who will outwork anyone, support the team tirelessly, and bring a clear, compelling vision to life. Together, I can take your ideas and transform them from a dream into something real, something unforgettable, and that’s what sets me apart from anyone anywhere.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I believe the most important quality I’ve developed over time is the ability to control my ego and cultivate patience. I’ve learned to truly listen to others—their ideas, their opinions—and while I don’t always have to follow every suggestion, I’ve become open to recognizing when someone else’s idea might actually be better than my own. That humility and openness have been game-changers for me.
As an actor and filmmaker, these traits are essential—so take note, kids! Learn to embrace collaboration, and you’ll go far.
Beyond that, my relentless motivation and unshakable positivity have always fueled my success. I approach every project with a smile on my face, a fire in my heart, and all the determination and power I can summon. That energy isn’t just a part of who I am—it’s the driving force behind everything I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.florenzanofilms.com/
- Instagram: @Florenzano_films
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Florenzanofilms
- Youtube: @florenzanofilms6088
