Today we’d like to introduce you to Guiseppe LoTempio.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Guiseppe. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started in the surf industry over four years ago straight out of high school as a Media Intern at a company called SurfRide in my hometown of Oceanside, CA. There I began to explore photography and would be introduced to the basics of digital media.
Most of my work was skating lifestyle photos and I became obsessed with documenting high energy environments which left me eager to shoot live music. I reached out to a company in San Diego called “LED Presents” and even though my portfolio had nothing to do with music, Kiersten Nagata was kind enough to give me a pass to shoot from the pit. I was young and technically not even supposed to be in the venue but I was more than determined to create in this space.
I shot every LED even since that first event as a freelance photographer and was introduced to Scott Kelley, director of GRO Productions. He asked me if I had ever given video a thought but I had no idea that it was heaps ahead of what I knew at the time. I decided to give it a go and would send Scott my work from then on in hopes that one day I could work on his team. Scott took me under his wing, providing feedback on my edits and tossing work my way to further develop my skills.
Captivated with trying to be a filmmaker I continued to do anything to always have a camera in my hands. I knew I wanted to tell stories through the film so I began to dive deeper into the live music world, documenting every show and festival I could get myself booked at. Now after a few years, I’ve had the opportunity to take on very special projects for some of the leading music festivals & artists which has been so rewarding and humbling at the same time.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It most definitely has not been a smooth road to get to this point in my career. I consistently got “no” from so many people/companies when I would reach out to them to get booked because either I did not have a whole lot of experience or a lot of the shows I wouldn’t even be able to be at the venue due to my age. Everyone wants you to have experience and until you do they usually don’t give you the time of day.
I worked two jobs on top of going to college while pursuing my dream of being creative. I attended class as early as possible so I could make it to both my jobs in time and then on weekends I’d make it a priority to shoot festivals or select venues that I could get into. This situation continued until I turned 21 and finally had nothing legally to hold me back. Then came the challenge of choosing to stay working at my jobs and creating content on the side or quit and chase my dream full time.
Smart or not I went for it, I quit and set my sights on devoting all my energy into being a freelance creative. Even though this was immensely freeing, it didn’t get any easier but in actuality made it even more of a priority to work even harder. There have been some challenging times where I wonder if I made the right choice but there are also some great moments that make it all worth it to me. Being able to create content for a living and work alongside some great people has made me so grateful to have chosen this path.
Please tell us about your work.
I work in the media production industry, where I create strategic digital content for brands, labels, and artists through various mediums like cinematography, still photography and motion graphics.
To be honest I believe what I specialize in is not even one thing, as I’m more of a “jack of all trade, master of none” type. This has allowed me to cover a full spectrum of production abilities and know how to do specialty content like hyperlapses & motion graphics. I would say I am known for my motion work, more recently its been specifically video as I’ve been able to be apart of some great projects for festivals like CRSSD where I get to tell their story and share the experience they have created.
To me, I am most proud of the stellar relationships I’ve gotten to build with clients, and other creatives because to me genuine connection are just as important as creating great art. I am still on my journey to find what makes me different from another artist besides obvious reasons like the style but one thing for sure, you will ALWAYS see me smiling.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I believe the proudest moment of my career so far is when I chose to do this full time and commit to making it work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.guiseppelotempio.com/
- Email: guiseppelotempio@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guiseppelotempio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guiseppelotempiomedia
Image Credit:
Tessa Thewes
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