George Aguilar, freelance multimedia director and producer, is a highly sought after resource for the Non-Profit world. His impressive resume includes producing award winning animations, documentaries and digital films that help extend important messages from the organization he is working with to the larger audience. George finds himself in a very small group of individuals that can and do produce these normal high-end services at an organizations limited budget. Every week we recognize the individuals and non-profit organizations that provide the amazing changes within our communities. This week, however, we would like to pay tribute to George Aguilar as an important individual working alongside many non-profits to get important messages in the right hands. Learn more about George, his background and current successes as we interview him in our Non-Profit Spotlight.
President, National Poetry Association, Inc. (1996-2000)
Ethnicity
Peruvian-American
What’s your background?
I’m a freelance multimedia director and producer of high-quality short films. For over 15 years I have created dynamic literary films, videos and animations as well as produced several innovative literary events for live, broadcast and Internet audiences geared working closely with many Non Profit organizations.
In 1994, I started Literary Television (LTV), a project of the National Poetry Association (NPA), which presented short, independent film productions called Cin(E)-Poetry also known as poetry films and videopoems. Under my direction, LTV aired shows on PBS and major art houses and international museums in addition to providing educational tapes to schools across the United States.
I’ve also worked as a coordinator of Digital Mission, a multimedia training collaborative working to end the digital divide in San Franciscos Mission District. Funded by Mayor Willie Browns Office of Community Development, the Digital Mission collaborative included a diverse range of nonprofit and educational providers such as Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), the City College of San Francisco (CCSF), Arriba Juntos and the Mission Hiring Hall.
My television/Internet productions experience began after graduating from the University of California San Diego. I produced the Eyestruck TV series, a 12-week series sponsored by Macromedia and Pixar Animation. I also helped program an eight-week series for PBS’s Living Room Festival in collaboration with several independent media organizations from the Bay Area. In 2005, I produced, directed and edited 22 half-hour shows (called SomArtsMedia) for the South of Market Cultural Center which airs on Cable Ch. 29.
In 2000, I produced the successful CELEBRATION OF THE WORD event at the Masonic Auditorium featuring Maya Angelou, novelist Guy Johnson along with San Francisco Poet laureates Janice Mirikitani and devorah major, and California Poet laureate Quincy Troupe.
What do you currently do?
I continue to produce award winning animations, short and long documentaries and digital films. My work has screened at the Bumbershoot Arts and Music Festival in Seattle, the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Reina Sofia Museum of Modern Art in Spain, the Digital Express Competition in Seoul, Korea, the Streaming Cinema 2.0 at Arts Electronica in Austria, Rome University III in Italy and the Zebra Poetry Festival Award in Berlin. I will be presenting his work at the new de Young Museum in San Francisco 2006-2007.
Currently, I am an artist-in-residence at the SomArts Cultural Center as Video Director and Editor and producer of SomArtsMedia, providing documentation, video streaming, and cable tv services. I also continues to edit and videotape new productions for documentary and non-profit groups.
I considers himself a “one-man-band” able to provide a wide range of media services including, videography, editing, motion graphics, sound editing, music composition, 3D animation, web streaming and DVD services.
What’s the niche?
I provide affordable media services to artists and non-profits. As an individual with a wide variety of media skills, including web, TV and film production, I am able to produce anything from high-quality TV shows and digital animations to web videos and podcasts.
What’s the biggest challenge?
Educating non-profits and artists that they can have high-quality videos for the TV and web at an inexpensive cost. Sifting through advances in technology and seeing what works and what doesn’;t and what could be used successfully by non-profit groups.
What’s in store for the future?
Interactive paintings that enlighten, educate and entertain.
Who would you like to be contacted by?
I’m hoping a major educational provider who wants to incorporate media-based poems into their curriculum would contact me. I have great content for them!
Educate, enlighten and entertain in any work that you do
Yardstick of success
Anyone who has achieved happiness by following their own rules.
Goal yet to be achieved
Creating a feature-length narrative with at least one star in it.
Best practical advice
Perseverance makes all things easy.
Supportive words from a family member or friend on your venture
Youre a good person and bring many beautiful gifts into this world which inspire and bless so many people all over the globe!- Andrea Paul
Mentors
Jack Davis E.D. of SomArts and author Guy Johnson.
What motivated you to get started?
Multiple things but mostly when digital filmmaking technology became cheap and the web provided a new venue to showcase my work.
What keeps you motivated?
The knowledge that people enjoy my work and want to see more of it. Also, the desire to find inspiration to create new work.
Like best about what you do?
The freedom to make the day anyway I want.
Like least about what you do?
Anything related to administration ie. Grant writing, proposal writing.
At age 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A filmmaker: I knew it was what I wanted to be after I saw the first Star Wars movie.
Biggest pastime outside of work?
Filmmaking: When I am not working on someone elses film, I am surely working on my own films.
Person most interested in meeting and why?
Any person who loves Cin(E)-Poetry because there is a great chance that Ill like and enjoy their company.
Leader in business most interested in meeting and why?
Salma Hayek because she is starting her own independent film company
Three characteristics that best describe you
1. Stubborn (very necessary when dealing with technology)
2. Easy-going (necessary if you work with many different people in stressful situations)
3. Efficient (artist these days cant throw away money)
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