Film, TV & Commercial Producer Sevier Crespo: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker
Never assume anything. Enjoy the process. Fall in love with the details. Be okay with being alone and not being liked. And don’t take any of it seriously.
As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Sevier Crespo.
Puerto Rican-born Sevier Crespo, p.g.a., is an award-winning film, television and commercial producer who learned the ropes from such heavyweights as Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Mann and Ridley Scott. Crespo studied production at UCLA while working under the tutelage of Robert Townsend and director Sam Bayer at Ridley Scott’s RSA USA, Inc. Over the years Crespo has also worked with such prominent figures as David Beckham, Kendrick Lamar, Kurt Russell, Ariana Grande, Mandy Moore and Demi Lovato — to name a few.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?
I was born in Puerto Rico — the San Juan area. I then moved to Dallas, Texas and grew up there. I always wanted to be a baseball player but didn’t make the team in high school. And since I had to substitute that period for something, but didn’t want to take another class, I took theater. And from the second I hit that stage I just became obsessed with it and decided to focus my entire life on being in the film and TV industry.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
My theatre teacher was an older gentleman and he would always tell us these great stories of being a struggling playwright. Hearing his passion was mesmerizing to me. He would have everyone do a line or two from a play. And while on stage, hearing how it sounded and resonated, he would say, “Do you feel the power? Do you feel how it sounds?” I think he was the person that I could identify the most with in high school. I realized that this was the kind of person that I wanted to be. Creative and passionate. It didn’t matter that he was teaching in Texas in a high school theater or that he was older and maybe retired or that it was not a full-time job. At the time I was trying to figure myself out and I remember saying to myself, “This is the direction I want to go. This is the path I want to take.”
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
There was one time I was working on a Nike commercial for Michael Mann. He shot his stills for his “board,” so to speak, on film. And he would process them and then put them up in the order of how he wanted to shoot them. Michael just had an eye for this sort of thing. He was all about being specific and precise and detailed. So there were all these stills and I was asked to put all of this film in order. I needed to figure it all out and glue them together on a board in the sequence of what he wanted. And I remember at one point I thought they all looked the same — I just couldn’t figure it out. And I remember just thinking, “Wow, this is one of those things where the magic is in the details. Beauty is in the details. You can’t be glib. If you’re going to do something, you do it right and you commit to it.” It was a very interesting moment because my perspective changed on what I was doing. My interest level rose and I became engaged and interested and wanted to learn more and understand the process more.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I just had a meeting for one of my films with the director. Her name is MJ Bassett, an English director. We had a fantastic conversation. We met briefly and were just talking about life, not necessarily even the project. And her stories were so great — stories from all over the world. And I really caught myself wanting to know more. I felt I could really learn a lot from her and take in a lot of life lessons.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I would start with Robert Townsend. I think his perspective and what he taught me about producing and development was really invaluable. He would do these drills or exercises to almost make sure you got what he was saying. And then also his level of enthusiasm. It didn’t matter what time of day or night it was, his energy level was just through the roof. Another would be one of my very good friends Jacob Vargas. I met him a long time ago — the early 2000s. He always had my back and I was always very grateful for that. He’s been a friend through thick and thin. And then I would say the third person is one of my best friends, Craig Chapman. He’s a producer and part owner of East End studios here in Los Angeles. And he helped create and found Siren Studios. We met at the House of Blues working in the Foundation Room here on Sunset when it was still around. He’s always been extremely supportive and another person who’s always had my back through and through.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I’ve used this for years. “If you’re petting a tiger, know you’re petting a tiger. If you’re petting a bunny, know you’re petting a bunny. But don’t pet a tiger thinking it’s a bunny.” Basically, know who you’re dealing with and know what environment you’re in. Don’t mistake one thing for another. The times I haven’t followed this, it hasn’t been pleasant.
I am very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
If you look it over, without diversity you wouldn’t have these amazing movies like “Moonlight” or “Parasite” or “Crazy Rich Asians” or “Slum Dog Millionaire.” These films represent cultures. They represent who we are. Stories have to be told correctly. And I think people are tired of a one-sided perspective on what you think our culture should be. I don’t want to see your weird romantic comedies or weird movies from someone who doesn’t come from that world. I think we’re tired of it because ninety-nine percent of the time it’s misrepresented. It’s the same when you have a lot of male writers and directors doing films with female leads or women in general. They’re always “a little less than.” Let it be told from the eyes of those who’ve lived it and you’re going to see a truer representation. It just ends up being more of a human experience.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
“Killing Class,” which is based on true events. It’s going to be shot in Puerto Rico. It’s a really great project and we’re getting a really great cast together. “Secondary Effect” is a project that I’ve lived with for 11 or 12 years now and it’s finally being done. We’re looking to have our director locked in before the end of the year. There are a few more upcoming projects too, “Year Two,” “Waterboyz,” “Division Street,” and “Sweethearts.”
Which aspect of your work makes you most proud? Can you explain or give a story?
I think it’s my ability to deal with people. We’re all human beings, so to me, people come first — vendors, crew members, talent. That’s my first priority. I listen to their concerns, thoughts and upsets, everything — the good, the bad and the ugly on it. I take pride in that. I try to the best of my ability to put myself in their shoes.
Okay super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- Never assume anything.
- Enjoy the process.
- Fall in love with the details.
- Be okay with being alone and not being liked.
- And don’t take any of it seriously.
When you create a film, which stakeholders have the greatest impact on the artistic and cinematic choices you make? Is it the viewers, the critics, the financiers, or your own personal artistic vision? Can you share a story with us or give an example about what you mean?
It’s a tricky question because sometimes I try to focus on what’s the best for the project, and that depends on the project. Because if I have a great collaboration with the director, that’s one thing, or the writer-director is another thing. And there are times when you have to go with the flow because you have way too many people at the top wanting input and you can tell that it’s going to either cost time and money or upsets or frustration. So you almost have to “go along for the ride,” so to speak.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
The movement would be to make things like knowledge, humanity, understanding, and compassion as important or desirable as wanting to be a celebrity. So many people these days aspire to be famous, whether it’s a pro athlete, actor, celebrity, or influencer. Of course, those are great things to aspire to and there’s nothing wrong with it. But if you’re asking me what movement I would like to see, I’d like to see the pursuit of knowledge, humanity, understanding and compassion be something that is just as prominent and sought after as those other things. Make it cool to seek those elements in life.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this.
This is really good [laughs]. I think the person that I always choose in conversation is Richard Branson. I heard a podcast, which I believe is called “How I Built This” where he talks about how he built his Empire. It was very interesting. It was so great to hear him talk about it and how certain things changed his perspective on not doing something that maybe wasn’t the best thing for everyone. It was a combination of business, philanthropy, and living life that was pretty amazing. It’s something that I aspire to simulate. I’ll give you one quick example. My wife and I were flying from London to Los Angeles on Virgin Airlines and one of the things that they did was to show you this video. It was about philanthropy and what they do to help. There were a lot of people who work with Virgin Airlines, employees that go to Africa or go to places and do philanthropic work. But I loved the fact that there was already an envelope in the back of all the seats. And the idea was just to donate the change in your pocket and they would match those donations. I mean, what are you going to do with that change anyway? I found that to be so genius — so humanitarian and giving. You don’t even have to go anywhere to do it. You can just do it there, put it in the envelope, and then the flight attendants would collect it as you leave the plane.
How can our readers further follow you online?
They can follow me on Instagram. I use Instagram for my business @peanutgallerygroup and also personally @seviercrespo. And both of those lead to my websites.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
