From Navy to Film Directing, Anthony Celenie Is Living the Dream

Born in Rivera Beach, FL, Anthony Celenie dreamed of becoming a film director in Los Angeles, CA since the age of 14. Though he has had his share of setbacks, he never faltered in chasing his dream. Here is his over the phone interview on 28 September 2020.

Tiffany Ragin: Hello, Anthony! How are you doing today? Any big projects you are working on currently?

Anthony Celenie: Well, I just stepped out of a meeting.

Q: For what?

A: It’s a pilot for a tv show.

Q: What show?

A: I can’t say. That’s the thing about pilots for tv shows. We don’t disclose information about pilots for tv shows. If we let people know what’s going on, we can’t have that in the tabloids, the media, etc.

I can you certain things about it. I can tell you it’s like a prequel to a movie that already out. It’s black-oriented. It’s subject to bought by Hulu, Netflix, or Amazon. The highest bid on it right now is 2.4 million.
That’s all I can say about that.

Q: How did you know becoming a director was your true calling?

A: I’ve wanted this since I was 14. When Mr. Plumb first put a camera in my hand, I wanted to do something. I want to direct. I want to say something. I want to be heard by a mass amount of people and influence a mass amount of people.

Now when it comes to be at the top of the industry, I am a really competitive person. I want everything. I had to come here and hit the ground running as soon as I could. I wasn’t playing no foo foo games. I wasn’t coming out here to flex. I’m not always partying like everyone else around here. I’m about the bag. I only want to bag. I’m here for the bag, the bread, the cheddar. Whatever you want to call it. I’m here for the money. And the experience obviously, but everything else is out the window. I don’t have time for it.

I’m doing my dream thing. I can’t stop that because of excitement.

Q: Do you think your training at G-Star School of the Arts helped your career?

A: No.

Q: Why do you say that?

A: I say that because the school was good in educating me on the industry, getting hands-on with cameras and understanding framing. That aspect of it, yes. But more or less, it’s just what you know on the job, cause it’s different for every set.

Q: How did you get your first gig?

A: This is what I did, right. I knew who I wanted to talk to. I did my research. I knew where they were. I knew where I had to go. I knew what environmental I had to be in and went there, talked to that person who liked me, and say, hey you in.

And I’m like that’s it? Yeah, that’s it. I obviously have the knowledge of how to do things. While I was military, weekends I would go work in productions. I was always involved in production. It’s never really stops for me. Out here just doing what it do because this has been the plan since 14.

Q: Why did you join the Navy?

A: I need money. I was coming from Rivera. I was broke. I had nothing. There was no way of me getting from there to here without some kind of vehicle. The Navy was definitely the vehicle that I used to get here.

Q: Why did you decide to leave the Navy and pursue your dream of becoming a director?

A: Every opportunity that I could possibly get from the military, I took advantage of it. I got out of the Navy with $10,000 in cash. I was not playing around, and I knew what I wanted. Knew what I had to do. The first year when I was in the Navy, this was the plan I had to come out here. There were sometimes I got a little sidetracked with what I had to do.

Q: How do you stay motivated?

A: Snapchat and my friends. My Snapchat is more personal than anything else. I try to speak to my friends via that because I can’t individually speak to everybody at the same time. It’s too much for me.

I’m just really trying to stay focus. Be humble. And just get it done. I’m not going home until I got my first mil. I tell myself to stay up. They should do the same and think highly of themselves. It’s really that easy. If I can do this from where I’m coming from, there is no excuse for anybody else, alright.

Q: How is it easy?

A: It’s a choice to choose to which kind of thing that you care about consciously. People attach themselves to these intangible things that stop them from doing the things that they think about or want to do or have aspirations about.

You have to think first. Do you want to do this thing and then understanding what it takes to do that thing and then doing that thing. Three steps. Easy. That’s all you have to do in order to get whatever thing you want.

Q: Do you have a work-life balance?

A: I don’t. There are things that are more important than that and what you have to prioritize and compromise with. Someone told me this thing, and it stuck with me since. They told me that I couldn’t pour from an empty cup. No matter how important it is, I couldn’t pour from an empty cup. I couldn’t give to people if I don’t have it myself.

So I had to tell my family, “Hey, I’m not going to be coming home for a while. I got this thing that I got to take care of. But it’s for you guys. Just understand that I’m not going to be calling you guys keeping tabs.” Even my close friends understand too. I can’t be texting them or hanging out with them get a drink all the time cause I have shit to do.

There are things I have still have to do. I can relax like I say once I get I first mil. Go on vacation a little bit, come right back to the studio. Once I get this check. This big check I’m about to get in probably a month or so. I’m going right into making my own film. I don’t want to spend it on a new car house. I want it to go to making my own movie, making this movie for a production company or tv show for a production company.

Before finishing the interview, Celenie was called by his production assistant abruptly. A follow-up will come shortly when he has the time.