Looking Back to See the Path Forward

What happens when you look back and see how far something you started has come? It can be amazing, and a bit scary too.

Going to do something on November first which is tough. Let me share a story with you before I tell you what I am going to do.

First, I should mention that over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been mourning the loss of a friend and supporter of what I did, which I continue to do. My instructor in college, was someone who believed in me beyond what I believed I could do. We all set off trying to do things with the hope that we can do them. Mostly, we’re alone in the beginning because some crazy ideas take time to sink in and to prove.

In the photo: That’s me in 2014.

It wasn't easy for me to promote, and persist, that making movies and videos with the camera on your phone would be possible and become a real contender in the film and video production industry.

Back in 2009, the iPhone 4 did not even exist. At the time, there was no Filmic Pro with it’s professional camera app and there was no Moondog Labs providing the first anamorphic lens. People had to adapt traditional filmmaking gear to their phones.

I founded the International Mobile Film Festival in San Diego in the Spring of 2009 with my company, S. Botello Productions™. I’ll explain a bit more below if you have not been following me.

Today, it's much easier to say you believe people can make movies with smartphone cameras. It was a big open field when I began to promote it through the festival, and now, it’s not only a path but a road which has been paved.

In 2012, three years after challenging anyone with a mobile phone to do it, I finally had a handful of short films. And then I had a venue which allowed me to prove my vision of putting the few films I received on a big screen and host a traditional film festival which only accepted films shot with mobile phones. That venue was Grossmont College, where I am an alumni. I had two instructors in my Media Communications major which believed in me. Even though they were skeptical about my vision, they supported me. During those three years, I completely refused to create an online film festival. Not for this. It would not send the righ message. It would not have the same impact. It would be a bit disrespectful to my friends in the industry (which it turned out to be at the start, anyway).

I didn’t realize it at the time, but people were watching. People I knew, and people I didn't also watched. After seeing it could be done, some of them followed my lead and created film festivals like mine, as a live event in their location, in their countries. But most of them were accepting films on all mobile devices. They didn’t share my unique vision about how smartphone cameras would prevail over all others. They realized they would get more submissions accepting all mobile devices, and so did I.

In 2016, I finally felt confident people making short films could succeed making feature films and created the feature film competition for narrative films.

Today, making a feature film with your smartphone, any brand, has the same possibility of being distributed in Tubi, Amazon, and other streaming platforms. In case you’re wondering—no, you don’t have to be Steven Soderbergh to do it. I've been saying it for some time now, and hope you'll repeat it and make the announcement.

I'm very passionate about storytelling and film and enjoy spreading the message of the mobile smartphone film community worldwide. I am your biggest supporter, and have been here from the start. I've been freely giving my support, my belief and faith, and consistently worked to inspire you through the years to keep making better films, to keep sharing stories as films, even if you're not a filmmaker before you make one with your smartphone.

But it wasn’t enough. I realized a need to share the stories of the filmmakers would really be helpful to people who were not filmmakers, and to professional filmmakers alike. I knew they could help each other. In the end, it’s not about who’s a better filmmaker. It’s about the unique stories that can be shared in the best medium for storytelling with the largest reach around the world. That is film.

That’s why I spent a year wrecking my brain to create a podcast where I could record people doing it remotely.

On October 27, 2017 (five years ago today) I published the first official full episode for my podcast: SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking.

Today, there are 134 episodes of inspiring stories with guest filmmakers making films using smartphone cameras and discussions around storytelling and making movies.

Only because people have told me directly, I will share that it’s because of the podcast and because of the festival, that some people have been inspired to take the challenge and make a film using their smartphone camera. Any brand, by the way.

I also write an article on our publication on Medium.com that accompanies each podcast episode. It’s a full article, and I spend some good time writing it—it’s not the podcast notes. It’s not a transcription. It holds its own story and is further enhanced by clicking on the link and listening to the episode.

I personally never would have believed this would turn out to be my life’s work. But through thick and thin…and there have been many tough times for me, I’ve managed to keep one foot in front of the other and keep it alive and thriving. It took years before I found some people who believed in me and were supportive of my efforts.

What inspires me the most is the reaction I receive from people, mostly the participating filmmakers and those who follow me online. They literally light up my spirit to keep going and not give up. This is not a profitable venture for me.

But I am part of a team now. A team of wonderful people who volunteer to help me pull this off. I’m not gonna kid you…I love them crazy. I hope to hire them and pay them. I’m trying to build a team who can help this grow so that I can do that.

For now, it’s support that I need to continue to pay for things. Because, the world won’t let me pay my bills with my heart’s intent. However, I somehow always continue through the tough patches. My old friend’s voice is still with me. R.I.P.

I’ve met and discovered many good writers and creators here. And of course, anyone who reads and subscribes free is cherished.

Beginning November First I will add a paid subscription. I will continue to provide free stories and media.

UPDATE: December 2023

For those who can give back and support with a paid subscription, I am making some changes.

Commenting is for paid subscribers. Some media posts and stories are exclusive to paid subscribers. And finally, some stories and posts will be free temporarily when they are published but at a later time, they will be exclusive for paid subscribers.

I always end up giving it back. It’s like a circle.

Why would you support me for what I do everyday? I hope my story helps you answer that story. In one simple sentence…no one loves filmmakers more than I do. And I mean all filmmakers, not just mobile filmmakers. And I’m a giver.

There may be be other benefits for paid subscribers. Maybe discount codes for tickets to the festival in San Diego, would you like that? It always takes place during the last weekend of April. Participants in our festival never pay for tickets, by the way. I told you, I’m a giver.

I’m also extremely grateful to sponsors who can cover awards and expenses.

Remember that my official podcast, SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking is free and currently has no ads. I expense the cost of a host server, marketing, hosting every episode, editing, publishing and maintaining, plus all the administrative work. I appreciate your support if you decide to become a paid subscriber.

If you have a dream to make films and share stories, and you’re willing to be creative…you’ve made a new friend in me. If you’re a subscriber…you’re already a friend. I wish everyone reading this a wonderful rest of this year. Thanks for reading and subscribing!