Today we’d like to introduce you to Richeler Aladin.
Richeler, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It all started in High School! My Junior year of High School, I took the leap and signed up for my first theater class by the recommendations of close friends of mine that knew me really well. That year was the year I fell in love with my first love which was hip hop dancing. I was always dancing growing up but I didn’t take it serious until I met a dancer named Jonathan Holle in my theater class! He was phenomenal at his craft and I realized if I just worked extremely hard and mastered the basics, I could get that good too. I thank God for that theater class because if it wasn’t for signing up for that class. I wouldn’t be the artist I am today. That class leads me into performing and competing in Hip Hop Dancing competitions as well as starring in my first Musical as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls during my senior year.
Fast forward to Junior year of College. That’s when I met my love for filmmaking. That summer going into my Junior Year, I volunteered for my first film festival which was Capital City Black Film Festival and seeing so many black creatives in one venue was awe inspiring. I would go on to volunteer for Austin Film Festival, get hired as a camera operator for FrontRow Multimedia that semester.
Then in January 2017, I made my very first short film on my Samsung Galaxy S5 I was too scared to get anyone involved so I wrote, directed, shot, edited, and starred in my first short film. It wasn’t great at all but it built my confidence until I actually made a short film involving people and it was a complete disaster on my end. I was not prepared but that failure would build the foundation on the principle I stand by today which is what can I do to make everyone’s job easier for them to execute at a high level. I’m still learning to get better at that with every project but I’m always learning new ways to be a better leader. I have expectations for everyone but I want to make sure I do my part in helping everyone involved with my project perform at a high level.
Fast forward to now and I’ve directed a total of 10 short films. I am a two time IndieFest Film Awards Winner, Three Time Los Angeles CineFest Semi-Finalist, Two Time Lift Off Sessions Finalists, and I’ve had my work selected in a total of 10 Film Festivals. The key to all of my short films success is the team behind me. As much as I try to find ways to help everyone perform at a high level. In all honesty, the people involved with my projects are just amazing at what they do. Iron sharpens Iron and the teams involved with every project I’ve been on has inspired me to take my performance as a director to a new level each and every time.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No it hasn’t! One of the tough things I struggle with is perfectionism and the mental hurdles inside my head. It doesn’t help that I’m an emotional person too….. HAHA. Behind closed doors, anything but perfection is hard for me to accept and it throws me in a downward spiral of sadness and anger. My art can take the front seat of my health. Sometimes I lash out to myself in anger and pure negativity. One day I was so close to quitting film and selling all the film equipment things I’ve owned but on that very same day, I got an email for my very first film festival acceptance and I didn’t quit. My mom worries that I am an obsessed artist… but I’ve gotten a lot better over the years. I’ve finally accepted that perfection is unattainable and the best thing that I can do is find ways for me to get better every day. I look at the flaws in my work as opportunities for growth so that each project I can get better and better. I’m to a point now that I’m ok with imperfection as long as it helps me grow.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a filmmaker and I love writing and directing! What I’m most proud of the most is the team I get to work with. Everyone I work with is just passionate about film and it’s a beautiful thing to see so many people work towards a common goal of making the best film possible! The people I work with are grinders they’ll stay up late nights or wake up super early for different projects. They are the definition of hard-working artists!! Love my team!!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t think there’s been any good luck or bad luck that’s played into my films. I believe in God and that everything happens for a reason. One reason I’ve gotten better about accepting imperfection is because even though the bad projects or the mistakes I make. God has always shown me a positive spin on it and I learn a lot from it.
Contact Info:
- Email: AladinRicheler@gmail.com
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