Today we’d like to introduce you to Illyana Bocanegra.
Illyana, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in the lower Rio Grande Valley in a small city called McAllen, Texas. It’s an in-between world between Mexico and the United States. I think it’s pretty conservative about social issues but it skews toward majority Democrat voting. There’s a lot of amazing talent and creativity that informed me of growing up. I lived right in the middle of what would eventually become the downtown art district. I grew up feeling like I couldn’t be openly gay or a feminist though so that’s a lot of what informs the kind of stories I like to tell and focus my attention on now.
My dad bought me my first video camera in the 3rd grade. It was a Sharp Viewcam that recorded to tape. I still have it in its original box under my bed along with all 20+ tapes from my childhood. I used to take it with me to elementary school and interview my friends. I wasn’t really interested in making up a story and turning it into a movie as much as I was interested in making how-tos, capturing events, and taking interviews.
In high school, I got into the student technology class and learned fundamental video tools like editing and camera operation. At the same time, I bought a film camera off some guy on craigslist and started getting into photography. I don’t have a lot of spare time since all my work right now is freelance video but when I do have time for myself I write episodes of a series I created called Social Studies. It’s very “Queer City Limits” in that it’s just this gay show based in Austin, Texas.
This Summer, I’m teaching two documentary filmmaking classes and one photography class at Austin School of Film and producing a podcast with a close friend of mine named Allyssa Golden.
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?
I really struggled in college and put too much weight on what I would want to do for money. I had a really hard time deciding that and thinking that I would be making the wrong choice. I learned to make choices that would serve me and my goals. The universe doesn’t have an agenda anyway and I needed to stop punishing myself every time I made a decision that didn’t pan out well.
I wasn’t passionate about doing a job where I made someone else’s dream work and I felt guilty for that too. I spent a year and a half at a job where the owner told me I needed to wear lipstick and put on makeup. I was the only feminine person working there. It was fucked.
The decision to work for yourself is not easy. No one will tell you that learning professional boundaries is a big part of the job. And they certainly won’t tell you that when you absolutely need to develop a regime to ensure that things don’t fall through the cracks. You become responsible for everything and it’s on you to produce good work, maintain relationships, and sell the work you do to new leads.
But it’s my opinion that to work for yourself is better than going into a place where a man tells you what you need to look like to work for him.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I gave myself the name SIMPÁTICA because it means nice. I like wholesome feelings and things that are just good natured. I guess that’s my brand. I also like to use this smiley face. :~) and I believe that to symbolize that feeling too.
We’re still so new as a team and haven’t even launched our site and are figuring it out as we go. I’ve been doing video and event work part-time for the last five years and decided to establish this work outside of just my name and invite my friends in and grow something real with me.
We basically produce, shoot, and edit content and take a special interest in mission-based work. But we also take on project work like event production and communication consulting. We’re a diverse team and come with backgrounds in community organizing, video production, audio engineering and podcasting, photography, book publishing, graphic design, and producing large events.
Our goal is to do good work. We don’t take on projects that we don’t think we can execute well and are happy to pass on projects to other folks who we know are experts on things that we aren’t. For example, we’d never take on a special effects project because that’s not what we do. We have friends who are better at those things and send them the work. We believe in friendship and the collaborative spirit of that work. :~)
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think about this a lot because I consider myself to be extremely lucky to have the kind of life that I do where I get to choose and make my own schedule and design my life the way that I want. I do think hard work plays a role in the kind of life you get to have however so much of it has to do with having resources like family, money, and opportunity.
More than lucky or unlucky, I’d say I’m privileged to have a dad who made enough money at his teaching and basketball coaching jobs in a place like South Texas where the cost of living is low enough that he could invest in my future and help me out by sending me money in college and buying me a car to get around from shoot to shoot. It’s a privilege to live the life that I do where I do not worry if I will eat or where I will sleep or if I can afford my next bill.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.illyana.co
- Email: simpaticastudio@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/hillbillyana
- Other: vimeo.com/illyana
Image Credit:
Photo of folks watching the Lomelda basketball music video by Jinni J., Photo of Illyana reading a copy of Queers and Their Clothes by Anne-lise Emig, All photos of Illyana by Hannah Epelbaum of Good Snake
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