New York City

Reuben Hernandez Studios 10 Year Anniversary by Reuben Hernandez

Photo by Evan Burgher, March 2010

Photo by Evan Burgher, March 2010

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of Reuben Hernandez Studios and being independent/self-employed. Ten years ago I quit my full time job at Oakley, Inc., hopped on a plane bound for Mozambique, and never looked back. It has been a wild journey with a lot of unexpected turns including the current crisis were are all living.

I dedicate the past 10 years of my business to my dear friend and mentor Brian Robbins, who sadly and unexpectedly lost his life to cancer on February 2, 2020. I had known Brian and his family for nearly 16 years, and he believed in me, took a chance on me, and gave me my first real job at Oakley Inc. We continued to be friends and I considered him a mentor and guiding light to this day. Brian showed me a tremendous amount of courage when he quit his job to start his creative journey. Little did I know that I would soon follow in his footsteps four years later, quit the job that he gave me, and embark on my own creative journey. There is a piece of Brian in every business and creative decision I've made over the past 10 years. He showed me what it looks like to be a loving father and husband well before I became one myself. Thank you Brian for shaping and molding me into the person I am today, both personally and professionally.

As I reflect over the last ten years, I have a lot of memories, feelings, and emotions. I'm so grateful that my family and I are healthy and safe in the midst of the current COVID-19 epidemic. We live in New York City, now considered the US epicenter. I have to admit we sometimes suffer from moral fatigue, and I get anxiety when I leave the apartment to buy groceries or mail a package. Taking my daughter outside for walks feels like human frogger trying to maintain a safe social distance from all other humans. My daughter seems to be doing ok, is happy, and joyful. It's been beautiful and absolutely wonderful watching her grow up. I love my family dearly and couldn't imagine having to survive this without them by my side. Today Leuca turns 18 months old, which means she is officially a toddler.

Below are some discoveries and key learnings I’ve taken to heart over the past decade.

"If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed." 

Naval Admiral William H. McRaven, The University of Texas at Austin, May 17, 2014

Ever since I watched this commencement speech, I have made my bed every single day. "If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another... Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter." I've extended my morning ritual to include grinding coffee beans and making pour over coffee. This morning ritual gives me a small sense of pride and accomplishment. Making and drinking my morning coffee is my moment of peace and calm, before I start the day. Yesterday I made chocolate chip banana bread from scratch with a lot of love that my daughter thoroughly enjoyed. While I made this bread, I got lost in the process and the moment and completely forgot that we are in the middle of a crisis. It was a therapeutic moment of joy and peace. Keep creating and making stuff. Make things out of love. It's a form of therapy and will get you through a crisis. My family and I celebrated my 10 year anniversary by breaking and eating banana bread together. The little things and the little victories in life do matter. Here’s the banana bread recipe if you’d like to make it.

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Family First

Being self-employed has afforded a flexible schedule and allowed me to spend more quality time with my family. At the end of the day, I want to be remembered as a loving father and husband, someone that loved my family dearly. As much as I love my work, I love my family more. If Reuben Hernandez Studios does not survive me, my family will. And they also love me back (as far as I know).

Motherhood, Antarctica © 2015 Reuben Hernandez

Motherhood, Antarctica © 2015 Reuben Hernandez

Motherhood, Arctic Norway © 2014 Reuben Hernandez

Motherhood, Arctic Norway © 2014 Reuben Hernandez

Be Kind And Respect Everyone

Kindness goes a long way and you never know who will hire you next. My friend Evan Burgher took the jumping tank photo of me at the top. We met at Oakley, Inc. and have been friends for over thirteen years. Even is also independent and we’ve worked together hiring each other numerous times over the past decade. Evan flew me out to Dallas last month for a job.

Get A Mentor

Find someone to help you get through life and succeed. Shoutout to Brian Robbins, Greg Harvey, and the mentors and leaders I have had and learned from in my life.

The Train Is Moving Forward. Get On or Off.

I embraced this concept when I directed and produced my narrative short film "Maddie". People will come and go; however, the project is moving forward regardless. There were so many lessons learned on that set. You can accomplish anything with a great team, heart, and dedication. People will come and go in business and in life. Never give up.

In closing, I will share some COVID-19 resources that may be of interest to you. The NYC Department of Small Businesses is offering employee retention grants and zero interest loans for NYC businesses. More info here. Adobe, Squarespace, Quickbooks, and other companies are offering COVID-19 relief. Delta has been incredibly flexible with their cancellation and flight change policy (we cancelled our flight to Aruba last week). Local restaurants Anella and Jimmy’s Diner have offered pay what you can takeout meals. Yoga With Adrienne is helping me survive. You can watch 75 SXSW 2020 short films online for free and here are 15 Short Films Now Streaming From Great Directors: Nolan, Waititi, and More (including Waititi’s Oscar winner). Individuals and businesses are doing beautiful things for the community. I’m hopeful and confident we will flatten the curve and get through this.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to my family, friends, collaborators, casts, crews, and clients that have supported and believed in me over the past decade. I wouldn’t be here without you.

Stay healthy and safe. Sending lots of love and virtual banana bread. 

Best Thoughts,
Reuben 

Acme Studios Llama Party by Reuben Hernandez

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Some images with Pierre, the famous llama at the Acme Studios Llama Party with our friends at Skypie Studio. Acme Studios specializes in props and set design.

Thanks Acme Studios for hosting such a fun party!

NYC Independent Film Festival - Films - Antarctica by Katherine Yaksich

Check out this interview I did for my Antarctica film premiere next week. Below are some excerpts and the full interview is here: https://www.nycindieff.com/film/antarctica

Interview by Kerby Pierre. 

KP: Thank you Reuben for taking the time to answer some questions for us. Your film is very unique. What inspired you to film this exotic short?
RH: I had a strong feeling that visiting Antarctica, my final continent, would be a significant life experience. I wanted to memorialize the journey in a special, meaningful way. I was inspired by Ron Fricke’s time-lapse work in Samsara, and the one second a day sequence in the movie, Chef.

KP: The film shows NYC, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Antarctica. Why did you choose those five locations?
RH: The film begins and ends in NYC, which is where I live now. Argentina is where we embark on the Antarctic expedition ship, and I also wanted to visit the Salar de Uyuni (salt flats) in Bolivia, and photograph the Milky Way rise above the Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the driest places on earth.

KP: Of all the vast landscapes of these five diverse countries how did you narrow it down to two minutes?
RH: It was incredibly challenging to film every single day, especially on the boring days where not much was happening, such as travel days or days at sea. I really had to reach and try and find beauty in the mundane, and editing it down to just one second a day was extremely difficult. There are a lot of beautiful shots that didn’t make the final cut.

KP: What do you want the audience to get from this beautifully shot short?
RH: There is beauty everywhere, even in the mundane. Antarctica, the largest wilderness area in the world, transformed and forever changed me. Never in my entire life have I been in such close proximity to so much wildlife and such raw, untouched beauty. It humbled me because it is like no other place on earth. I hope these images will have a lasting impact and inspire others to protect and safeguard the future of our planet.

by Katherine Yaksich

BEAUTY, BALANCE, AND GRACE | World Premiere in Paris, FranceMy film Beauty, Balance, and Grace featuring JR and NYC Ballet principal dancer Lauren Lovette, will premiere at the Paris Short Film Festival in Paris, France on 5.5.16 at 10 PM. I’m very …

BEAUTY, BALANCE, AND GRACE | World Premiere in Paris, France

My film Beauty, Balance, and Grace featuring JR and NYC Ballet principal dancer Lauren Lovette, will premiere at the Paris Short Film Festival in Paris, France on 5.5.16 at 10 PM. I’m very excited to take this film out into the world and hope you can join me at the Paris screening in a few weeks!

Tickets and info here: http://www.psff.eu

Trailer coming soon…

by Katherine Yaksich

Join me next week for the world premiere of my film, ANTARCTICA, screening at the NYC Independent Film Festival on Wednesday, April 27th at 4:15 pm.Trailer: http://reubenhernandez.com/antarctica-trailerTickets and info: https://www.nycindieff.com/se…

Join me next week for the world premiere of my film, ANTARCTICA, screening at the NYC Independent Film Festival on Wednesday, April 27th at 4:15 pm.

Trailer: http://reubenhernandez.com/antarctica-trailer

Tickets and info: https://www.nycindieff.com/session/art-experimental-films-sessions-1

I look forward to seeing you there!

A Time-Lapse Rocket Ride to the Top of 1... - The New York Times | Facebook by Katherine Yaksich

My New York Times video was one of their most popular videos this year. Full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/20/nyregion/on-time-lapse-rocket-ride-to-trade-centers-top-ghostly-glimpse-of-doomed-tower.html?_r=0

by Katherine Yaksich

The Moment Light Begins

Directed and edited by Reuben Hernandez
Produced by Andrew Klein and Reuben Hernandez
Commuter - Andrew Klein
Boss - Kevyn Dillow
Voice-over by Jason Perry Stevens
Color grade by Chetan Patel
Music by Tony Anderson
Production assistants - Effie Speridakos and Zanni Watkins
Special thanks to Ira Lippke Studios and Greg Bujak
“Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do.” - Rumi

Several months of blood, sweat, and tears went into this video, not to mention broken equipment, reshoots, a near disaster on the Williamsburg Bridge, and multiple 5 am call times. It’s also interesting to note that both Andrew and I have similar stories, 5 years apart. I hope you enjoy this video and that it inspires you in one way or another. Andrew and I fly to Africa in exactly 2 weeks…

All My Best,
Reuben

by Katherine Yaksich

A short and fun 25 second slow motion GoPro test clip from PMT Dance Studio’s Urban Renewal All Styles Battle featuring:

Push
Lil B
Firelock
Ida

As expected, the GoPro really doesn’t perform that well in low lit conditions, especially at high frame rates; all of the sequences in this clip were filmed on the GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition at 120 fps. However, I was able to get some shots at angles that I normally wouldn’t be able to get with a traditional camera. I’m doing a series of tests before embarking on a major GoPro multi camera project. Stay tuned for more to come… Enjoy!

by Katherine Yaksich

Exactly 4 years ago, I left my native California and embarked on a 9 month journey around the world, in pursuit of adventure and the human story. I hopped on a plane bound for South Africa and Mozambique, and then took a 15,653 mile road trip across…

Exactly 4 years ago, I left my native California and embarked on a 9 month journey around the world, in pursuit of adventure and the human story. I hopped on a plane bound for South Africa and Mozambique, and then took a 15,653 mile road trip across North America. I sold my car upon arriving in NYC, and haven’t looked back ever since. #neverstopexploring #roadtrip #canigraduate #wanderlust (at New York City)

by Katherine Yaksich

Self Portrait Series
Going Up, a self portrait inspired by @laurenfarmer. I love these handmade Rag & Bone boots! #ragandbone #raleighdenim (at Williamsburg)

Self Portrait Series

Going Up, a self portrait inspired by @laurenfarmer. I love these handmade Rag & Bone boots! #ragandbone #raleighdenim (at Williamsburg)

by Katherine Yaksich

A photo of JR during the first day pasting at the NYC Ballet. It has been an absolute blast documenting such a prolific and influential artist. The second night of the NYC Ballet Art Series featuring JR is this Friday, February 7th. The art exhibiti…

A photo of JR during the first day pasting at the NYC Ballet. It has been an absolute blast documenting such a prolific and influential artist. The second night of the NYC Ballet Art Series featuring JR is this Friday, February 7th. The art exhibition is open to the public from 10 - 5 until February 8th.

Why I Decided to Work for Myself and Move to NYC by Katherine Yaksich

A lot of people ask me why I decided to move to NYC. Ever since the first time I visited NYC, I told myself I had to live there. I was incredibly inspired by everything it had to offer, and it became a long time dream of mine. I’m actually back in CA writing this, and a lot of people ask me if I like NYC and are surprised when I say I absolutely love it.

Now that I’ve lived in NYC for nearly 2.5 years, I’ve realized that it has allowed me live the lifestyle I want to live. Don’t ask yourself what kind of job you want, but what kind of lifestyle you want to live. When I was working full time in CA and only had 2 weeks of vacation each year, I knew I had to figure out a way to get more time off each year. And the way to do it is to work for yourself. Thankfully, NYC has given me the opportunity to make a living doing what I love to do. On top of that, I’ve been able to take off around 2 months each year, which has been absolutely fantastic. My first year, I spent over a month traveling through Egypt, Jordan, Malta, and Italy. Last year I spent 6 weeks in Australia and New Zealand, and checked 4 things off of my bucket list. This year I spent a month filming in London, South Africa, and India and I’ll be living in Paris for a month in the fall, which has been another dream of mine. As great as NYC is, it’s also great to take regular breaks from the chaos and the hustle and bustle. But I’ve truly been able to thrive in NYC and live out my dreams, as cheesy as that sounds. I was even able to pay off my last college loan this year and become debt free finally (a long time goal)! I encourage my CA friends to join me in NYC and I think they’re sick of hearing it. Honestly, I truly think they would enjoy and love it.

NYC is an incredibly dynamic, creative, exciting, and fun place. There is never a dull moment and it will never cease to amaze. Last month I had the opportunity to meet my favorite artist, JR, at Times Square. I joined his global art project, Inside Out (the largest participatory art project in the world), and pasted a large 3 ft X 4 ft portrait of myself on Times Square. I saw one of my favorite documentary films of the year at TriBeCa Film Festival, Cutie and the Boxer, and met the main characters afterwards. They are such a cute couple! New Yorkers are working on all sorts of exciting projects all the time. I have a friend filming a documentary about break dancing in the developing world, and he’s been following incredible stories in places like Yemen and Uganda. I have another friend doing photography work in the Arctic and Antarctica. Hopefully I’ll be joining her in Antarctica in Feb 2014!

NYC is home for now, indefinitely. I can’t say for sure where I’ll be in 5 or 10 years. But for now, I’m very happy, content, passionate, and extremely grateful. Let’s grab a cup of coffee together in NYC or Paris!

Carpe Diem,
Reuben