New dawn, new day
World Antarctica Day /
A humpback whale breaches in Antarctica © Reuben Hernandez
Yesterday was World Antarctica Day, celebrating the day the Antarctic Treaty was signed. Dad once told me he was envious that I got sent to photograph Antarctica and would live vicariously through me. The wildlife in Antarctica is so beautiful, raw, and uninhibited. I keep coming back to this photograph and can’t help but think of my dad and how he pushed me to explore, photograph, and document beauty.
Filmshop Exhibition /
My short film Maddie screens as part of Filmshop Exhibition, curated by Michael Dunaway, available to watch for free through tonight here: https://www.thefilmshop.org/fs-exhibition-viewer-thursday.
Michael Dunaway
“A struggling Latina bartender, a millennial hipster white woman, a group of inner-city fencers, a little girl on the streets of New York City, a Black visual artist, and a boy growing up playing chess with his grandfather. The protagonists of these six films couldn't be more different, and yet the emerging filmmakers will make you fall in love with every one of them. These six directors also share a meticulous attention to production design, and have each found the ideal pace at which to unfold their stories. But it's those characters that stick with me most. Well done.”
Petty Cash, Matt Simon
Zugzwang, Lars Fuchs
Maddie, Reuben Hernandez
Inner City Fencers, Daniel Feighery
Division Street: Fish Out of Water, Traven Rice
Masterpiece, Eden Martinez
Michael Dunaway is the Editor at Large of Paste Magazine, and the founding partner of Gasoline Films and Poitier & Dunaway Motion Pictures. He is the director, writer, and producer of Six LA Love Stories, and the producer and director of 21 Years: Richard Linklater. He also produced and directed The Man Who Ate New Orleans, with Oscar nominee Morgan Spurlock. His short film Bread won Best US Narrative Short at the 2011 Rome International Film Festival. Current projects include a scripted historical civil rights epic with the King and Poitier families. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and children.
Interview in We Are Moving Stories /
I was interviewed and featured along with writer Brady Evan Walker in We Are Moving Stories for our short film, Her Favorite Patient, starring Barbara Miluski (Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). Check out the full interview here.
Her Favorite Patient World Premiere at Lighthouse International Film Festival /
My short film “Her Favorite Patient” world premieres today at the Lighthouse International Film Festival, named one of MovieMaker’s 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World. You can watch our film virtually in Shorts Block #2 through June 20th by purchasing tickets here. There is also a free Q&A tomorrow 6/15 at 5 pm EST; Q&A tickets available here. Thanks so much to our wonderful cast and crew for all of their hard work, sweat, and dedication:
Directed by Reuben Hernandez
Written by Brady Evan Walker
Produced by Reuben Hernandez and Brady Evan Walker
Starring Barbara Miluski (Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and Isabelle Pierre
Director of Photography Jackson J. Eagan
Assistant Camera Monica Kapoor
Grip Nikolai Basarich
Sound Design and Sound Editor Ash Knowlton
Edited by Patrice D. Bowman
Colorist Jenny Montgomery
Short Form Color Producer Stephanie Arce
Music by Clay Russell
Stay healthy safe.
Love and Best Thoughts,
Reuben
Reuben Hernandez Studios 10 Year Anniversary /
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.
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, 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
New York State Certified Minority-Owned Business Enterprise /
Reuben Hernandez Studios is now a New York State certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE), as well as a NYC and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey certified MBE. We are looking forward to doing business with New York State.
FREE Settling Up screening tonight /
Settling Up a film by Reuben Hernandez, written by Brady Evan Walker
2019 A Decade in Review /
One of the single most defining moments of the past decade was when I quit my job, started my own company, and moved to NYC. It was one of the most difficult and best decisions I have ever made. That was nearly 10 years ago, and it has led me to numerous opportunities that I had only dreamed of such as landing in Antarctica, photographing great white sharks breach, and seeing the aurora borealis dance above me and light up the Arctic sky. That decision also led me to meeting my wife Lisa in my Brooklyn neighborhood and to becoming a father to Leuca last year, which has been a wonderful and beautiful journey.
It’s difficult to summarize an entire decade, so I will share some of my favorite experiences and work over the last ten years.
Antarctica © 2015 Reuben Hernandez
Landing in Antarctica was a really big deal for me. I had dreamed of visiting Antarctica ever since I was in fourth grade and Antarctica also marked my seventh and final continent. It is transcendent and truly like no place on earth. This is one of many images I photographed as photographer in residence onboard an expedition ship. Dreams do come true. That’s what I would tell my childhood self.
Great white shark breaching in South Africa © 2015 Reuben Hernandez
This photograph was taken in False Bay, South Africa and speaks for itself. This happened in about a split second so you can imagine how challenging of a photograph this was to capture. The is one of the images I am most proud of and I still can’t believe I got the shot. I was freaking out afterwards. Sharks are awesome creatures and I’ve always wanted to see a great white shark breach.
Mother and cub polar bears in Svalbard, Arctic Norway © 2014 Reuben Hernandez
In 2014 I had the opportunity to be a photographer in residence onboard an expedition ship in Svalbard, Arctic Norway. We spotted these polar bears from our ship from about 300 meters and our expedition leader decided that we would jump in zodiacs to get a closer look. The seawater was torrential and we were getting absolutely soaked by the waves smashing against the front of our zodiacs as we raced towards the polar bears. Luckily the bears remained and we got to observe them closer from our zodiacs. This was also a challenging photograph to capture with a long lens on a zodiac that was rocking up and down. I have a print of this photograph in my daughter Leuca’s room, and it definitely has a new meaning for me being a parent.
Rifle master Tom Smith searching for polar bears in Svalbard, Arctic Norway © 2014 Reuben Hernandez
The Milky Way rising above the Atacama Desert, Chile © 2015 Reuben Hernandez
On my way to Antarctica I spent some time in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile in hopes of photographing the Milky Way. It was quite an adventure to say the least. I spent a few weeks waiting for the rain and full moon to pass as I foolishly didn’t check the phases of the moon beforehand. The Atacama Desert is supposed to be one of the driest places on earth so I was surprised by the rain. I woke up each morning at about 3 am and rode my bike alone out into the desert. It was a bit unnerving and extremely desolate and dark. It was also humbling and peaceful to see so many stars and stand beneath billions of galaxies. This is a self portrait I captured underneath the Milky Way.
BBC Travel © 2018 Reuben Hernandez
Last year I was commissioned by BBC Travel to cover a story for their To the Ends of the Earth series. I had the opportunity to visit Supai, the only US town that receives its mail by mule train and is only accessible by hiking eight miles into the Grand Canyon or by helicopter. I hiked more than 20 miles off the grid carrying 40 - 50 lbs of photo and video gear, food, and camping supplies for this story. It was a challenging story and an adventure to say the least, and the Havasupai Falls are one of the most beautiful natural wonders I have ever seen. Check out the full story and interview with tribal elder Rex Tilusi here.
I directed Bono in the above Red Nose Day celebrity PSA. Spike Jonze showed up and thanked me for allowing him to help out. It was pretty wild meeting Bono and Spike, two creative forces I have looked up to.
Maddie, my narrative directorial debut, had its online premiere earlier this year on Film Shortage after screening at several film festivals and winning a few awards. You can watch the film above (TRT: 11 min). I love the collaborative process of making films and have had the pleasure of working with some incredibly talented casts and crews. I’ve since directed two other narrative short films and joined the Filmshop collective, where we workshop works in progress, foster collaboration, and help bring each other’s projects to life.
I’m grateful to be in my 10th year of business, creating work that I believe is meaningful both personally and professionally. This year I’m proud to be certified as a NYC minority-owned business enterprise. 2020 and beyond will be a new and exciting chapter for Reuben Hernandez Studios. Thank you to all of my clients, friends, family, and collaborators that have supported and believed in me over the last decade. I wouldn’t be here without you.
My daughter Leuca is growing up so fast I can hardly believe it. Yesterday she turned 15 months old. She brings us so much love and joy and is an absolute beast. She’s been doing baby parkour and ran laps around the airplane last week. She keeps us on our toes and never ceases to amaze us. Leuca has given me a new purpose as a working dad.
Happy Holidays! Love, Lisa, Leuca, and Reuben
A year ago I wrote “Going forward I'll have to live a more structured life to prioritize my time between family, work, personal projects, and exercise/dance/self-care.” I think I did a pretty good job over the past year. I’ve come a long way and I know there’s always room for improvement. We had a family vacation planned earlier this year that I had to cut short for a job in LA. I know it was the right decision and I’m learning how to make sacrifices and that often times things just do not go as planned. I’m relearning how important family is. My dad hasn’t been doing very well and I’m happy that Leuca got a chance to meet him and see him a few times this year. It’s important for Leuca to know her family history and where she came from. My dad’s illness has brought my family closer together in unexpected ways. I want to continue to cherish each moment I spend with Leuca and my family and love them as much as I can.
It’s past 1 am and I actually have to film a job on NYE so I best be going. If you made it this far, thanks for following along. Wishing you love, peace, and Happy New Year. See you in 2020!
All My Best,
Reuben
Sold Out Settling Up screening /
Our Settling Up film screening sold out at the 10th annual Williamsburg Independent Film Festival! We had a blast having our film open the festival to a sold out crowd. Thanks Willfilm for screening our film and we look forward to coming back again.
Reuben Hernandez Studios Receives Minority-Owned Business Enterprise Certification /
Reuben Hernandez Studios has been certified as a minority-owned business enterprise by the NYC Department of Small Business Services. We will now be listed in the New York City Online Directory of Certified Businesses and look forward to this next chapter after being in business for nearly ten years.
Settling Up Screens at the Williamsburg Independent Film Festival /
Excited to screen Settling Up as the opening film at the 10th annual Williamsburg Film Festival at the Wythe Cinema (80 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249) on Thursday 11/21 at 7 pm. This is one of my favorite film festivals and where it all began for Settling Up. Tickets: https://bpt.me/4429873 and full schedule.
We hope to see you there!
Directed by Reuben Hernandez
Written by Brady Evan Walker
Starring Jonathan Randell Silver, Jessica Frey, and Kristen Adele
Produced by Reuben Hernandez, Maryann Alspaugh, and Brady Evan Walker
Sound Mixer and Sound Design by Ash Knowlton / Silver Sound
Edited and colored by Patrice D. Bowman
Made in collaboration with the Filmshop collective
Director's Reel /
Reuben Hernandez | 2019 Director’s Reel
I’m excited to share my new director’s reel featuring some of my film work over the last five years. A huge shoutout to my cast, crews, supporters, and collaborators that have helped bring these projects to life. Thanks for watching.
Filmed on location in NYC, Antarctica, Arctic Norway, Chile, and Yellowknife
Airbnb Sketch NYC /
New work for Airbnb
Airbnb Sketch Your Way Around NYC
Director Andrew Klein
Director of Photography Reuben Hernandez
Sound mixer Nick Heppding
Post production Airbnb
Produced by Reflector
Filmshop Presents Famous Last Words /
Leuca is helping our sound designer Ash with the final sound mix for our latest narrative short film. I’m excited to share another film tomorrow night at the Filmshop 10 year anniversary short film showcase at Rough Trade NYC. We hope to see you there!
Filmshop, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, is a non-profit film organization committed to developing new work through peer support and collaboration. Filmshop supports a community of about 250 filmmakers in NYC, New Orleans, and LA. Members meet weekly to workshop projects, offer constructive feedback, and incubate new ideas. Our fall season begins just after Labor Day. We are now accepting applications for the Fall 2019 season at www.thefilmshop.org/apply, and we will be holding an open house in July where you can learn more about our organization and meet current members.
Lighthouse International Film Festival /
Lighthouse International Film Festival was an incredible experience and is hands down one of my favorite film festivals. I had the opportunity to meet and learn from Guy Nattiv, Oscar winning director of Skin, and numerous other talented filmmakers and industry people. Some friends and fellow Filmshop members screened at LIFF and it was fun seeing so many familiar faces. My family also enjoyed attending the festival and my 8 month old daughter ate lobster for the first time, thanks to Charlotte and the rest of the crew at the hospitality house. I highly recommend the festival and will definitely be coming back. Thanks to the entire team at Lighthouse Intl FF for such a memorable and wonderful experience!
Q&A with Guy Nattiv, writer/director of the opening feature film, Skin, and some cast members
I met Guy Nattiv and attended his filmmaking masterclass. Guy won the Oscar this year for best live action short film for his short, Skin.
My 8 month old daughter Leuca enjoying the view and lobster at the filmmaker hospitality house
Q&A following the screening of my short film, Settling Up. Photo by Clayton Dean Smith
Lisa and I in front of the Long Beach Island Historical Museum
Congrats to all of my fellow Filmshop members that screened at LIFF!
Settling Up Film Premiere Sunday June 9th /
My narrative short film Settling Up will premiere Sunday, June 9th, at 1:30 pm at Long Beach Island Historical Museum (129 Engleside Avenue, Beach Haven, NJ 08008, USA) in competition at Lighthouse International Film Festival, one of MovieMaker’s “Coolest 25 Film Festivals in the World”. Settling Up will also screen alongside Filmshop short films If the Shoe Fits by Cinder Chou and Self(Ish) by Dani Tennenbaum. Oscar winner Guy Nattiv will open the festival with his narrative feature film, Skin, and Sundance documentary American Factory will close the festival.
Check out the full program here and schedule here. We are so excited to screen at LIFF and hope to see you there!
Favorite Patient Film Wrapped /
We just wrapped the latest narrative short film I directed starring Barbara Miluski and Isabelle Pierre. We were fortunate to have Jackson Eagan as the director of photography, and this was very much a Filmshop collaboration. Hats off to our talented and hard working cast and crew. Below are some behind the scenes photos by Monica Kapoor and we look forward to sharing our film soon. Stay tuned…
Settling Up Film Festival Premiere at Lighthouse International Film Festival /
I’m excited to announce my latest short film, Settling Up, will have its film festival premiere at Lighthouse International Film Festival, one of MovieMaker’s “Coolest 25 Film Festivals in the World.” The festival will take place June 6-9 on Long Beach Island and stay tuned for screening info. Thanks to our cast and crew for all of your hard work and we hope to see you there!
Directed by Reuben Hernandez
Written by Brady Evan Walker
Produced by Reuben Hernandez, Maryann Alspaugh, and Brady Evan Walker
Production Sound Mixer and Sound Design by Ash Knowlton / Silver Sound
Edited and colored by Patrice D. Bowman
Made in collaboration with the Filmshop collective
BBC Travel Webby Award Nomination /
As a BBC Travel contributor, we have been nominated for a Webby Award in the Video Series & Channels, the Travel & Lifestyle category! I’m happy and proud to share this honor with the rest of the team and contributors at BBC Travel.
This arrived in my inbox from BBC Travel today, “This nomination isn’t our nomination, it’s a nomination for every single freelance videographer, editor and writer and the hours you put in to your videos for us. It’s an acknowledgement of the extra mile you go to for us, and the consistent quality of your journalistic eye and expertise in your field. It’s a nomination for the untold stories you’ve uncovered, the voices that wouldn’t otherwise be heard, and the amazing dinner party stories you’ve provided every single one of our viewers. It’s a nomination for those beautiful ‘oh wow, look at that!’ moments. So thank you, so much, this wouldn’t have been possible without you.
Over the past year we’ve covered 100 destinations in 77 countries, from Antarctica to India, telling historical, foodie, crafty, beautiful stories, and that barely scratches the surface. And we want to keep going and continue to inspire travellers to fall in love with the world – every day.
We need your help though. To win (and we’re up against some pretty serious competition) we need votes. It only takes two minutes, and it means a huge amount to us. Just follow the link here, and make sure to share it with your friends, family and colleagues, as every single vote counts.”