Hi, and thanks for dropping by, my name is Manuel Martin, and I am a Venezuelan-born, Creative Director /Art Director /Designer currently based in NB, Canada.
I've won no Cannes Gold Lions or Webbys nor have I won any Emmys or Oscars, I've never had a staff pick and I'm pretty sure Motionographer has no idea I exist. A super talented director did once comment on my work, though it was after spamming him on Twitter, to quote his wise words directly:
"That's Cool" - Neil Blomkamp
I love doing what I do and discovering how little I know as I learn on every project and from every person I collaborate with. Below are four key moments in my life (In third person for some reason) that will help you understand my intentions and vision.
1. The year is 1986 the place is a Pre-School in Cumaná, Venezuela, a very small and extremely cute Manuel is handed a coloring book and some crayons. After carefully and inquisitively looking over the line art the tiny Manuel decides that he would not be bound by the paradigm but would try to go beyond, to the point where he was both ridiculed for his green skies and red hills and scolded for not following direction. Rules are meant to be broken.
2. After dropping out of high school getting a job, protesting an oppressive dictatorship, and then deciding that he would get a GED and then into a university, it is now 2009 and Manuel is getting ready for the most decisive moment of what has been a flawless academic experience, portfolio presentation. Last minute he decides that his presentation would not showcase any of the work he had amassed but would discard it all out and create something to push his abilities and present the range of his abilities in an unconventional format. This was not well received and his work and person were completely rejected and he did not get any job offers. Failure brings growth.
3. It is now 2013, 4 years since Manuel founded his own studio, Asteroide B612 accompanied by his partner's future wife Susana. The socio-political tensions of the country had reached a critical point yet in a chaotic situation, the team made it work, while never ceasing to protest, and on budgets that due to inflation became obsolete in a matter of days. Manuel was contacted by the government he had always protested, they wanted his creative services. The amount of money they were offering was more than 10 fold what the studio made in a year it could solve so many problems, yet he could not shake the sickening taste of hypocrisy and how he would be part of the very problems he had always protested, yet he needed the money, and in the end, business is business right...? Absolutely not! He with the complete support of his partner rejected the job and furthermore provided some suggestions as to where they could shove their money. Business is not just business.
4. It is now today, and you have taken the time to read this for which I thank you deeply, help me write the next moment it's bound to be interesting.
Collaborators