Today we’d like to introduce you to Larry Sands.
Hi Larry, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started my career in entertainment as an actor. I moved to Los Angeles in the very late 90s and started to do stage plays and self-submissions for acting gigs, which included doing extra work. Just being on set was a pretty good learning curve as an actor. Most of the other extras would leave set and go take breaks but I would stay onset and observe the different positions the crew would have. Didn’t realize then how useful those observations would become later on in my evolution to working behind the camera.
Between doing stage plays and acting work I also did production assistant work on films. This is where I think I started to find working behind the camera very interesting. By doing this I got to help with every part of the film shoot. Setting up lighting, set decoration anything the crew need help with.
Once I found an agent, I started to book commercials. The first commercial I did was V8 Splash. It was pretty amazing. That commercial ran for several years. I do remember my PlayStation commercial I did ran in movie theaters and I had gone to the movies with my mom and dad, it was packed and we had sat down as the lights went out and the previews started to play, the minute I heard my voice I was stunned. My mom immediately turned to me and out loud she said Larry is that you!!! She started to get excited and just kept saying that’s you!!! Everyone turned around to look at who she was talking to. Looking back it was a bit embarrassing but super cool because I had a commercial play before a movie!
I started to work on the other side of the camera I’m 2007. We shot a horror film called “Recycled Parts”. I co-directed and was in it. I did 80% of the editing and the sound design for the film. That was great because when you shoot a horror film you can and should do creative things to bring the creepy images on the screen. Doing a sound design on a horror film is the most amazing experience ever. And can be pretty gross!
Then as producer, actor, and editor we shot “Adjusting Honor” a film about PTSD and coming home from war.
I found that as an actor you really have to wait to be cast in film and commercials. But once you start working behind the camera you have a real opportunity to guide your own creative career. You don’t have to wait for filmmakers to give you an opportunity to be creative, you now have that option to do and create what you want, when you want.
In addition to producing, directing, graphics, and editing I do a podcast with my good friend and fellow filmmaker, Erick Kaslov, called Something Something Podcast – A Creative Podcast we interview creatives from film, music, and books. We love to give creatives a way to promote who they are and what they are doing. Because of our podcast, we have started a production company producing podcasts and films. We actually just completed a horror film called “Hillsborough Road” which we shot in about Georgetown and Salado and was written and directed by Erick Kaslov.
I didn’t realize it then, but everything that was going on creatively in my life has led to and given me a vast amount of experience, knowledge, and passion that I take to bring to every project I am working on. I can say that my passion is being creative. With that brings a certain responsibility that I feel that when I decide to work on a project I can bring it to fruition and see that it gets done.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the frustrating things being an actor is you are caught between waiting for filmmakers to cast you and then once you do get cast, hoping those projects get made. I’m not sure actors know what goes on behind the scenes of making films, creative stuff in general. To bring together a group of people, even a few people, to work on a film takes a lot of dedicated individuals and sometimes those things don’t work out for whatever reason. You don’t have control over your acting career.
But you really are able to take on those issues when you work on the other side of the camera. As the director/producer/editor I am able to say yes to projects that I know I can work on and complete with very little crew.
We talk a lot about things like this on our podcast, and the difficulties every creative faces when they are creating their projects. Every creative lives 2 lives, their regular work life and then their creative life creating what they are passionate about. Whether it’s a book, song/album, or film we all have gone through and overcame things in our lives to do what we love to do.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I think the thing I am most proud of is being able to work on a wide spectrum of projects and people from all forms of business.
Sometimes people with businesses don’t know what they want or if they do know they aren’t sure how to start. That’s what I really like, working through the history of their company and finding those stories putting them in the form of commercial, brand promos, or short-form documentaries that will resonate with the public.
Add that social media stuff and public relations things and that is what I love to do. It’s challenging but it’s also rewarding to see what is created and to have everyone you work with love the final project.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I am a people person. I think being in business you need to have certain skills to be able to handle everything that comes your way. That includes working with different people, issues that arise, and how to handle those things.
Being in the creative field it is extremely important to be able to see things from all sides. From the business side and what that looks like from the audience’s perspective.
Communication is the key too. You have to be able to communicate effectively. Everyone sees their business a certain way, I feel it is one of my responsibilities to also bring a new perspective and fresh eyes when I work on projects.
Sometimes people want that. other times they don’t. You have to know how to handle every situation and personality.
Contact Info:
- Website: larryrsands.com
- Instagram: @larrysands2
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/larrysands2
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/larrysands3
- Other: Something Something Podcast – Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/3nL4vJ1yyvlFxLogo8h1jw
Image Credits
Mitzi Sands Podcast Graphic and Larry Sands
