Life & Work with Sonny Mauricio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonny Mauricio.

Hi Sonny, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a small town in Alaska called Juneau which surprisingly is the capital even though there are no roads out and the population is only 30,000 people. I remember always being intrigued by technology and had a curiosity growing up, even at a young age, at the possibilities it had. I remember at 5 years old (2003-2004) helping my mom with the computer and installing games. I’ve always had an urge to do more with the technology that surrounded me.

I was maybe 9 when YouTube first came out and I was all over it. Anyway, this curiosity is what ultimately brought on this mentality that I didn’t need to wait to grow up to teach myself the things I wanted to learn. In middle school I started really diving into content creation and teaching myself how to use Adobe programs like Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, and even 3D programs like Cinema 4D and Blender. No one introduced these programs to me I just took it upon myself at 12 to spend thousands of hours alone watching YouTube tutorials on these different programs.

Not many people knew what I was spending my time on. I don’t even think my parents knew what I was doing exactly at the start but whenever anything intrigues me I have to follow that feeling. On the outside, I was a kid who loved the outdoors, hanging out with friends, and was (still is) really into skateboarding, scootering, and snowboarding but nobody knew what I was doing/working on the inside. It wasn’t until my freshmen year of high school that teachers, friends, and family started noticing what I had been working towards. Up until this point, I only was really using these Adobe programs for fun but then I had a project for one of my science classes where we needed to make a collage that describes us.

I didn’t ask if I could do it digitally I just decided to do it anyway. So I used what I had taught myself and made a Photoshop edit of all the things that describe who I am and what I love. After I submitted it the teacher took me aside a couple of days later and asked “When did you learn how to do this?” I said I taught myself throughout middle school. She then said “I brought it to the Yearbook teacher and she wants you in her class. Usually, we don’t allow Freshmen or Sophomores in the Yearbook class but she said she needs someone who knows Photoshop.” I knew this was one of those offers that I couldn’t turn down so I decided to go for it. This was surprising at the time because I was a shy freshman with lots of social anxiety but this opportunity led me to where I am today. I would skip classes to go work on the Yearbook.

I would go home after school and spend hours more working on the Yearbook or photoshopping images or coming up with new ideas that we could do for the school. Sophomore year, I became head designer and got inspired by my counselor to do a school-wide Lip Dub. If you don’t know what a Lip Dub is it’s basically one big mashup of songs that you lip sync to and create a music video out of. Also, the idea is that it’s supposed to be one single shot throughout the whole school with everyone involved. That includes teachers and students. I took this idea with another classmate in Yearbook and brought it to the weekly conference the teachers had.

We stood in front of all the teachers that were there and presented our idea with a Google Slides presentation. We explained what it was and how we could do it and we ultimately got the green light. This was huge for me at the time and was really where I started learning leadership skills and was a new challenge for me to overcome. How was I, a sophomore supposed to plan out and organize an entire school for one video that’s one shot with no mess-ups. It’s not like we had all day.

We had 30 minutes if even that to get the video done. I spent hours during and after school planning this video. I designed maps of the school with color codes, figured out how many “singers” we would need, sent out sign up slips to every class, organized a rehearsal with just the singers so we could practice the timing of the music, the speed I needed to walk at and where everyone would need to stand to be ready for their part in the video. I posted the mashup of songs onto Soundcloud so everyone could listen and remember their lyrics and then chose a day. We sent out maps to each class and each class had an assigned area to be in and then when the camera passed to the next hall that class would then meet up in the Gymnasium where we would end the video at.

Oh, I also had to walk back the entire time (about 12 minutes). This was all while I had my other classes, grades, the Yearbook itself, and the end of the year slideshow to think about. This taught me that I really could do anything if I set my mind to it. We made two lip dubs one my Sophomore year and one my Junior year both accumulating to around 40,000 views, making it on the news, and also bringing in funds for the school for things like Art and Sports which at the time was being cut significantly. My Junior and Senior year were probably the highlights for me as I started getting recognized more throughout the state for my work. I was the Editor in Chief now for Yearbook and won “AAEC Champion of the Arts” for the State in 2016, “All-State Art Competition Winner for Graphic Design” in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Then in 2017, as I was graduating I flew to Anchorage, Alaska for a conference which I had been invited to by my Yearbook teacher. At this conference, I was surprised when I found out I was being awarded the “ASTE 2017 Student of the Year Award for Technology” in recognition of all I had done throughout my years at TMHS. My time at TMHS also brought me “Student of the Year for Yearbook” and our Yearbooks took 1st place two years in a row through the “American Scholastic Association” where I also received an award for “Outstanding Yearbook Cover” for my 2015 – 2016 cover design. Senior year I picked up a camera and started diving deep into the Photography and Videography world.

Technically I started my first business in 2015 called “Mauricio Designs” but really started taking it seriously in 2016 – 2017 with “Northern State Media” I started taking my classmate’s senior photos charging $60 per session and learning how to take the camera to the next level with editing and lighting and what makes a great portrait shot. I would do small gigs for small businesses, shoot music videos, design cover art, you name it. If it was a digital creation I was all over it.

I wasn’t 100% sure where I was heading with the business but I had a general idea of what I wanted it to look like. This was also while I was still finding my style and consistency. I went on to college in Idaho for a year studying Graphic Design where I learned a lot but also had a hard time because this was the first time someone was teaching me hands-on rather than me learning through trial and error or following along with a YouTube video.

I ended up transferring to online classes where I would finish my certificates in Graphic Design and Adobe. Since high school, the biggest challenge I’ve had to face has been finding my own path and where I want to go with this. I don’t fit in just photography or video or graphic design I love all of it and I need to do all of it. I’ve worked with lots of people on different projects like Music Videos, Weddings, Portraits, Cover Art, Advertising, Products, and more. I have accumulated over 53,000,000 views on my photos and 240,000 downloads and am still hungry to create.

The numbers are great sense of knowing I’m doing something right but it really comes down to quality for me. I want to keep delivering quality creative services for businesses and people who need them. I love collaborating with other creatives to work on projects and tell stories and at the end of the day, I just want to inspire others to chase after whatever it is that intrigues them. Whatever it is that you’re curious about or want to learn more of just take the leap and do it because no one waiting for you but you.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
If it was a smooth road it wouldn’t be as memorable. Some struggles I can think of off the top would be relationships with friends, family, and significant others, the money, of course, the mental will to keep going, and time. When you’re going through hard times with family, friends, or other relationships it can easily affect the dream you’re chasing. Money is hard because you need it to get to a place where you can live off of your passion.

You also need experience but money is a big one that a lot of people look at and decide to not go for that business or that dream of theirs because it’s too much of a risk for them. Thankfully, I’ve had a big support system from my Mom and she’s allowed me to get out of situations that may have thumped my progress. Whether that be helping me with bills fixing my car when I need it or new gear. Without that, I wouldn’t have easily gotten to where I’m at now. I have also put a lot of my own money into this dream and it is an expensive one but one well worth it for me.

The mental will to keep going is also a big thing because if you’re someone who gets turned away easily from not landing a gig or a job or not getting as many views as you would like it’s not as easy to keep going. I think that truly shows whether you are passionate about what you are doing or not. Then there is time. When you’re in school or working full time you lose out on opportunities that you may have gotten if you had the time off. It takes a lot of time to edit, shoot, plan, keep up with your website and social media, keep learning, and get better at what you do.

So the less time you have the harder it is to progress faster. That’s when you have to make sacrifices. Miss out on things. Pull all-nighters. Call in sick. Don’t party or hang out all the time. You have to spend all your free time working on the thing you actually want to do. I remember the only thing I would think about while working or being at school would be the next project or idea I had stirring up. It was and still is always on my mind.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Videographer, Photographer, and Graphic Designer. I also make music on the side more so as a hobby but have really fallen in love with the process of making music. Overall, I’d say, I’m a creative who has ideas and loves the different ways I can tell stories. I’m known for my creative thinking and the new ideas I can bring to the table. I’m not afraid to give an idea to a project.

I’m also known for my ability to make people feel calm naturally which I think is funny but I get told it on almost every shoot at least when I’m shooting with new people/clients they tend to tell me they feel very comfortable. I would also say I’m known for my creative eye and ability to think outside the box. I am most proud of how far I’ve come and how hungry I still am to keep creating and chasing my passion. My drive never slows down it always seems to get faster. What sets me apart from others is I am a creative entrepreneur. One day I might write a book or direct a movie or get into painting.

Whatever Ideas I have I know I can tackle them with great success if it’s what I really want. I’ve only been making music for a little over a year and within a year I’ve been able to create a sound for myself and other artists that is radio-ready. I mean I’ve had two of my songs played on the radio already and will have more in the future.

What were you like growing up?
I am naturally a very goofy energetic person and I was the same way as a kid. I could make anyone laugh and was very optimistic and still am. I have a shy side to me but overall I think people are able to see past that. I was always going, go, go ready for the next adventure just how I am now.

No matter what was going on in my life I didn’t want other people to worry about whether or not I was okay so I learned to deal with things my own way. Through creativity and adventure. I care about people and want the best for everyone around me.

Contact Info:

• Email: northernstatemedia@gmail.com
• Website: https://sonnymauricio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northernstatemedia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northernstatemedia/

Image Credits
Sonny Mauricio of Northern State Media