October 20, 2025 • 38 mins
Part 2 of 2 - In this episode of “Inside the Oval,” Sarina Soriano and Aaron Sarmiento shared the inspiration behind the 49ers Latino Heritage Month campaign, offered a look inside the team’s global marketing efforts, and reflected on how culture connects fans around the world.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to Part two of Inside the Yoval with
Aaron and Serena. In this episode, we are following up
on our conversation on Latino Heritage Month and being producers
at Studio forty nine. Here's the episode right now.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
So, Yeah, you guys recognize some of the awards that
you've been able to win and some of the achievements
that you've had throughout this past off season. Any notes there,
any high level really something you're proud of from those,
you know, Emmy Award winning pieces.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Yeah, what moments really stand out? Like after looking at
all of your accomplishments, which one are you like, I'm
just so proud of this one.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
You know, I'm proud of all of them. To be honest,
I know that's not a cool answer, but I really am.
Because it's such a hard, long process just from budgeting
to planning, to creating the team, to executing and then
finally the editing and the social aspect of it as well.
But I'm really proud that I've been able to We've
(00:59):
been able to include people from our community, people from
San Jose, San Francisco, Gilroy, Watsonville, who are just die
hard forty nine er fans and maybe would have never
have had the spotlight shine on them if it wasn't
for people like us and what the same school forty
nine ers in general are trying to do. So for me,
my most the proudest thing about our campaigns is how
(01:20):
I'm able to put all these people from the community
together and make something really special that matters to all
of us.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Yeah, and that lighted as well. Like for me, I
think it was our first I mean that we went
it was a campaign. I think it was our either
our Latino heritage motor play. I don't know that was okay,
so a second year then, But so when we were
(01:48):
planning to do this video, I asked Serena, like, is
there any way I could bring like some hundurant artists
into this? And I, like I said, I never thought
that I would be bringing people from my country to
just make a song or just be in some way
represented in this video. And so we did not end
(02:11):
up winning that at me, but I will always remember
because Serena edited that video and she took home one.
But they played that clip and it was their song.
And these are people that I personally know and just
to see, like, you know, hear that and see that
in a crowd of people, it was like super special.
(02:34):
And not only then, but also they played it in
the big boards of our stadium. And so having like
so many people hear you know, the voices that of
people I know is like very very special And I'll
always remember that.
Speaker 5 (02:47):
That is so sweet.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
And I feel like we always talk about the passion
that we want to tap into with our jobs that
always impacts the faithful our fan base, and right now
we are celebrating Latino Heritage Month, and so all of
the content that we've put out throughout the entire month
so far has really tapped into that passion that we
(03:09):
all harness in our jobs. I want to know what
came behind the campaign this year for Latino Heritage Month.
How did you come up with the vision and the
creatives to start putting together such intentional projects this month.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Yeah, so, I think Serena had mentioned it, But his
Susa is such a big part of our group. He
is the voice in Spanish of the forty nine ers.
He is somebody that if you just sit down and
talk to him for like five minutes, he will He's
a walking encyclopedia of the forty nine ers. Seriously, he
(03:48):
literally embodies a faithful and I think that this year
we had done a piece on him and kind of
on his background and a but there was a very
specific story that caught my attention, and it was the
way that he like came into the forty nine ers.
(04:11):
His dad was working here in the United States, and
back then it was a lot easier for immigrants to
come in and come out of the country. And so
Hissus is from this little little town where they barely
even have internet, like it was, you know, and his
(04:32):
dad came back with a Niners little jacket and there's
this one photo of hissoos, like tiny hissoes wearing this jacket.
And in in his documentary that Serena did on him,
like he talks about how that jack like he fell
in love with that jacket and even if it was
(04:52):
really hot, he would not take it off. And it
was just so crazy to me to like know, like
just think about that where this piece of clothing meant
so much. And as he grew he started to you know,
research about it. It's the sport's not there, you know,
(05:14):
So for him to come full circle and to end
up being here was like something special that we really
wanted to harness because it like again, it goes to
show that, you know, sports have just there's no boundaries
in that and like you don't have to be here
or come from the United States or understand even English
(05:37):
for you to fall in love with a team with
and create that fandom. And so that was kind of
like the start of the story that we really wanted
to tell.
Speaker 5 (05:47):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
And with that, and you kind of mentioned a little bit,
but just the fact that almost regardless if you're Latin
or not, but there's so many people that can resonate
with their grandpa or their dad, maybe it's their mom
grandma that gave them an article of clothing from their
favorite football team, sports team and then just rocking it
as a kid and being like this, okay, I'm part
(06:10):
of that too. So it's been really beautiful so far
to see just the outpouring of love that our communities,
that our fans have felt from this piece that we've done,
and almost everyone is like that's like that's I see
my Walito there, I see my papa there, and it's
like that's exactly what we were trying to showcase that
being a forty nine er fan goes beyond all borders
(06:32):
honestly and just rocking that red and Gold is something
that's timeless.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Yeah, That's what I love most about a lot of
the content that comes out during the Heritage months is
that you feel so seen and you feel so hurt
when you watch it, and like you said, Srina, it's like, wow,
that's exactly what I experienced growing up, and the Niners
captured that so gracefully and so beautifully, and it just
makes your heart so warm. Now walk us through for
(06:57):
those who maybe haven't seen it yet because it's all
over our social pages right now, But give us a
little breakdown about the storyboarding and what went into the
storytelling of this month's piece.
Speaker 6 (07:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
So each year we like try to challenge each other
of like, Okay, what are we going to do this year?
Speaker 6 (07:14):
The year before we.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Try, like marchining to think about this because we just
know it's a beast.
Speaker 6 (07:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
It takes a lot of planning. And the year before
we had done some stuff with Charros, we were out
in Napa in a whole ranch, and this year we
really wanted to do a short film. We really wanted
to tell a story in a more like a little
bit slower, like something not hype, but like something that
(07:40):
you could really relate to. And it took a lot,
a lot of planning from the beginning conversations of hey,
what should we do, Like where do we want to
go with this? It starts there and then it goes
into storyboarding and just kind of having a theme and
like something visual that we could are putting together. And
(08:01):
so main Serena would build these mood boards and we
would start there, and you know, there would be elements
where she would bring in and like this is kind
of what I'm imagining, and then I would bring some
elements and it would start there. After that we start
to build a pitch deck. Because all of these productions
(08:23):
require a budget, require a lot of little logistical things
that it's sometimes hard for other people to understand and know,
Like you have to think about the smallest details, and
especially this time that we wanted to do a short film,
it required a lot more. They're like a different type
of crew and just all.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
The that we were going for in general in general,
like I wanted the camera and the lenses to look.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
A certain way across.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Can I fit it in the budget, you know, and
then it's also like how far can we stretch the
budget as well? Also like besides just the main hero piece,
but like what if I want to do a secondary
set with our.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
Players blah blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
So it really takes a lot of time and energy
to come up with not only the concept but also
how much is this going to actually cost us.
Speaker 6 (09:12):
It comes down to a science.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Yeah, it's it's very technical the planning of things, and
I think that one of the main main things that
helped us this year was bringing in Rocky. She was
our ad which the assistant director essentially takes care of
a lot of the logistics that this means, like getting invoices,
(09:34):
getting in contact with legal because you're going to bring
camera equipment from other places, and insurances and also like
rental houses, you got to do schedule for your crew,
you got to give them a lunch, you got to so.
Speaker 5 (09:47):
For talent, food budget.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Yeah, so there's so much that goes just into that.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
But we did it by ourselves for the past couple
of years. So it's just like having an assistant director
is absolutely key, and with someone who we literally could
not have done this without her.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
Yeah, and because of that, it allowed us to focus
more on the blocking of a scene.
Speaker 5 (10:10):
How are we.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Gonna accomplish X, Y and Z, And it just allowed
us to have more time on the creative side than
you know, doing all of the logistics. So we spent
what like more than ten hours one day just in
one little office trying to get every single thing down
(10:32):
before the shoot because our yeah, our our timeline got
cut very short and we just had to shoot and
we had to do it.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
The budget was approved.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Training camp started the next week, so it was like,
this is our only free weekend. So we literally did
all of that in four days. Five days. Yeah, that's
three days of preparing, three days of fighting talent musicians,
putting together the actual the camera team itself, and trying
to see, like, even from our own team, who would
(11:06):
be great where and how could they even explode the
content in their own unique ways?
Speaker 5 (11:11):
So yeah, four or five days I took.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Another big part of it too, was that we when
we started to think about this, we we were talking
about sinners, like it's like what if we do Yeah,
she was like, what if we do a scene like
that of music and different genres and this and that
and so we ended up having to go to a
(11:36):
composer that could do this one themed song in multiple genres,
and so like that's also huge enough, like a whole
other part of us having to you know, sit down
and like explain this. He had to write all the music,
and then Serena went and found a band that was
(11:57):
able to do three genres.
Speaker 6 (11:59):
And how you just find a bit.
Speaker 5 (12:02):
Instagram.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
We're in the Bay Area, so I was like, I
gotta find somebody someone.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
So it took a lot, like and then again just
doing logistics with them of like some of these genres
don't have the same instruments and so for them to
just kind of tweak everything, and yeah, like it took
a lot.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
I also wanted to challenge myself too, Like as a Mexican,
I know that I do tend to go towards Mexican
culture a lot, especially in our campaigns, so I really
wanted to highlight a band that wasn't that Obviously. I
appreciate all the moneyacchi bands out there, but Sonora Sanose
is a Cumbia band specifically, and there's nine of them,
(12:47):
and we were also able to work with our game
day team and even have them like as our halftime performance.
So our CMO also challenged us to make sure that
we were touching a lot of different aspects of marketing
and company in general. So I was, it takes so much,
but so far it's been. It's been really great.
Speaker 6 (13:05):
I love to hear it.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Now, let's dive a little bit into the story because
in those four or five days that you crammed all
of the planning and shooting and everything that went into it,
you guys were also all over like California, it seems
like all over the Bay. I mean we were in
downtown Santa's A for a bit, and we were like
in the fields for a bit. Tell me like where
you guys were while you guys were shooting the video
(13:28):
and a bit of.
Speaker 6 (13:28):
What the storyline looks like.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Oh man, Yeah, So we started at I think it
was like seven am in Watsonville.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
There is.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Shut Yeah, we worked with her in the past and
she owns a lot of these strawberry fields and well
they grow multiple.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
Crops videos and I literally was like, I have this vision.
Can we come to the Watsonville at seven am in
the morning on a Friday.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
I know it's really short.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Noted like I said, it really takes a village, And
I think really cool about Latino culture is we're always
trying to find a way to advance each other and
help each other out and make it work exactly. So
Bath was like, yeah, girl, come on down to Watsonville.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
So it was us rolling with this huge production van
and like a caravan of other cars.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
Seven am.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
Watsonville started shooting and that whole scene took about like
four hours. The other main thing too, is like you
have people there and you have to be prepared. You know,
every single person there is sitting there waiting for you
to give them a direction, a command, because every single
(14:38):
person has a specific job. So it's it was our
job to like lay down the vision of what we wanted,
talk to our actor, go through the blocking, and then
the gaffers and the DP and the AC all of
them start taking over. But they're all waiting for you
to be like, hey, we're doing A B and C.
And so that was took a couple of hours. Then
(15:01):
we drove back to Gilroy. I don't know if you
want to talk about that.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
Yeah, that goes Ato once again, another person that lives
close to my family and actually my mom hired them
to do my dad's birthday recently, and I was like,
you know, I hear your big Sansco forty and his fans.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
Would we be.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Able to film our short film here like an hour
of your time? And once again another person that was
like absolutely please come, like your house is in my house.
And because of him, and that was at Atto in Gilroy,
we were able to get that scene done where we
have our actor go see now though in the you know,
in the kitchen, and just we were trying to showcase
(15:44):
throughout the film how our immigrant fan was constantly working
for you know, for his family obviously, but also for
this jacket that had caught his eye in the store window.
So shout out that was at Aletto for allowing us
to invade for a couple hours. And they still serve
food too, so we were very like, absolutely, we will
stop whenever there's a customer that's coming in, which.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
Honestly, I will say it's a great thing about latinos
because it's not that easy to go to a restaurant
and be like, hey, can we disturb you.
Speaker 6 (16:13):
Guys, like can we beat have a camera in the back.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
Yes, we had huge shiny boards, like lighting a whole place,
you have a whole crew, you have a big camera,
you have customers there. They're not going to close down
for you because they have to keep working. So honestly, again,
like Latinos were just like, hey, can you can I
borrow this or can I be there? And he was
absolutely like, yeah, you guys can come in.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
And we purchased our food from there too, just to
and then also just highlighted the name of his story throughout,
so you know, we all tried to help each other.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Yeah, the spirit of each city in each location, you
were out shined in the piece, which is really cool
and it comes back to you guys being the producers
of it, so that's really cool. And then we found
our way back in San Jose for sort of that
Sinners scene with the music and the Dan scene going,
how did that come together?
Speaker 4 (17:02):
So huge shout out to the Mexican Heritage Plaza. They
are amazing people. They are always They're literally this place
that is pushing not just Mexican art, but like it's
found in east side San Jose, which is literally just
(17:23):
a huge pocket of different cultures and so the Mexican
Heritage Plaza is this place where everybody can come in
and like showcase their art that whether that's through dance, theater, video,
and I have a very good connection with them because
I had been working for them throughout the years in
(17:43):
video production and so really huge part was Fidel He
he's the director of production there and he, like I
pitched them the idea, Hey, can we film this piece
in your thea and he was like, absolutely, let's do it.
And they were very kind enough to also just give
(18:06):
us the space because this theater is very expensive and
obviously we were running on a tight budget. But again
that whole like family, Latino, let me help you. And yeah,
that's how we ended up in east side San Jose.
And then we had a huge group of fans come
in and be part of this big scene, which also
(18:28):
Rocky put together of bringing and emailing all these people
to show up.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
And I also reached out to Hovey, who's also a
part of our influencer team, just even reaching out to
our lead ERG like, hey, who wants to be a
part of this. So we really try to hit everyone
in our community and everyone that works with the Niners
who feels compelled, you know, to support or be a
part of our Latino content. So shout out to everyone
who danced the day away as we kept saying, cut, okay,
(18:55):
let's roll it back. But people were still smiling at
the end of that, so I'd like to think that
it was all good.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
I had the pleasure of being on set that day,
and I love the Mexican Heritage closet. It's so fun
to be I go like every summer, so I was
watching it all go down. It did not feel like
we were working that day, but it was just a
straight party. Everyone was saying like having a good time.
Speaker 6 (19:14):
The vibes were so high.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
So not only do you guys just do an awesome
job making everything come together so professionally, but the vibes
are always high, like hanging out with the studios team
is always fun.
Speaker 6 (19:25):
I'm not.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Yeah, I think. And what's great is you guys keep
giving kudos to all these amazing people in your community,
the people that really helped you out building this story.
I'm just curious how you personally feel about how it
all came together, how this affected you, and how meaningful
this project was to put together with the forty nine
ers brand.
Speaker 5 (19:49):
That's a great question.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
I think personally, I feel proud, not just from like
a logistical point of view of like we were able
to get our vision done and all of this and that,
and we were able to pull it off, Like I
am proud of those things, but more of we were
able to showcase a story that matters, and then just
(20:12):
to see the result of so many other people relating
and it didn't matter whether like again, you're a Latino
or not, but that connection of like, hey, this legacy
was passed down, And honestly, I think that that's what
I'm really proud of that we were able to just
connect everybody in this one little moment through something that
(20:35):
is super relatable no matter where you come from.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
I did know exactly what Aaron says. At the end
of the day, We're all huge lovers and fans of
the San Francisco forty nine ers. So to be able
to just highlight the people that are constantly, you know,
spending their days and their money just and pouring their
love into this team, to me, that means always the
most in any campaign is to highlight them. And like you,
(21:01):
I'm so glad you said this, But another main objective
for me is always to make sure that my community
feels seen and to do what I can in my
position to elevate that and shine that spotlight. So I
hope that fans today feel that same way about our
campaign this year.
Speaker 6 (21:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
No, you know another thing I loved when they were
talking about just the story and all the details that
goes into making such an amazing piece come to life
is that, like, I have family in this city and they.
Speaker 6 (21:28):
Helped me out. I went out on a limit, asked
this person and.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Shout out to my parents, so they let us film
in their house. They literally had to leave the house
and on on Saturday, Saturday, no Friday, that was Friday,
so technically they were working and they came home and
my mom was like, you said a couple people.
Speaker 5 (21:45):
Were going to be in the home, like you said
some of your video squad. I was like, mother, I'm
making movies.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
You know how trust the Yeah, trust the vision.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
And she was like, you're right. So I was sending
photos and videos to them at work. They were like,
oh my gosh, I can't beieve.
Speaker 6 (21:59):
It was in the whole movie.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
But anyways, yes, I'm blessed to add like have my
family be a part of these special moments it's.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
So cool, and it's it's a constant shout out of
a person being able to cross the finish line somewhere.
Speaker 6 (22:12):
And I think the word or like the phrase that was.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Coming to my head throughout the whole time was the
niners say it to I got your back, I gyb
and so as we, you.
Speaker 6 (22:22):
Know, harness that energy.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
I want to know what advice you guys would give
to young creatives, maybe young Latino creatives who saw this
piece and are wanting to aspire to make content like that.
What advice would you give them, or just really anyone
who's trying to, you know, pick up that camera and
do same work as you guys do.
Speaker 4 (22:45):
I think that for me is I strongly believe in, like,
you know, you need to be ready for that one
moment if you're always searching for, you know, that one
opportunity it might come. And sometimes we get caught on
the loop of like, oh, but I need a work
experience or I need to do this if I can't
have the job, if I don't have the experience, But
(23:06):
how do I get the experience without the job. And
I think that at least in our industry and the
stuff that we do you need to create opportunities for yourself.
You need to create experience for yourself. And that goes
along into like perfecting your craft. If you perfect your craft,
if you really are making those opportunities for yourself, if
(23:27):
you really are you know, putting a lot of work,
when that moment comes, you will be ready because sometimes
you know, like you might get that one chance and
like you weren't there because maybe you weren't like at
the level that you should have been, and you might
sit there and say, yeah, but it's because I haven't
gotten the chance to get those opportunities and this and
(23:47):
this and that to get experience. But I truly believe
that with what we can do, you can find somebody
and tell their story and put that into practice, and
then you're building yourself experience so that when that one
moment comes that somebody just decided to give you one chance,
you know you're ready. You know that, like you're gonna
grab and you're gonna run with it. And so I
(24:09):
would just encourage people that really want to do it
to go do it, like and not just you know,
wait for somebody to give you that chance, but give
it to yourself, because like nobody else, Like it's it's
very rare for people to like want to just put
an eye on you and be like yeah, like we'll
bring them without experience or like not knowing what they're doing.
(24:31):
So so yeah, just creating that moment for yourself and
really like putting yourself out there because that is what
is going to give you that one chance.
Speaker 6 (24:40):
Yeah, Aaron, that's a big mindset shift too.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
It's like rather than focusing on we don't have it,
we don't have the job, we don't have the experience, Like.
Speaker 6 (24:46):
What do we have?
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Yeah, we gotta get rid and we got a day
ahead of us, Like, let's go do it.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
I've always said, you know, the best camera is the
one that's in your hand, you know, just even if
it's just an iPhone, a go pro. Similar to what
Aaron is saying, go out and film something that is
inspiring to that motivates you. Whether it's high school football,
maybe it's the barbershop down the street, or maybe it's
just your family. To me, now that I'm in this
position that I am, it doesn't matter where you're from,
(25:13):
but I've always will look at your work ethic. I'll
always look at how you present yourself, and when you
do that also in an authentic way. I think people
can tell that when you create art, for let's say Clout,
it's never going to perform the way you want to perform.
But when you're creating because it's your passion, because it's
your art, you have pride for yourself or your family
(25:34):
and where you've come from, I think people are always
going to connect more with that message. So I would
just say, be one hundred percent authentic to you as well.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Yeah, And I think that's both amazing messages, great pieces
of advice for anybody trying to enter this entire creative space.
It's something I've always listened to that you really just
have to break your way in sometimes like you have
to be the one to break down your door. So
I really appreciate those those messages. I think both of you,
(26:05):
now that you're at this point in your careers, at
this stage in the NFL, you've been able to grow
your networks and be able to share these messages with
many others throughout the creative community at large. Just curious
on how you've gone about making those connections deeper, making
that networking opportunity real within your community or just within
(26:27):
the creative space at large.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
But go ahead as a ready Yeah.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
I think like network is like again super super important.
It takes a village for you know, production and and
all of these things. But I think that the most
important part of that is just genuine human connection. I
think that that's what has opened us the door to
be able to pull off a lot of things that
we have created. I don't think it's a it's a
(26:58):
bad thing to, you know, want to network with somebody
because they have something that you might need or what
you might want. But having the approach of a human
being and actually wanting a genuine connection with that person
will go so much further than you just being focused
on getting what you want from them, because at the
end of the day, like you might not know, that's
(27:19):
the person that will give you a chance. And so
really making those friendships, making those real human connections is
what has helped a lot. And I think that me personally.
For this Latino Heritage Month video, I was able to
bring this kid named Hyme, and it's so crazy because
(27:43):
he has been somebody that I've been trying to mentor
to put in spaces where he has opportunities, and I
have seen his hard work and everything that he's put
into His photos were part of our bts and we're
feature in all of our Latino Heritage Month's pieces. And
(28:03):
so the one thing that I'll always remember from him
is that the way he approached things was very much
just of like wanting to know who I was because
he felt like he saw himself in me, or like
he could do something. He was not asking for anything else,
(28:24):
but just like, you know, can you tell me more
about you? Like how do I do something like that?
And so so again I think like, yeah, creating those
genuine connections will go like a very long way. And
then like for me, like I see him as you know, hey,
what can I help you with now? Because I know
that you're somebody that is trying to do what I
(28:46):
am trying to do as well.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
So yeah, no, one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
I feel like in anything that we try to do
LA you know, Heritage Month centered around obviously we try
to bring in people that maybe have never had the
opportunity to be a part of an NFL team, but
even just throughout the year, and what I try to
do as well is bring in specific women that maybe
have never even touched an NFL football field. So for me,
(29:12):
when I said that representation matters, this is how I'm
doing my part into making sure that people see more
women on a football field that look like me and
maybe one of their family or friends or someone down
the line see this on TV and is like, you
know what, I think I want to be at sav
scop for you on a videographer or is it creative
in general? So I think that's really cool that both
(29:33):
of us share that same spirit in regards to helping
creatives that really just maybe need a chance, but who
are super talented and need that opportunity to grow.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Yeah, we've talked a lot about your guys' journeys up
to this point. In everything it takes to do your guys' jobs,
I want to know who Aaron and Serena are when
maybe a camera isn't in your hand or you're not
on the NFL sideline. Tell me about who you are
outside out of this job and what some of your
passions are you know that that aren't film, which is
(30:05):
the biggest one.
Speaker 6 (30:06):
I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
This is a hard question for I can understand knowing
that when you're working in the NFL, it's seven days
a week twenty four to seven.
Speaker 6 (30:17):
You're constantly doing it.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
But what are some things that you know make your
eyes shimmer a little bit more that maybe isn't football,
just to get to know you guys a little bit
more off the fields.
Speaker 3 (30:28):
This honestly isn't even like about the NFL too, though.
You're talking to like very just creatives in general, where
we kind of just see the world in regards to
like our heart and our aspect.
Speaker 5 (30:39):
So like for me, there's always a camera.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
Yes, yes, but I genuinely also love films. I love
going to the movies. I love to read, I love
the arts that way. But when I do have that time,
I really try my hardest, though, to spend it with
my loved ones and my family because that's how much
they mean to me, and I know that I'm so
very blessed and lucky that they live in the Bay
(31:02):
Area as well. So if I'm alone, I'm probably working,
and if I'm not alone, I'm probably with them hanging
out to something fun.
Speaker 6 (31:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
I love cars, Yeah, so I like to go see cars.
I like to drive my car too, And honestly the
main thing of that is I get to share too.
Like sometime with my wife and both of my dogs
and just get some downtime. And like that, honestly is
(31:33):
super fulfilling for me, because if not is, yeah, I'm
working or I'm thinking about doing this, and it always
involves a camera, it always involves like some sort of
production or editing or you know. So I would say,
like that moment away from work, just you know, I
enjoy doing that a lot.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
No, you understand also like how valuable the time away
from creating pours back into Yes, I want to know,
like how valuable those off moments are for you guys.
Speaker 5 (32:06):
Yeah, honestly super important.
Speaker 7 (32:08):
Yeah, No, for me, it's you need those, like you
really really need those because you will get burnt out
and then you're not yourself and so like they are
very important to just kind of recharge, you know, and
get away so that your brain can start thinking again.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
So I definitely think that something that I need to
do to be a little bit better about is stepping
away and just being because I know, like even sometimes
I think a lot of people can relate we're just sitting.
Maybe we get one moment and then it's like, oh man,
I want to be productive. I need to be doing
this I know there's a list in the back of
my head that I need to go through. But truly, though,
(32:48):
as a creative, you need that time and that space
to just be with you and your thoughts. And that's
honestly going to help the art that you create next
to be that much more impactful because you decided to
take care of you.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Yeah, I think creative burnout is a real thing. Yeah,
And I think being very mindful about how you spend
your time during the NFL season. It's very hard. It's
a seven day a week type venture. But finding those
times on a Saturday before a Sunday game day to
do all of your activities, to spend time with your family,
to drive a car perhaps is extremely beneficial. I know,
(33:24):
I've taken up so many hobbies at this point. I
do running, I do cycling, I golf with Serena from
time to time, volleyball. So I think doing all these
things just for my own mental sake is the most
important thing for sure. But yeah, those are some great
activities you guys have taken up.
Speaker 5 (33:42):
For sure.
Speaker 3 (33:43):
I play soccer, running and so I really like physical activity,
so anything like that, and my friends are like trying
to like be better, like in that aspect of their lives.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
Let's do it.
Speaker 3 (33:54):
I did boxing last week, but whoop, it just felt
good to do something different.
Speaker 7 (33:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
I think one thing though, with creative like burnout, that
I have found that it might not be the best
thing to do, but it's somehow gotten me through. It
is like teaching myself something new within what I am like,
within what I'm creating. So for example, like if I'm
like repeating the same thing, if I have the same
(34:21):
process of things in the same formula always, that's how
I get burnt out because I just get bored of it.
But learning like something new, whether that's you know, creating
a new asset, whether that's a new technique, whether that's
a completely different way of editing. Now it has gotten
me through those burnouts and then I feel fueled to like,
you know, create something. But it does create more work.
(34:44):
But but yeah, I think that it's helped me a lot.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Yeah, I definitely understand that. Like I've tried to recommend
it to art design team here at the NINERS. Always
it's like a yes and mentality. There's always it's a
cyclical thing. The NFL is the same thing every year.
We have an off season and we have the draft,
you go back into the season with preseason and then
you're playing football again, and it's very easy to get
(35:08):
caught in that cycle. It's kind of like an improv technique.
It's like, okay, like we do this every year, and
how do we plus it up? And I think those
are great ways of thinking of avoiding that burnout for sure.
To get into our usually and typical last question here
and inside the oval, it's an age old question. We
were talking about a little bit before we went on
(35:29):
air about what this really means. But we always ask
our guests what are the other duties as assigned? It's
a typical thing on a qualifications list when you apply
to a job. What are you willing to do for
your job? Basically, sometimes it's like lift twenty five pounds
and you're like what does that mean?
Speaker 6 (35:47):
You know that's a little weird, but well, yeah, it
was like trouble fifteen percent? What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Where am I going?
Speaker 3 (35:54):
You know?
Speaker 2 (35:55):
But I think now is my opportunity to ask you guys,
what are some of the other duties? As a sign
that you did not think you'd be doing in this
job that you ended up doing and you're like, WHOA,
how did I get here?
Speaker 4 (36:08):
So for me, when I got the job, I know
for sure it wasn't on my description. But took a
sixteen hour flight to Dubai, woke up on a random
Tuesday and was in the sand dunes with sour Dough
Sam writing a sand bugie, and yeah, I was like,
(36:32):
what is my life right now?
Speaker 6 (36:34):
But it was cool.
Speaker 4 (36:35):
It was a cool experience. But yeah, I never thought
that that would have happened. And we were only in
Dubai for forty eight hours, so it was a NonStop trip.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
Crazy.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
When I initially started write, and I'm just a fellow
associate producer at the time, I would say I never
thought that I would fly to LA and DP a
music video with Swedi and Pilow and then fly right
back home. We'll playoff video campaign. That was insane. And
then I'll also say this too, taking off our mics
(37:08):
off our players pads after a game, Yeah I did
not think. Yeah, I guess I didn't realize that experience,
Like Serena, our guys work really hard.
Speaker 4 (37:21):
To wash your hands.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
Yeah, yes, you really want to know that was the
part of it.
Speaker 6 (37:28):
It's so funny. I know like it.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
It's funny when you working in football, you do have
to get your hands dirty. Like even like we were
just in the locker room after practice today and I'm
chopping it up with the equipment guys and they're in
like full gloves because you know they're dealing with player.
Speaker 6 (37:41):
Laundry, and it's like constant.
Speaker 5 (37:42):
You don't think about blood and tears.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
You don't think of these things because when you're watching
as a fan on TV, it's so shiny and glamorous.
Being on set or being on the practice field, really
being literally in the trenches, you get to feel in
and see it all, and so it's really fun because
that just goes back into your passion, your work and
knowing that you're a part of this team.
Speaker 6 (38:04):
It's all one body.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
So Serena and Erin, thank you so much for joining
Noah and I today to talk about your careers, your passions,
who you are as people, and Latino heritage a month
this year. It's been such a fun time getting to
know you guys better and getting to know your work better.
I truly appreciate sharing your time with us today.
Speaker 5 (38:22):
Thanks guys for having us, Thank you for having me.
All Right, faithful.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
Thank you so much for following Inside the Oval on
sirius XM, YouTube, and all your favorite podcast platforms. Be
sure to subscribe so you do not miss an episode,
and we'll see you next time.
Welcome back to Part two of Inside the Yoval with
Aaron and Serena. In this episode, we are following up
on our conversation on Latino Heritage Month and being producers
at Studio forty nine. Here's the episode right now.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
So, Yeah, you guys recognize some of the awards that
you've been able to win and some of the achievements
that you've had throughout this past off season. Any notes there,
any high level really something you're proud of from those,
you know, Emmy Award winning pieces.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Yeah, what moments really stand out? Like after looking at
all of your accomplishments, which one are you like, I'm
just so proud of this one.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
You know, I'm proud of all of them. To be honest,
I know that's not a cool answer, but I really am.
Because it's such a hard, long process just from budgeting
to planning, to creating the team, to executing and then
finally the editing and the social aspect of it as well.
But I'm really proud that I've been able to We've
(00:59):
been able to include people from our community, people from
San Jose, San Francisco, Gilroy, Watsonville, who are just die
hard forty nine er fans and maybe would have never
have had the spotlight shine on them if it wasn't
for people like us and what the same school forty
nine ers in general are trying to do. So for me,
my most the proudest thing about our campaigns is how
(01:20):
I'm able to put all these people from the community
together and make something really special that matters to all
of us.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Yeah, and that lighted as well. Like for me, I
think it was our first I mean that we went
it was a campaign. I think it was our either
our Latino heritage motor play. I don't know that was okay,
so a second year then, But so when we were
(01:48):
planning to do this video, I asked Serena, like, is
there any way I could bring like some hundurant artists
into this? And I, like I said, I never thought
that I would be bringing people from my country to
just make a song or just be in some way
represented in this video. And so we did not end
(02:11):
up winning that at me, but I will always remember
because Serena edited that video and she took home one.
But they played that clip and it was their song.
And these are people that I personally know and just
to see, like, you know, hear that and see that
in a crowd of people, it was like super special.
(02:34):
And not only then, but also they played it in
the big boards of our stadium. And so having like
so many people hear you know, the voices that of
people I know is like very very special And I'll
always remember that.
Speaker 5 (02:47):
That is so sweet.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
And I feel like we always talk about the passion
that we want to tap into with our jobs that
always impacts the faithful our fan base, and right now
we are celebrating Latino Heritage Month, and so all of
the content that we've put out throughout the entire month
so far has really tapped into that passion that we
(03:09):
all harness in our jobs. I want to know what
came behind the campaign this year for Latino Heritage Month.
How did you come up with the vision and the
creatives to start putting together such intentional projects this month.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Yeah, so, I think Serena had mentioned it, But his
Susa is such a big part of our group. He
is the voice in Spanish of the forty nine ers.
He is somebody that if you just sit down and
talk to him for like five minutes, he will He's
a walking encyclopedia of the forty nine ers. Seriously, he
(03:48):
literally embodies a faithful and I think that this year
we had done a piece on him and kind of
on his background and a but there was a very
specific story that caught my attention, and it was the
way that he like came into the forty nine ers.
(04:11):
His dad was working here in the United States, and
back then it was a lot easier for immigrants to
come in and come out of the country. And so
Hissus is from this little little town where they barely
even have internet, like it was, you know, and his
(04:32):
dad came back with a Niners little jacket and there's
this one photo of hissoos, like tiny hissoes wearing this jacket.
And in in his documentary that Serena did on him,
like he talks about how that jack like he fell
in love with that jacket and even if it was
(04:52):
really hot, he would not take it off. And it
was just so crazy to me to like know, like
just think about that where this piece of clothing meant
so much. And as he grew he started to you know,
research about it. It's the sport's not there, you know,
(05:14):
So for him to come full circle and to end
up being here was like something special that we really
wanted to harness because it like again, it goes to
show that, you know, sports have just there's no boundaries
in that and like you don't have to be here
or come from the United States or understand even English
(05:37):
for you to fall in love with a team with
and create that fandom. And so that was kind of
like the start of the story that we really wanted
to tell.
Speaker 5 (05:47):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
And with that, and you kind of mentioned a little bit,
but just the fact that almost regardless if you're Latin
or not, but there's so many people that can resonate
with their grandpa or their dad, maybe it's their mom
grandma that gave them an article of clothing from their
favorite football team, sports team and then just rocking it
as a kid and being like this, okay, I'm part
(06:10):
of that too. So it's been really beautiful so far
to see just the outpouring of love that our communities,
that our fans have felt from this piece that we've done,
and almost everyone is like that's like that's I see
my Walito there, I see my papa there, and it's
like that's exactly what we were trying to showcase that
being a forty nine er fan goes beyond all borders
(06:32):
honestly and just rocking that red and Gold is something
that's timeless.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Yeah, That's what I love most about a lot of
the content that comes out during the Heritage months is
that you feel so seen and you feel so hurt
when you watch it, and like you said, Srina, it's like, wow,
that's exactly what I experienced growing up, and the Niners
captured that so gracefully and so beautifully, and it just
makes your heart so warm. Now walk us through for
(06:57):
those who maybe haven't seen it yet because it's all
over our social pages right now, But give us a
little breakdown about the storyboarding and what went into the
storytelling of this month's piece.
Speaker 6 (07:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
So each year we like try to challenge each other
of like, Okay, what are we going to do this year?
Speaker 6 (07:14):
The year before we.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Try, like marchining to think about this because we just
know it's a beast.
Speaker 6 (07:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
It takes a lot of planning. And the year before
we had done some stuff with Charros, we were out
in Napa in a whole ranch, and this year we
really wanted to do a short film. We really wanted
to tell a story in a more like a little
bit slower, like something not hype, but like something that
(07:40):
you could really relate to. And it took a lot,
a lot of planning from the beginning conversations of hey,
what should we do, Like where do we want to
go with this? It starts there and then it goes
into storyboarding and just kind of having a theme and
like something visual that we could are putting together. And
(08:01):
so main Serena would build these mood boards and we
would start there, and you know, there would be elements
where she would bring in and like this is kind
of what I'm imagining, and then I would bring some
elements and it would start there. After that we start
to build a pitch deck. Because all of these productions
(08:23):
require a budget, require a lot of little logistical things
that it's sometimes hard for other people to understand and know,
Like you have to think about the smallest details, and
especially this time that we wanted to do a short film,
it required a lot more. They're like a different type
of crew and just all.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
The that we were going for in general in general,
like I wanted the camera and the lenses to look.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
A certain way across.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Can I fit it in the budget, you know, and
then it's also like how far can we stretch the
budget as well? Also like besides just the main hero piece,
but like what if I want to do a secondary
set with our.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
Players blah blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
So it really takes a lot of time and energy
to come up with not only the concept but also
how much is this going to actually cost us.
Speaker 6 (09:12):
It comes down to a science.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Yeah, it's it's very technical the planning of things, and
I think that one of the main main things that
helped us this year was bringing in Rocky. She was
our ad which the assistant director essentially takes care of
a lot of the logistics that this means, like getting invoices,
(09:34):
getting in contact with legal because you're going to bring
camera equipment from other places, and insurances and also like
rental houses, you got to do schedule for your crew,
you got to give them a lunch, you got to so.
Speaker 5 (09:47):
For talent, food budget.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Yeah, so there's so much that goes just into that.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
But we did it by ourselves for the past couple
of years. So it's just like having an assistant director
is absolutely key, and with someone who we literally could
not have done this without her.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
Yeah, and because of that, it allowed us to focus
more on the blocking of a scene.
Speaker 5 (10:10):
How are we.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Gonna accomplish X, Y and Z, And it just allowed
us to have more time on the creative side than
you know, doing all of the logistics. So we spent
what like more than ten hours one day just in
one little office trying to get every single thing down
(10:32):
before the shoot because our yeah, our our timeline got
cut very short and we just had to shoot and
we had to do it.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
The budget was approved.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Training camp started the next week, so it was like,
this is our only free weekend. So we literally did
all of that in four days. Five days. Yeah, that's
three days of preparing, three days of fighting talent musicians,
putting together the actual the camera team itself, and trying
to see, like, even from our own team, who would
(11:06):
be great where and how could they even explode the
content in their own unique ways?
Speaker 5 (11:11):
So yeah, four or five days I took.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Another big part of it too, was that we when
we started to think about this, we we were talking
about sinners, like it's like what if we do Yeah,
she was like, what if we do a scene like
that of music and different genres and this and that
and so we ended up having to go to a
(11:36):
composer that could do this one themed song in multiple genres,
and so like that's also huge enough, like a whole
other part of us having to you know, sit down
and like explain this. He had to write all the music,
and then Serena went and found a band that was
(11:57):
able to do three genres.
Speaker 6 (11:59):
And how you just find a bit.
Speaker 5 (12:02):
Instagram.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
We're in the Bay Area, so I was like, I
gotta find somebody someone.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
So it took a lot, like and then again just
doing logistics with them of like some of these genres
don't have the same instruments and so for them to
just kind of tweak everything, and yeah, like it took
a lot.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
I also wanted to challenge myself too, Like as a Mexican,
I know that I do tend to go towards Mexican
culture a lot, especially in our campaigns, so I really
wanted to highlight a band that wasn't that Obviously. I
appreciate all the moneyacchi bands out there, but Sonora Sanose
is a Cumbia band specifically, and there's nine of them,
(12:47):
and we were also able to work with our game
day team and even have them like as our halftime performance.
So our CMO also challenged us to make sure that
we were touching a lot of different aspects of marketing
and company in general. So I was, it takes so much,
but so far it's been. It's been really great.
Speaker 6 (13:05):
I love to hear it.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Now, let's dive a little bit into the story because
in those four or five days that you crammed all
of the planning and shooting and everything that went into it,
you guys were also all over like California, it seems
like all over the Bay. I mean we were in
downtown Santa's A for a bit, and we were like
in the fields for a bit. Tell me like where
you guys were while you guys were shooting the video
(13:28):
and a bit of.
Speaker 6 (13:28):
What the storyline looks like.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Oh man, Yeah, So we started at I think it
was like seven am in Watsonville.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
There is.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Shut Yeah, we worked with her in the past and
she owns a lot of these strawberry fields and well
they grow multiple.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
Crops videos and I literally was like, I have this vision.
Can we come to the Watsonville at seven am in
the morning on a Friday.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
I know it's really short.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Noted like I said, it really takes a village, And
I think really cool about Latino culture is we're always
trying to find a way to advance each other and
help each other out and make it work exactly. So
Bath was like, yeah, girl, come on down to Watsonville.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
So it was us rolling with this huge production van
and like a caravan of other cars.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
Seven am.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
Watsonville started shooting and that whole scene took about like
four hours. The other main thing too, is like you
have people there and you have to be prepared. You know,
every single person there is sitting there waiting for you
to give them a direction, a command, because every single
(14:38):
person has a specific job. So it's it was our
job to like lay down the vision of what we wanted,
talk to our actor, go through the blocking, and then
the gaffers and the DP and the AC all of
them start taking over. But they're all waiting for you
to be like, hey, we're doing A B and C.
And so that was took a couple of hours. Then
(15:01):
we drove back to Gilroy. I don't know if you
want to talk about that.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
Yeah, that goes Ato once again, another person that lives
close to my family and actually my mom hired them
to do my dad's birthday recently, and I was like,
you know, I hear your big Sansco forty and his fans.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
Would we be.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Able to film our short film here like an hour
of your time? And once again another person that was
like absolutely please come, like your house is in my house.
And because of him, and that was at Atto in Gilroy,
we were able to get that scene done where we
have our actor go see now though in the you know,
in the kitchen, and just we were trying to showcase
(15:44):
throughout the film how our immigrant fan was constantly working
for you know, for his family obviously, but also for
this jacket that had caught his eye in the store window.
So shout out that was at Aletto for allowing us
to invade for a couple hours. And they still serve
food too, so we were very like, absolutely, we will
stop whenever there's a customer that's coming in, which.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
Honestly, I will say it's a great thing about latinos
because it's not that easy to go to a restaurant
and be like, hey, can we disturb you.
Speaker 6 (16:13):
Guys, like can we beat have a camera in the back.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
Yes, we had huge shiny boards, like lighting a whole place,
you have a whole crew, you have a big camera,
you have customers there. They're not going to close down
for you because they have to keep working. So honestly, again,
like Latinos were just like, hey, can you can I
borrow this or can I be there? And he was
absolutely like, yeah, you guys can come in.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
And we purchased our food from there too, just to
and then also just highlighted the name of his story throughout,
so you know, we all tried to help each other.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Yeah, the spirit of each city in each location, you
were out shined in the piece, which is really cool
and it comes back to you guys being the producers
of it, so that's really cool. And then we found
our way back in San Jose for sort of that
Sinners scene with the music and the Dan scene going,
how did that come together?
Speaker 4 (17:02):
So huge shout out to the Mexican Heritage Plaza. They
are amazing people. They are always They're literally this place
that is pushing not just Mexican art, but like it's
found in east side San Jose, which is literally just
(17:23):
a huge pocket of different cultures and so the Mexican
Heritage Plaza is this place where everybody can come in
and like showcase their art that whether that's through dance, theater, video,
and I have a very good connection with them because
I had been working for them throughout the years in
(17:43):
video production and so really huge part was Fidel He
he's the director of production there and he, like I
pitched them the idea, Hey, can we film this piece
in your thea and he was like, absolutely, let's do it.
And they were very kind enough to also just give
(18:06):
us the space because this theater is very expensive and
obviously we were running on a tight budget. But again
that whole like family, Latino, let me help you. And yeah,
that's how we ended up in east side San Jose.
And then we had a huge group of fans come
in and be part of this big scene, which also
(18:28):
Rocky put together of bringing and emailing all these people
to show up.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
And I also reached out to Hovey, who's also a
part of our influencer team, just even reaching out to
our lead ERG like, hey, who wants to be a
part of this. So we really try to hit everyone
in our community and everyone that works with the Niners
who feels compelled, you know, to support or be a
part of our Latino content. So shout out to everyone
who danced the day away as we kept saying, cut, okay,
(18:55):
let's roll it back. But people were still smiling at
the end of that, so I'd like to think that
it was all good.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
I had the pleasure of being on set that day,
and I love the Mexican Heritage closet. It's so fun
to be I go like every summer, so I was
watching it all go down. It did not feel like
we were working that day, but it was just a
straight party. Everyone was saying like having a good time.
Speaker 6 (19:14):
The vibes were so high.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
So not only do you guys just do an awesome
job making everything come together so professionally, but the vibes
are always high, like hanging out with the studios team
is always fun.
Speaker 6 (19:25):
I'm not.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Yeah, I think. And what's great is you guys keep
giving kudos to all these amazing people in your community,
the people that really helped you out building this story.
I'm just curious how you personally feel about how it
all came together, how this affected you, and how meaningful
this project was to put together with the forty nine
ers brand.
Speaker 5 (19:49):
That's a great question.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
I think personally, I feel proud, not just from like
a logistical point of view of like we were able
to get our vision done and all of this and that,
and we were able to pull it off, Like I
am proud of those things, but more of we were
able to showcase a story that matters, and then just
(20:12):
to see the result of so many other people relating
and it didn't matter whether like again, you're a Latino
or not, but that connection of like, hey, this legacy
was passed down, And honestly, I think that that's what
I'm really proud of that we were able to just
connect everybody in this one little moment through something that
(20:35):
is super relatable no matter where you come from.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
I did know exactly what Aaron says. At the end
of the day, We're all huge lovers and fans of
the San Francisco forty nine ers. So to be able
to just highlight the people that are constantly, you know,
spending their days and their money just and pouring their
love into this team, to me, that means always the
most in any campaign is to highlight them. And like you,
(21:01):
I'm so glad you said this, But another main objective
for me is always to make sure that my community
feels seen and to do what I can in my
position to elevate that and shine that spotlight. So I
hope that fans today feel that same way about our
campaign this year.
Speaker 6 (21:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
No, you know another thing I loved when they were
talking about just the story and all the details that
goes into making such an amazing piece come to life
is that, like, I have family in this city and they.
Speaker 6 (21:28):
Helped me out. I went out on a limit, asked
this person and.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Shout out to my parents, so they let us film
in their house. They literally had to leave the house
and on on Saturday, Saturday, no Friday, that was Friday,
so technically they were working and they came home and
my mom was like, you said a couple people.
Speaker 5 (21:45):
Were going to be in the home, like you said
some of your video squad. I was like, mother, I'm
making movies.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
You know how trust the Yeah, trust the vision.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
And she was like, you're right. So I was sending
photos and videos to them at work. They were like,
oh my gosh, I can't beieve.
Speaker 6 (21:59):
It was in the whole movie.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
But anyways, yes, I'm blessed to add like have my
family be a part of these special moments it's.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
So cool, and it's it's a constant shout out of
a person being able to cross the finish line somewhere.
Speaker 6 (22:12):
And I think the word or like the phrase that was.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Coming to my head throughout the whole time was the
niners say it to I got your back, I gyb
and so as we, you.
Speaker 6 (22:22):
Know, harness that energy.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
I want to know what advice you guys would give
to young creatives, maybe young Latino creatives who saw this
piece and are wanting to aspire to make content like that.
What advice would you give them, or just really anyone
who's trying to, you know, pick up that camera and
do same work as you guys do.
Speaker 4 (22:45):
I think that for me is I strongly believe in, like,
you know, you need to be ready for that one
moment if you're always searching for, you know, that one
opportunity it might come. And sometimes we get caught on
the loop of like, oh, but I need a work
experience or I need to do this if I can't
have the job, if I don't have the experience, But
(23:06):
how do I get the experience without the job. And
I think that at least in our industry and the
stuff that we do you need to create opportunities for yourself.
You need to create experience for yourself. And that goes
along into like perfecting your craft. If you perfect your craft,
if you really are making those opportunities for yourself, if
(23:27):
you really are you know, putting a lot of work,
when that moment comes, you will be ready because sometimes
you know, like you might get that one chance and
like you weren't there because maybe you weren't like at
the level that you should have been, and you might
sit there and say, yeah, but it's because I haven't
gotten the chance to get those opportunities and this and
(23:47):
this and that to get experience. But I truly believe
that with what we can do, you can find somebody
and tell their story and put that into practice, and
then you're building yourself experience so that when that one
moment comes that somebody just decided to give you one chance,
you know you're ready. You know that, like you're gonna
grab and you're gonna run with it. And so I
(24:09):
would just encourage people that really want to do it
to go do it, like and not just you know,
wait for somebody to give you that chance, but give
it to yourself, because like nobody else, Like it's it's
very rare for people to like want to just put
an eye on you and be like yeah, like we'll
bring them without experience or like not knowing what they're doing.
(24:31):
So so yeah, just creating that moment for yourself and
really like putting yourself out there because that is what
is going to give you that one chance.
Speaker 6 (24:40):
Yeah, Aaron, that's a big mindset shift too.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
It's like rather than focusing on we don't have it,
we don't have the job, we don't have the experience, Like.
Speaker 6 (24:46):
What do we have?
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Yeah, we gotta get rid and we got a day
ahead of us, Like, let's go do it.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
I've always said, you know, the best camera is the
one that's in your hand, you know, just even if
it's just an iPhone, a go pro. Similar to what
Aaron is saying, go out and film something that is
inspiring to that motivates you. Whether it's high school football,
maybe it's the barbershop down the street, or maybe it's
just your family. To me, now that I'm in this
position that I am, it doesn't matter where you're from,
(25:13):
but I've always will look at your work ethic. I'll
always look at how you present yourself, and when you
do that also in an authentic way. I think people
can tell that when you create art, for let's say Clout,
it's never going to perform the way you want to perform.
But when you're creating because it's your passion, because it's
your art, you have pride for yourself or your family
(25:34):
and where you've come from, I think people are always
going to connect more with that message. So I would
just say, be one hundred percent authentic to you as well.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Yeah, And I think that's both amazing messages, great pieces
of advice for anybody trying to enter this entire creative space.
It's something I've always listened to that you really just
have to break your way in sometimes like you have
to be the one to break down your door. So
I really appreciate those those messages. I think both of you,
(26:05):
now that you're at this point in your careers, at
this stage in the NFL, you've been able to grow
your networks and be able to share these messages with
many others throughout the creative community at large. Just curious
on how you've gone about making those connections deeper, making
that networking opportunity real within your community or just within
(26:27):
the creative space at large.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
But go ahead as a ready Yeah.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
I think like network is like again super super important.
It takes a village for you know, production and and
all of these things. But I think that the most
important part of that is just genuine human connection. I
think that that's what has opened us the door to
be able to pull off a lot of things that
we have created. I don't think it's a it's a
(26:58):
bad thing to, you know, want to network with somebody
because they have something that you might need or what
you might want. But having the approach of a human
being and actually wanting a genuine connection with that person
will go so much further than you just being focused
on getting what you want from them, because at the
end of the day, like you might not know, that's
(27:19):
the person that will give you a chance. And so
really making those friendships, making those real human connections is
what has helped a lot. And I think that me personally.
For this Latino Heritage Month video, I was able to
bring this kid named Hyme, and it's so crazy because
(27:43):
he has been somebody that I've been trying to mentor
to put in spaces where he has opportunities, and I
have seen his hard work and everything that he's put
into His photos were part of our bts and we're
feature in all of our Latino Heritage Month's pieces. And
(28:03):
so the one thing that I'll always remember from him
is that the way he approached things was very much
just of like wanting to know who I was because
he felt like he saw himself in me, or like
he could do something. He was not asking for anything else,
(28:24):
but just like, you know, can you tell me more
about you? Like how do I do something like that?
And so so again I think like, yeah, creating those
genuine connections will go like a very long way. And
then like for me, like I see him as you know, hey,
what can I help you with now? Because I know
that you're somebody that is trying to do what I
(28:46):
am trying to do as well.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
So yeah, no, one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
I feel like in anything that we try to do
LA you know, Heritage Month centered around obviously we try
to bring in people that maybe have never had the
opportunity to be a part of an NFL team, but
even just throughout the year, and what I try to
do as well is bring in specific women that maybe
have never even touched an NFL football field. So for me,
(29:12):
when I said that representation matters, this is how I'm
doing my part into making sure that people see more
women on a football field that look like me and
maybe one of their family or friends or someone down
the line see this on TV and is like, you
know what, I think I want to be at sav
scop for you on a videographer or is it creative
in general? So I think that's really cool that both
(29:33):
of us share that same spirit in regards to helping
creatives that really just maybe need a chance, but who
are super talented and need that opportunity to grow.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Yeah, we've talked a lot about your guys' journeys up
to this point. In everything it takes to do your guys' jobs,
I want to know who Aaron and Serena are when
maybe a camera isn't in your hand or you're not
on the NFL sideline. Tell me about who you are
outside out of this job and what some of your
passions are you know that that aren't film, which is
(30:05):
the biggest one.
Speaker 6 (30:06):
I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
This is a hard question for I can understand knowing
that when you're working in the NFL, it's seven days
a week twenty four to seven.
Speaker 6 (30:17):
You're constantly doing it.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
But what are some things that you know make your
eyes shimmer a little bit more that maybe isn't football,
just to get to know you guys a little bit
more off the fields.
Speaker 3 (30:28):
This honestly isn't even like about the NFL too, though.
You're talking to like very just creatives in general, where
we kind of just see the world in regards to
like our heart and our aspect.
Speaker 5 (30:39):
So like for me, there's always a camera.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
Yes, yes, but I genuinely also love films. I love
going to the movies. I love to read, I love
the arts that way. But when I do have that time,
I really try my hardest, though, to spend it with
my loved ones and my family because that's how much
they mean to me, and I know that I'm so
very blessed and lucky that they live in the Bay
(31:02):
Area as well. So if I'm alone, I'm probably working,
and if I'm not alone, I'm probably with them hanging
out to something fun.
Speaker 6 (31:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
I love cars, Yeah, so I like to go see cars.
I like to drive my car too, And honestly the
main thing of that is I get to share too.
Like sometime with my wife and both of my dogs
and just get some downtime. And like that, honestly is
(31:33):
super fulfilling for me, because if not is, yeah, I'm
working or I'm thinking about doing this, and it always
involves a camera, it always involves like some sort of
production or editing or you know. So I would say,
like that moment away from work, just you know, I
enjoy doing that a lot.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
No, you understand also like how valuable the time away
from creating pours back into Yes, I want to know,
like how valuable those off moments are for you guys.
Speaker 5 (32:06):
Yeah, honestly super important.
Speaker 7 (32:08):
Yeah, No, for me, it's you need those, like you
really really need those because you will get burnt out
and then you're not yourself and so like they are
very important to just kind of recharge, you know, and
get away so that your brain can start thinking again.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
So I definitely think that something that I need to
do to be a little bit better about is stepping
away and just being because I know, like even sometimes
I think a lot of people can relate we're just sitting.
Maybe we get one moment and then it's like, oh man,
I want to be productive. I need to be doing
this I know there's a list in the back of
my head that I need to go through. But truly, though,
(32:48):
as a creative, you need that time and that space
to just be with you and your thoughts. And that's
honestly going to help the art that you create next
to be that much more impactful because you decided to
take care of you.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Yeah, I think creative burnout is a real thing. Yeah,
And I think being very mindful about how you spend
your time during the NFL season. It's very hard. It's
a seven day a week type venture. But finding those
times on a Saturday before a Sunday game day to
do all of your activities, to spend time with your family,
to drive a car perhaps is extremely beneficial. I know,
(33:24):
I've taken up so many hobbies at this point. I
do running, I do cycling, I golf with Serena from
time to time, volleyball. So I think doing all these
things just for my own mental sake is the most
important thing for sure. But yeah, those are some great
activities you guys have taken up.
Speaker 5 (33:42):
For sure.
Speaker 3 (33:43):
I play soccer, running and so I really like physical activity,
so anything like that, and my friends are like trying
to like be better, like in that aspect of their lives.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
Let's do it.
Speaker 3 (33:54):
I did boxing last week, but whoop, it just felt
good to do something different.
Speaker 7 (33:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
I think one thing though, with creative like burnout, that
I have found that it might not be the best
thing to do, but it's somehow gotten me through. It
is like teaching myself something new within what I am like,
within what I'm creating. So for example, like if I'm
like repeating the same thing, if I have the same
(34:21):
process of things in the same formula always, that's how
I get burnt out because I just get bored of it.
But learning like something new, whether that's you know, creating
a new asset, whether that's a new technique, whether that's
a completely different way of editing. Now it has gotten
me through those burnouts and then I feel fueled to like,
you know, create something. But it does create more work.
(34:44):
But but yeah, I think that it's helped me a lot.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Yeah, I definitely understand that. Like I've tried to recommend
it to art design team here at the NINERS. Always
it's like a yes and mentality. There's always it's a
cyclical thing. The NFL is the same thing every year.
We have an off season and we have the draft,
you go back into the season with preseason and then
you're playing football again, and it's very easy to get
(35:08):
caught in that cycle. It's kind of like an improv technique.
It's like, okay, like we do this every year, and
how do we plus it up? And I think those
are great ways of thinking of avoiding that burnout for sure.
To get into our usually and typical last question here
and inside the oval, it's an age old question. We
were talking about a little bit before we went on
(35:29):
air about what this really means. But we always ask
our guests what are the other duties as assigned? It's
a typical thing on a qualifications list when you apply
to a job. What are you willing to do for
your job? Basically, sometimes it's like lift twenty five pounds
and you're like what does that mean?
Speaker 6 (35:47):
You know that's a little weird, but well, yeah, it
was like trouble fifteen percent? What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Where am I going?
Speaker 3 (35:54):
You know?
Speaker 2 (35:55):
But I think now is my opportunity to ask you guys,
what are some of the other duties? As a sign
that you did not think you'd be doing in this
job that you ended up doing and you're like, WHOA,
how did I get here?
Speaker 4 (36:08):
So for me, when I got the job, I know
for sure it wasn't on my description. But took a
sixteen hour flight to Dubai, woke up on a random
Tuesday and was in the sand dunes with sour Dough
Sam writing a sand bugie, and yeah, I was like,
(36:32):
what is my life right now?
Speaker 6 (36:34):
But it was cool.
Speaker 4 (36:35):
It was a cool experience. But yeah, I never thought
that that would have happened. And we were only in
Dubai for forty eight hours, so it was a NonStop trip.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
Crazy.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
When I initially started write, and I'm just a fellow
associate producer at the time, I would say I never
thought that I would fly to LA and DP a
music video with Swedi and Pilow and then fly right
back home. We'll playoff video campaign. That was insane. And
then I'll also say this too, taking off our mics
(37:08):
off our players pads after a game, Yeah I did
not think. Yeah, I guess I didn't realize that experience,
Like Serena, our guys work really hard.
Speaker 4 (37:21):
To wash your hands.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
Yeah, yes, you really want to know that was the
part of it.
Speaker 6 (37:28):
It's so funny. I know like it.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
It's funny when you working in football, you do have
to get your hands dirty. Like even like we were
just in the locker room after practice today and I'm
chopping it up with the equipment guys and they're in
like full gloves because you know they're dealing with player.
Speaker 6 (37:41):
Laundry, and it's like constant.
Speaker 5 (37:42):
You don't think about blood and tears.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
You don't think of these things because when you're watching
as a fan on TV, it's so shiny and glamorous.
Being on set or being on the practice field, really
being literally in the trenches, you get to feel in
and see it all, and so it's really fun because
that just goes back into your passion, your work and
knowing that you're a part of this team.
Speaker 6 (38:04):
It's all one body.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
So Serena and Erin, thank you so much for joining
Noah and I today to talk about your careers, your passions,
who you are as people, and Latino heritage a month
this year. It's been such a fun time getting to
know you guys better and getting to know your work better.
I truly appreciate sharing your time with us today.
Speaker 5 (38:22):
Thanks guys for having us, Thank you for having me.
All Right, faithful.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
Thank you so much for following Inside the Oval on
sirius XM, YouTube, and all your favorite podcast platforms. Be
sure to subscribe so you do not miss an episode,
and we'll see you next time.
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