TEENage sat with young entrepreneur and the head of Enhanced Realizm Studios Limited, 25-year-old Robin Antonio. Antonio was the creative mind behind the footage and editing of Delus’ Sticky A Road video, which TEENage reviewed two issues ago. Growing up in Kingston, he is a Jamaica College alum and has been working in video production for four years. Antonio vows to continue doing great work so that he may become a master of his craft.

“I came into the business through a lot of trial and error, taking advice from persons in the business has made me who I am today,” he said.

TEENage recently sat with this budding cinematographer and asked him a few questions about his place in Jamaica’s video production industry.

TEENage: How did you get started?

Robin Antonio (RA): I got started in 2007. I was doing graphic design for a small printery, when a client asked for some graphics to be done for a video production that he was doing at the time.

TEENage: Who are some of the big names that you have worked with?

RA: I have worked with Fyakin, D’Angel, Lisa Hyper, Shane-O, and Pamputtae among many others, both on personal sets as director, and other production sets as cinematographer.

TEENage: Which video would you say is your best work yet?

RA: My best video for this year is Fyakin’s Make Sweet Love, which I co-directed with Brandon ‘Red Dragon’ Lee.

TEENage: How do you come up with ideas to put in a video? What inspires you?

RA: Concepts for videos are based on the mood of the song or riddim, but my mind also takes an indirect approach to the lyrics of the song and adds the cinematic flavour of a storyline, as my main passion is film.

TEENage: Apart from video production what other career path would you have chosen?

RA: Apart from video production, another career path would be something in finances and debts.

TEENage: Why finance and debt, it is so far from video production?

RA: Finance and debt because I’m good at creating wealth, and debt is also money.

TEENage: Where do you see yourself and your company in the next five years?

RA: In five years, I see Enhanced Realizm Studios as a conglomerate with minimal competition, producing three movies a year.

TEENage: Who would you say is the best in your craft, and would you emulate them?

RA: The best in the craft would be Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, but I would like to surpass them. I have no equal, no one is greater than I.

TEENage: Which international or local artistes would you like to work with?

RA: I would like to work with Eminem and Rick Ross in the future.

TEENage: Where has your career taken you?

RA: I have been able to travel to great places and meet great people through different productions.

TEENage: How does your family feel about your career path?

RA: My parents don’t mind the video world, they allowed me to follow my destiny.

TEENage: What advice would you give to any young person thinking about doing video editing as a career?

RA: My advice for persons coming into the video world would be to find a style that works for them, and to produce anything they can so that they can grow a reel to show others what they are capable of.