Meet Cam Maeva | Filmmaker & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cam Maeva and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cam, what is the most important factor behind your success?
This is a difficult question to answer because, in my personal journey, there are two huge factors that come into play. The first one is the people you surround yourself with. You have to have people who love you for you. People who cheer you on your highest days and help you back up on your lowest. People who aren’t in it for fame and fortune. Just for the love of the art you make, the natural fun you have, and the lifelong memories you create. The companions you gain on your journey towards success play a pivotal part in whether or not you reach your goals. When people become more familiar with my work, they tend to hear the word family thrown around a lot. My family is the people who have been there since day one and have pushed me to keep on following my dreams. Without them, I wouldn’t have made it as far as I have. All the love in the world to my family. Thank you, guys. Second is a positive mental attitude. Life gets rough. It becomes hard to concentrate on creating unique and personal pieces of work for people to enjoy when you’re going through difficult times. Stay positive. No matter what people may say or how negative your mind may get, remember that it’s all going to pan out. The project you’re working on. The hardships that life hands down to you. It will all pan out. The storm will pass and another bright day will come again. Never stop creating. You’re changing the world. Just keep on climbing to the peak. I promise you it’s worth it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
If I’m going to be completely honest, I don’t know what sets me apart from others. Just like every other young creative out here, I’m just trying to make my dreams a reality. I’m very proud of the films I’ve created. I’m very fortunate to be able to do what I love on a professional level. However, the only reason why I believe I’ve gotten so far is because of the people who’ve believed in my vision from the start. I’ve gotten a lot of “No’s” and “It won’t work” throughout my career as an artist. It definitely stung. Sometimes even to the point of making me nearly quit. However, consistency was key. I had to practice and believe in what I was doing. You can’t have a single doubt in your mind about the path you chose once you dedicate your life to being an artist. I had to realize that quickly. Once I did, it’s been one hell of a ride. I couldn’t be more thankful for the trying times because those moments are the ones that taught me the biggest life lessons. Tested me to see if I was truly passionate about the life I’m chasing. When we come across these obstacles, don’t stop. Run straight through them, learn from them and keep on moving forward.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Sunset Cliffs, Ocean Beach, and Point Loma are all home runs. I’d take them to all the restaurants, parks, and hidden parts of those areas. I’d most likely take them to the beach, post up at the cliffs, and hit Pacific Beach for the nightlife if that’s what they were into. If we’re hanging out on a Wednesday, I’d take them to the farmers market down in OB. If it’s the weekend, the Swap Meet in Point Loma. If they were into skateboarding, we’d have to hit the OB and LV Skatepark. Balboa Park is also a great time and very beautiful. Coronado’s fun too. Would probably go to “Some Like it Hot” Hotel or Silver Strand Beach. Can’t forget Chicano Park. Great place to admire and visit if you’re an artist. Downtown is a given, especially if it’s for a Padres game. For food, we got a wide variety of options. Old Town Mexican Cafe for the whole shebang if they’re looking to grub out. Homestyle Hawaiian if they’re feeling more islander food. Can’t go wrong with Hodads either. I could keep on going but, to say the least, there is a wide selection of fun activities and cool places to visit if anyone comes down to San Diego to visit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Huge shoutout to my family and fellow artists who have been along for the ride since I started getting into art. Anthony and June Maeva played the most pivotal role here so we’ll start with them. June for teaching me how to love unconditionally and stay passionate about helping others pursue lives of personal meaning and happiness. AVM for crafting me into the artist I am today and teaching me that your dreams are forever attainable as long as you create from the heart. The FLESH Collective for launching me into the next chapter of my life when I was a freshman in college. With FLESH’s members, Lalo Venegas and Mario Clayton, not only did I grow to be the artist I am today, but also gained two brothers during the journey. Patrick Johnson has a reserved spot in the shoutout section as the man who sold my first “professional” camera to me. Thanks for being my shooting buddy all these years and always pushing me to keep grinding. Appreciate you, Pat. Big thank you to all the Usos. Y’all know who you are. Nathan Scoggins. Thank you for believing in me from the start. I couldn’t have achieved everything I did these last three years of college without your guidance. We have a lot of work ahead of us and I couldn’t be more thankful to have such a talented filmmaker leading the way. Jack Taylor deserves a huge shoutout for being my right-hand man and brother these last three years. This creator in particular has helped me gain new understandings of what it is to be a true photographer and artist of the people. Until the Oscars, Mr. Taylor. Finally, but not least, thank you to my grandmother Fetuao Maeva. You’ve been my biggest inspiration and number one supporter since the day I was born. I couldn’t thank you enough for all you’ve done in my life. Love you.

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