Meet Andrew Pittman | Cahuilla/Ipai Video Producer

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

Hi Andrew, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I love taking risks. You either win or you lose, there’s no in between. Our time here is limited and if you want your dreams to come true you must take risks. In 2019 I quit two enjoyable, comfortable, and well-paying job with excellent benefits to initiate the beginning of my dream. That was the best risk I initiated, and I am grateful for doing it. Today, I am happily self-employed, doing what I love and serving my community. It took dedication, passion and the support from my friends and family, especially my wife, Lisset!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Storytelling is a part of my genetics. I am Ipai and Cahuilla. My grandmother is from the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel and my grandfather is from the Los Coyotes Nation of Cahuilla and Cupeno. Most of the work I do is focused on the First Nations communities in San Diego. We are documenting our time in this moment, for future generations.

I followed my heart to get to where I am today. It has been difficult to navigate a world so fixated on consumerism. They say for us Natives, we are living in two worlds. The world of our Ancestors and the modern world of today. To balance that both spiritually and physically is a never-ending lesson. The way I see it; my navigation in this world will assist in building an easier path for my son.

We are Condor Visual Media. Condor is very important in regeneration. The balance of life and death. The cycle. Condor must travel far and wide and go to places that are uncomfortable. Condor is always seeking lost truth with keen eyes. In comparison to the near extermination of Native peoples, Condor too was almost extinct. But as our people’s resilience shows, our unbreakable spirits, we are both still here.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Get to know this land through the Iipaay and Tipaay people. You may see the names listed as Kumeyaay. Native people here have become synonymous with Casinos, but we are more than that. We are stewards of this land. I would visit Kosaay Kumeyaay Market and the Mut Niihepoke interpretive park in Old Town San Diego. From there visit the Sycuan Cultural Museum and Kumeyaay Community college (anyone can take college classes and earn a Associates in Kumeyaay studies). Also visit the Barona Cultural Museum. Lastly you can visit Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians and hike to the highest natural point in San Diego County, Hot Springs Mountain. enjoy views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Salton Sea to the east with surrounding mountain ranges and desert landscapes…on a clear day of course.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, my wife and business partner, Lisset Valencia-Pittman. She has taken a lead role in ensuring the sustainability of our business, checking my off the wall ideas and being supportive with said ideas.

Secondly, my community and all the First Nations people in San Diego and beyond. Let’s recognize this is unceded land that has been and always will be stewarded by the Iipay, Tipay, Payomkawichum, Kuupangaxwichem and Ivilyuqaletem.

Website: www.condorvm.com

Instagram: ajpittman23, condorvm, maathaawfilm, tribalnationsnews