Meet Christian Romel Corpuz | Founder & Co-Owner of JustOrdinary Studios

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christian Romel Corpuz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christian Romel, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In the beginning, I never really intended to start a business, much less a company. In the beginning, it was simply about wanting to tell a good story. A story that carried meaning, substance, and the ability to leave a lasting impression. When I was younger, I remember leaving the old Cinedome theaters in the early 2000’s with this empowering feeling that I could do anything. But in the future, as my university days came to an end, I was pushed to think about the near and far future. I became a film major against my family’s wishes. And I promised them that although it would be hard at first, that in the end, it would all be worth it. Yet, as graduation drew near, I found myself questioning what I was even trying to accomplish. I knew I wanted to tell stories, and I wanted to help people. Now the question was, how?

I realized that the Bay Area didn’t really have a solid foundation for people who wanted to go into the entertainment industry. The film industry in particular demands that I move to Southern California to advance my career. However, my situation dictates that I cannot leave the Bay just yet, nor do I have the resources to do so. I settled on the fact that eventually, I may have to move to Los Angeles, if only for a time, to write the next chapter of my career. But until then, I decided to use what I have now to try something a bit different and hopefully do some good in the process.

Taking inspiration from my college professors, previous jobs, mentors, and peers alike, I began to consider that instead of waiting for someone to give us the chance to write their story, we could instead create a platform from which we could tell our own stories. It was then that I had an idea – to help give people like me in Northern California a voice and a fighting chance in the field. We often hear that the film industry is unforgiving. At San Jose State University, our film program did its best to raise new and upcoming filmmakers, but we would never have the same industry access compared to other schools with more resources and advanced programs. We were dealt the card of the underdog. But for me, this was more of a reason to move forward with the founding of “JustOrdinary Studios”, a multi-media production company based in the realm of photography, videography, and traditional film. While we primarily operate in the Bay Area, we plan to one day be able to expand our operations towards Los Angeles. There, we will build a branch office to work with in tangent as to provide industry access to those in the Bay who normally wouldn’t have it.

What should our readers know about your business?
Our team has only been active for about 3-4 months and the company itself has existed for a little under a year, so needless to say, there is still a long road ahead of us. But as the old saying goes, we all have to start somewhere.

We aim to create an organization that permits creative people to be creative. While we currently operate in the realm of commercial photography and videography, our core basis was founded upon the principle of filmmaking. So, we do have a couple of our own projects currently in development, and we hope to be able to showcase these projects soon. Within our production team, we also have our own in-house stunt team that specializes in stunt work and action choreography.

While there is still much more to do, getting to this point was not easy per se. I graduated in Radio-Television-Film (RTVF), so most of what I know in terms of business had to be self-taught or learned through heavy research and consultation with other professionals. It took countless nights trying to figure out how to legitimately start and run a business, how to talk with clients, how to manage finances, organize logistics, service equipment, hire staff, host meetings, write contracts, and the list goes on. I had to effectively learn how to create something out of nothing.

Now our goal at J.O.S. is as follows: We aim to further the narrative that you don’t have to be from great to become great. We are just ordinary people who come from no special background but are trying to create something that is larger than any one individual. We seek to embody the idea that if we can do it, then so can you. And should we succeed, we might even create a legacy worth remembering.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In my opinion, San Jose, CA is an underrated part of the Bay Area. Most people know the Bay by the city of San Francisco, the Golden Gate bridge, and the city of Oakland. But as the “Capitol of Silicon Valley”, the city of San Jose boasts its fair share of things to do as a hub for diverse cuisine, celebrations, traditions, architectural sights, and activities.

Places of interest that you may want to visit include a trip to the Winchester Mystery House, the Japanese Friendship Garden, the Municipal Rose Garden, and the various parks and museums across the city. If you’re interested in theme parks, California’s Great America is an age-old attraction to see while it is still standing. If you’re into sports, Levi’s Stadium is home to the San Francisco 49ers. San Jose also offers a number of trails for those who are into hiking and the outdoors. Fancy a bit of shopping? Santana Row and Westfield Valley Fair mall are sure to satisfy. Downtown San Jose, Japantown, and Little Saigon further offer a series of sights and local attractions.

If you’re hungry, San Jose is a melting pot of cultures and their food, so depending on what you’re in the mood for, there is likely a place for you. San Jose brings to the table a wide array of restaurants and local exclusives such as Iguanas (Home of the Burritozilla), La Victoria Taqueria (Mexican Food), Kenny’s Cafe (Korean-Fusion), Petiscos (Portuguese), LeYou Ethiopian, Nick the Greek, and so on. There are also a series of local pop-up vendors that appear around the city at different times. All things considered; your cravings are sure to be satisfied.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The origin of my interest in film began with my late uncle (Allen Tenorio) who used to take care of me when I was young. Every day, he would hand me a VHS or DVD from his collection, and almost every day with him was a new movie, a new story, and a new adventure. I made a promise to him that one day I would succeed in my career as a filmmaker, and that is a promise I intend to keep.

My mother (Victoria Corpuz) practically raised me on her own. I watched her go through countless hardships for my sake, so if anyone deserves recognition, it would be her because my story would have no beginning if it wasn’t for all that she had done for me and my siblings.

Christian Drake (Co-Owner of JustOrdinary Studios) shares the sentiment of having to be at least a bit ambitious if one plans to do greater things in the future. To set ourselves apart from the rest, we set our sights on doing what most would probably consider to be impossible, if not unlikely.

My screenwriting professor, Barnaby Dallas, unknowingly was the first person who ever believed in my ability and encouraged me to continue writing my own story beyond the classroom setting.

My advanced screenwriting professor, Larry Schapiro continued to fuel my interest in storytelling and showed us that Hollywood screenwriting was not out of reach, but instead was something that could be learned and mastered.

Nick Martinez, the first director that I had ever worked with on set and his production company Roann Films served as the base inspiration to establish our own production company that operates in both the Bay Area and soon in Los Angeles.

Chadwick Boseman’s 2018 Commencement Speech at Howard University was one that I had listened to almost every single morning during my final semester at San Jose State. At the time, I had to take a 45-minute bus ride to the school, so I would plug in my headphones and listen to his words for inspiration, sometimes twice a day as graduation got closer.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justordinarystudios/