Visit San Antonio — Commercial

How do we capture the essence of San Antonio, Texas? This was the challenge that my producing partner Annie and I had as we worked with Director Sam Li. Tourism work isn’t new to us, especially after the three of us had collaborated in 2024 on a year-long project for FIFA and the cities that would be featured in the 2026 World Cup. But this was different. We had the opportunity to pour our creativity into one city and not just feature the typical attractions, but to truly capture the feeling and culture this special city has to offer. 

Sam created vignettes based on locations Visit San Antonio gave us. These moments were not meant to all be picture perfect, but real to life and full of authenticity. To capture this vision, we worked with our good friend and Storyboard Artist, Ruben Orellana. His artistic interpretation helped us, the client and our crew visualize each scene. 

After a rapid 36 hour directors scout, our Production Coordinator Giulia Alexander and I began to craft a logistics plan that accounted for filming in 22 locations in 3 days! Meanwhile, Annie and Sam worked with our incredible Casting Director Frank Zabilka to find 84 cast members to build out “our world”. We ended up filming with two units concurrently and having PA’s shuttle crew, talent and equipment for each unit in sprinter vans and box trucks respectively.

It was a marathon to say the least! The only way a project like this can be successful is by having an incredible team around you, and I’m lucky that I have Annie and our Production Manager Katie Kranz in the trenches with me along with our greater team. The wild ride didn’t end with principal photography, as our post-production timeline was just as ambitious. But again, it’s people in every role who put their all into projects like this that make the difference. 

I’m proud of what we accomplished together, and that we were able to show the world a taste of what it’s like to experience San Antonio.