By Reynaldo Mena
Bernardo Ortega is not your typical American or… Latino youth. He has specialized in commercial video production and traveling the world, something not very common among most young people.
“I was lucky to have a sister who traveled to Europe and other countries for work, and when she came back and showed us her photos and memories, I said to myself, ‘This is something I would like to do.'”
After many years of effort and study, Bernardo has formed his own company called “7 p.m. Media,” through which he creates content for social media platforms for companies, organizations, or politicians.
“I had always been interested in producing content and creating videos, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t have guidance. I took some courses, but they didn’t provide me with what I wanted to do. I wasn’t interested in photography; I was interested in video,” he comments.
“When I was in high school, the college counselors asked me what I wanted to do, and I told them I wanted to work in the music industry. But not producing or creating songs, rather working with the image of artists and their songs,” he adds.
One day, a friend gave him the opportunity to join a music company, but it was an administrative job that didn’t satisfy him.
“I didn’t have guidance, no one to tell me how to do it, and I think that’s the case with many young Latinos. There aren’t spaces where we can be guided and receive training. That’s the problem we have,” says the content creator.
Bernardo Ortega always saw the world in a different way, as if through a lens, ready to tell its story.
“I was fortunate to have many characters in various fields in front of me. For example, in school, I had a man who survived the Holocaust, and his character is portrayed in the movie ‘Schindler’s List,’ directed by Steven Spielberg. When you have those kinds of experiences, you can’t think of anything else but documenting them,” says Bernardo Ortega.
That curiosity that moved him since childhood led him to set one of his goals.
“It’s important for the world to know many stories,” he says.
“For example, when I was 6 years old, I experienced the riots in South Central. I didn’t understand what was happening. I saw the police, the protesters passing by. I experienced that violence,” he adds. “At some point, the idea of documenting those stories came to me.”
Being in Los Angeles has helped him, thanks to its cultural diversity. His travel experiences have also left a mark on him: “I have realized that we all want the same thing, a safe place to live and start a family.”
That’s when he started to see the value that his videos had for people.
“One day, I was in a restaurant in Florence, and I didn’t have a camera, just my phone. However, I loved the food so much that I made a video of the place, quickly edited it, and showed it to the owner. He was amazed, he couldn’t believe what I had done. He invited me to continue making videos in exchange for free food,” he says.
It wasn’t all easy. Before starting his own company and dedicating himself 100% to this work, he worked as a food delivery person, for Uber, and in wholesale stores.
“One day, I was in Florence, staying in an Airbnb where I could see the famous bridge in the city. I was working at Sprint, and my manager called me and asked me for some things. He was really upset with me, but I was on vacation. So I asked myself, ‘Is that really the life I want?’ And I quit. I decided to dedicate myself full-time to video production,” says Ortega.
Between 2017 and 2019, he spent almost every night studying, learning the secrets of editing and production. This way, he improved his work and caught the attention of potential clients.
During that time, he met someone who has advised him in his work. This person provides advice on how to sell things on social media. One day, he needed someone to produce a video for him, and Bernardo sent him his work, which sealed their friendship.
“He taught me how to sell, he told me I could make money. That wasn’t my goal; I wanted to make money to help people. However, I helped him, initially for free. I believe that if you’re interested in something, you have to do it even if you’re not paid for it. That way, you’ll find out if you really like it,” Bernardo Ortega says.
Now, he is focused on working in real estate. People don’t have time to produce content for social media; they want to showcase houses. So he takes care of promoting them on social media platforms.
“I’m changing the sector. I tell them to think differently, beyond videos. With a few people, we started doing podcasts. I’m interested in discussing topics that help people, that give them advice. That initial idea of helping hasn’t disappeared. It’s not always about selling; you have to give something in return,” he adds. “If you’re not interested in something, you won’t achieve success.”
Bernardo wants to return to making documentaries, capturing what he sees during his travels, showing the different worlds out there.
“I want to make videos of super luxury mansions, but also of spaces for people with fewer resources. When I started traveling, I realized that I had been living in a bubble, enclosed, without exposing myself to what’s out there. That has changed,” Bernardo Ortega concludes.
