Andres Lugos

How did your life or career change since becoming a recipient?
First, I feel so honored to have received the Sarah Jones Internship. I was so fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time. I remember when I was living in Miami and having a job as a producer, videographer, and editor but it was in an office schedule, on a regular daily basis, and I was having a feeling of living numbness.

By those days, my EB-1A green card had been approved, after being awarded with a Daytime Emmy Award and a Lone Star Emmy Award due to my work done years back in the state of Dallas, Texas. There were many years of struggle, but I was being guided by the light of that personal intuition and I quit my job. I took my Toyota Camry 98 with 220,000 miles and I drove to Atlanta. The car was not in a good condition, but I prayed to God while driving, to allow me to arrive safe with my belongings (my home). I didn’t have any place to stay neither a job but a self-conviction... everything started just right there.

In some way, I can say I have been touched by an inner source of strength every time I fall, to be able to open my soul ́s eyes and finding the path, that day it was Sarah Jones.

My life has been changing consequently after receiving the Sarah Jones Internship: To be allowed in getting the knowledge I needed, to be having the extensive training by inspiring mentors with years of experience in the film industry. To be learning every day the technical aspects of different cameras, cables, rigs, set ups at a camera rental house. To be able to understand the workflow in a professional set and how to approach to the different departments with respect, joy, humbleness, and authority.

It has been a big learning curve experience every set I have been a part of. Every day has been a different journey. Every crew member I have met has had different methods or systems to apply during their film career to approach any specific task considering several types of environments and that is what I can say how my film life-career has been shaping. The Sarah Jones Internship has not only opened my eyes to be able to keep constantly training my skills, my body, and my mind but to keep networking and to feeding my values even if there have been others who don’t care about. To be human, to be receptive, to be loyal, to be curious, to be present.

What did it mean to you to receive this opportunity?
It has represented to me a lot. To always have the consciousness about safety on set. No matter how fast things need to be done. Safety is a priority. Even if I have always been cautious in performing any of my activities during a film set, I have experienced some injuries, and it is because we are always exposed and that’s life, but we need to keep sharing the message to our teammates and to our future generations.

It has represented to me to be welcomed anywhere in the world to be accepted as part of the family, a small and huge community that works in favor of letting their dreams come to life through storytelling in many different aspects. Our life is in some way a path of storytelling, and we can become better in respecting others, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, economic status, and other diverse backgrounds. That’s what makes our world a better place to live and to inhabit with others.

What types of projects have you been on and what are you looking forward to doing in the future?
I’ve been working on Narrative Feature films, Documentaries, TV Shows, Commercials, Short films. My dream is to become a cinematographer who supports newest talents the
same way I have been supported.

What was something you learned that stood out and maybe you use to this day?
Supporting others, sharing learnings that I have got since the beginning of my internship.

Tell us a little about Sarah Jones and the importance of Safety on Set.
I cannot even imagine how great Sarah Jones was, when reading about her before my application and during my internship I learned she was someone who amazed everyone
on set every day, a crewmember to never be forgotten. She left a legacy and that’s so beautiful, someone who never will be replaced. I think no one in this life is here just for
being. I truly believe that learning from her legacy will make us better as filmmakers but most important as human beings.

The message that invokes the expression Safety on set, must be a reminder to everyone that we need to be taking care of others constantly because taking care of one is taking care of ourselves as a community. We get what we give. The importance of Safety on Set is not only a top priority but a “way of living”, not a “why us leaving”. Life becomes what you are afraid of and to confront it with tons of doubts, without them we would have arrogance and not being able to find self-awareness, the self-conviction.