His film career got rolling after he went to adult school to get the language help he needed
Film producer-photographer Marcos Gordian’s professional life changed after he went to Burbank Adult School. “I was trying to develop a lot of projects, but it was difficult because of the language barrier,” says Gordian, 34, of North Hollywood.
Gordian studied English as a Second Language, an 18-month course. After graduating, “I started working a lot more,” he says. “The school was great, and the teachers were patient and there to help, even after hours. I am very grateful.”
Gordian has a degree in social communication from a university in Mexico City and graduated from an intensive filmmaking program.
“I know I still have a lot to learn, but I know I’m on the correct path.”
Marcos Gordian, Filmmaker and Burbank Adult School graduate
“I was doing well in Mexico with documentaries and short films, but I wanted to see how the film business runs here and expand my career,” he says. So he emigrated in 2016.
After living in Phoenix, Arizona (for family reasons), Gordian moved his wife and children to Los Angeles, “where there’s a lot more film production.” After acquiring his ESL certificate, he shaped a career that combines part-time jobs with freelance work.
Among his jobs, Gordian serves as a production assistant on sets where movies and TV commercials are filmed.
“As a production assistant, I put the feet and head on a project, overseeing the logistics and developing scene schedules,” he explains. Part of that involves “picking up all the gear for the productions and delivering it to the sets.”
Gordian has helped produce TV commercials for clients such as Nike, Home Depot, McDonald’s, Domino’s and the software company Square. He also has worked on the sets of Spanish-language movies that have aired on Netflix and HBOMax, and many that have been screened at film festivals.
Until the pandemic, he taught filmmaking at Creating Creators in Los Angeles, which teams with school districts to develop students’ creative skills.
“On my own, I do still photography — landscapes, families, products — and brochures and institutional and business videos for (a range) of companies (including) law firms,” he says.
Thanks to the help he received via adult education, Gordian enjoys his varied career. “I know I still have a lot to learn,” he says, “but I know I’m on the correct path.”
For information on Burbank Adult School, visit www.burbankusd.org/bas or call 818-729-5950.
Written by Allen Pierleoni
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Southern California | English as a Second Language |
