Today we have the first installment of Crossing the 180, an Art of the Frame interview series in the vein of “Fresh Air.” As a veteran podcaster, filmmaker, author, and marketer, I’ve had the opportunity to interview hundreds of visual artists over the past 14 years, using my own personal and professional e experiences to ask engaging, thought-provoking, and sometimes provocative questions. Crossing the 180 (aka “X180”) will be a slightly irreverent podcast where I interview filmmakers from all aspects of the craft as they share both personal and professional stories of what it means to be a professional creative. And today I have a doozy of an interview.

“Yeah, She Rocks!”

Those are the words of the biggest action star on the planet when referring to today’s guest: the amazing and insanely talented DP, director, and editor, Valentina Vee. Don’t believe me? Here’s your proof.

Valentina has made quite a name for herself in the industry. She creates music videos, docs, corporate work, and is one of the few Adobe Max Masters on the planet (of the 25 in existence, she’s the only one who isn’t an Adobe employee that’s Adobe Max Video Master).

In this episode, I had an opportunity to chat with Ms. Vee about a whole host of issues. 

• • The treatment of women in the pro video and filmmaking industry (some of the stories she shares will make your jaw drop)
  • What it was like for her to move from Kazakhstan to America at 7 and learning English
  • How she got started as a filmmaker
  • How she goes about thinking about storytelling and workflow for the work she does
  • How she became an Adobe master
  • How she really feels about that “girl power” scene in Avengers: Endgame, it may surprise you
  • And so much more

Valentina in Action

Valentina is a sought-after DP and instructor who’s shot around the world. Here’s just a small sampling of her work.

She directed this short film for world-renown speaker and influencer Prince Ea (over 19 million views as of this writing).

Video she shot for Dwayne Johnson’s visit to Beijing.

Video she edited for mega-beauty YouTuber and entrepreneur, Michelle Phan

Hosting and teaching on Aputure’s 4-Minute Film School (which for some reason is actually 12 minutes. 😁)

You can find more of her work on YouTube and Instagram. And if you want to give her support when internet trolls and morons are giving her a hard time on Twitter, hit her up here.

The Art of the Frame Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Radio Public and more. If you like the podcast, make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast app and tell a friend!