Christian Vergara

One that comes to mind is the very first shot of our Chance the Rapper “Juice” campaign. We were set up outside Chicago’s legendary summer spot, Mario’s Italian Lemonade, filming a scene with Chicago rapper Twista. At that point, it was the biggest shoot I’d ever done, and as I looked around the set, I realized how full-circle it felt. Many of the same crew members who had helped me get started, or who had grown alongside me, were right there. Some of my hometown friends who had supported me since day one were also part of the crew. On top of that, in high school, I listened to Chance religiously. I felt this wave of gratitude and a taste of the fruit of all the labor my team and I had put in.

Funny enough, my original career path was dentistry — though I can confidently say now I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it, haha. If I weren’t directing today, I’d merge my love for the water (and my dream of scuba diving) with my love for cameras and pursue underwater cinematography. And honestly, if there were no cameras involved, I’d just be scuba-ing all over.

Throughout my lifetime, there have been a few movies that I keep revisiting, like “The Big Short”, “Django Unchained”, “Inglorious Basterds”, “Saving Private Ryan”, and “Arrival”.

It’s odd to say, but I’ve never really had a single “dream brand collab.” I find so many different brands across industries interesting - especially the ones that leave room for true creative collaboration and expression. A few that come to mind right now are Arc’teryx, The North Face, and Buck Mason… and if film studios count, then definitely A24, Warner, and Paramount.

My favorite piece of “gear” right now would probably be my journal, Milanote, Google Sheets, Kive, Shotdeck, and Frameset - not exactly the usual filmmaker tools, but they keep me organized and creative.

One that comes to mind is a simple moment: one of our last family vacations together in Siesta Key, Florida. It was late June of 2024, and my mom, dad, and two sisters were all in a humble Airbnb preparing dinner. That upcoming fall, my youngest sister was about to start her senior year of high school, and my middle sister her senior year of college. I was outside manning the grill, my dad was helping my mom in the kitchen - probably making his family-famous corn salsa - and my sisters were walking around between the pool and the living room. When dinner was served, we prayed, passed dishes around, and more than usual, my parents started sharing intimate stories from their childhoods in the Philippines. The room was full of love and laughter. I remember looking at them, recognizing that they were aging, but feeling this immense gratitude that they had worked so hard to create such a beautiful life for us and for themselves. Knowing my dad’s difficult beginnings in the Philippines, I thought to myself, “They must feel like a million dollars.” We all knew that next summer, it would be harder to continue these family traditions. We were each entering our own chapters, and my parents understood that, too.