Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yianni Drakos. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Yianni , so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
If you set your mind on three basic things you can achieve some degree of happiness. One is don’t complain about everything. Accept some defeats, improve the things you can, enjoy the journey. The second is that every new day, cliche as it sounds, is a new opportunity for you to make one more step towards the little wins that make you whole. Third is don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. You will end up being to soft or to hard on yourself. The above mind set is the foundation to my optimism.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I was born and raised in Athens Greece. I moved to Colorado in 2015 because of the crisis. I studied Film at USC and interned for Oliver Stone for couple of years. After that I produced and directed my first feature film in 2002. Right now I am in post production with my 4th feature film “The Inverted Case” a detective thriller, and my other 2 American films can be found on Prime and Apple TV among other streamers (15 Killings, Flow).
I have 20 years experience in advertising, TV, commercials and film and have created more than 1500 corporate videos which is my main source of income.
When clients ask me why they should choose my company AtlasFilmProductions for their company’s visual needs, I answer “because you are going to have fun doing this”. And that is the core of my service, “we will laugh and enjoy and allow ourselves to be kids and free spirits throughout the whole video producing process.”
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
You need to be patient, listen and make people comfortable in your presence as you guide them through the video process. You should try to emerge in their world, goals, dreams, company values, and help them express themselves without being too bossy or technical. Don’t act like an NFL coach, but more like a kindergarten teacher who helps a child write their name, or color a painting.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am always looking to partner with advertising agencies, actors and distributors/producers.
What I love about corporate video and advertising is that every project has a new setting, new faces and new energy. Every new project is a dive into a world I didn’t know existed.
I enjoy working with actors because I am curious to see what an actor can bring to the story that I never imagined while writing a script.
I would like to know more people on the distribution/producing side of film and TV series. I would like to be able to pitch them a new idea or have them watch my new project.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://atlasfilmproductions.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yiannidracos/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/nQwWzz84MXY
