Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Courtney Sanello

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Courtney Sanello. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Courtney, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I just finished filming and doing the first raw assembly edit of my second film which is a documentary documentary of a touring Theater Company. I was a one person crew shooting working in the field running sound responsible for absolutely everything and this was the first time that I was both director and Camera operator and Director of Photography all at the same time. I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could do things that were unfamiliar to me all on my own without asking anyone for help. A part of this that made me feel proud but also laugh is that I built an entire camera rig ready to go for first day of shooting but unfortunately I was looking at a YouTube tutorial for an iPhone 16 instead of what I actually had which was an I phone 14 pro Max, which meant that the one connector plug that was the core of the entire rig was wrong making everything I built absolutely absolutely obsolete. So instead of having a meltdown which I couldn’t afford to have considering everyone was depending on me for a three consecutive day shoot I had a very hearty laugh and said all right well guess I’m just going to have to move on to handheld and that is what I did and the results I think are absolutely breathtaking.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a film director editor actor and visual artist who assembles creative projects using all of my faculties. I’m self-taught and always am learning everyday constantly challenging myself and putting myself in very very uncomfortable positions. If I had a brand it would be something that resembles an earthquake, like you know the ground is there but no matter where you go you have to move forward on unshaky unfamiliar ground and that’s pretty much what I do everyday. And gladly.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Two groups of my very dear friends some of who I speak with still some of them who have moved on to other tracks of life. But nonetheless I am eternally grateful for their two separate interventions for me. Eons ago I was an account manager at a top advertising firm AKA something very not creative. And in two separate situations by two separate friends they sat me down and asked me Courtney what are you doing your creative you need to do your art. And then it clicked for me because up until that point I only saw art as a hobby and not something like an occupation. Then the World opened up and everything made sense: why I was tired of 21 coming home from work even though I slept not really understanding why things weren’t as bright. Until leaving at 9:00 to 5:00 and exploring the unknown which is always scary but I always like an adventure.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
That I didn’t have as much of the stuff needed for success as one would need which is absolutely not true. Lacking confidence in your skill set pretty much makes any talent you have completely obsolete so I kicked that idea to the curb and haven’t turned back since

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
That only 1% of actors in the union actually work I may be wrong with this percentage but it’s very low. That number can change at the drop of a hat since technology has opened up to everyone’s access and you can make the work whenever you want to

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Holding myself back saying I don’t have enough of what I need to do whatever thing I dreamed to do

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Image credits of email photo attachments: Sean Gallagher
Image of courtney in white button down : shirin tinati
Image of courtney sitting in director chair : Thomas Robinson

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
What would your closest friends say really matters to you?

If you asked your best friends what really drives you—what they think matters most in

Highlighter Series
When do you feel most at peace?

In a culture that often celebrates hustle and noise, peace can feel rare. Yet, peace

Highlighter Series
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?

Almost everything is multisided – including the occurrences that give us pain. So, we asked