Meet Tyler Piña

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tyler Piña a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tyler, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is a word that I have heard time after time in my career, and I began to hear it most when I lived in San Francisco and worked with many tech startup CEOs.

You start to realize that this syndrome or feeling is normal. Everyone who tries something they haven’t done before gets this feeling. Whenever you move up in your career, you will have this feeling. When you take on bigger projects or begin a more senior position, you will have this feeling. I don’t think we have to necessarily overcome it, but rather I think we should accept that this is all a part of the process of challenging ourselves and stepping out of our comfort zone.

Just because you haven’t done something before doesn’t mean you won’t be great at it. You will never know your full potential or be comfortable working within it unless you push yourself to grow and try new things.

For me, it is helpful to remember that I am not alone in this feeling, and I am as prepared as I can be to take the next step toward fulfilling my potential. The more you push yourself, the easier everything else becomes. Less and less things become scary, and that confidence inside of you will begin to flourish.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Being a movie director primarily based in Los Angeles, my job is very demanding but also incredibly fulfilling and quite fun. I tend to work on projects that have a very human or emotional element, and I’ve been putting an emphasis on production work outside of the U.S. because I love learning about new cultures and gaining new life experiences.

Currently, I’m working on a feature film that I wrote based on a unique chapter in my life, a docu-series, and a few commercial projects with narrative elements. I love what I do, and the projects I’m working on have brought me incredible opportunities for growth in my career and personal life.

My favorite part about creating in this medium is its ability to connect audiences in such an intimate way. People who might never meet in real life have an opportunity to learn about each other through storytelling. We humans, as diverse as we are, have many more similarities than most people would expect.

Film isn’t just a transfer of stories but also a language that communicates feelings. I think it’s so important to tell stories that help create empathy in our society because that is when we are the strongest, most compassionate, and loving. And at the end of the day, isn’t love the only true thing that matters in life?

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think being motivated, hard-working, and personable helped me the most so far in my career.

To put in the work it takes to be successful, you have to love what you do. This is what motivated me to get up a couple hours earlier or stay up late to make a project perfect. I truly love what I do. I’m proud of my work, and I want to do the best that I can given whatever circumstances I’m up against.

So motivation is very important, and it goes hand-in-hand with hard work. There are days when it will be tough. You will be tired, cranky, and emotional. Being able to surpass those feelings and look at the bigger picture will get you through it. And the way you handle those days will tell the people around you what kind of person you are and how much you value them.

Which brings me to attitude. It is so important to have a positive way of thinking and a problem-solving attitude, rather than a negative one. Everything in life is relationships. Clients, colleagues, employees, friends — they all want to feel good when you’re working together. They want to feel safe, and they need to know they can trust you for things to succeed.

I say this all the time, but I would much rather hire someone who has a B skillset but an A+ attitude than someone with an A+ skillset and a C or D attitude. Skills can be learned and developed, but it’s not so easy to change someone’s personality. There will be challenges in any project, including time and budget constraints. Random things might go wrong. How you handle those obstacles and how you make the people around you feel when these things happen says wonders about who you are as a person.

If you maintain self-control when times get tough and treat the people around you with respect, that will be remembered. You will get more work and more responsibility because of this.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
I think one of the best things that my parents did was allow me to fly the nest without any guilt or fear. They understood that what would make me happiest was to follow my dreams, build my own life, and make something of myself. We only have one opportunity in this lifetime to do something we love and find happiness or fulfillment.

I grew up in a small town in Ohio, and I moved to California in my early 20s right after college. I had no money, no connections, just one suitcase and the delusion that I would figure it all out and everything would be okay. Spoiler — it’s turned out great so far!

I wasn’t afraid to take risks because I always felt supported by my family and my friends. I knew that there would be people behind me no matter what decisions I made. I knew that leaving my home wouldn’t anger anyone or make me feel remorse. I was free to live the life that I chose.

Unfortunately, not everyone has this support, and I am well aware of this. I’m so grateful to my parents for instilling this mentality within me. You really can do anything if you put your mind to it and give it an honest try.

Don’t get me wrong there have been challenges in my life, major obstacles that I’ve faced in both my professional and personal life that almost broke me. But it never did bring me down completely. Because I always had hope, and I just kept pushing through until things got better.

Life beats you up and then puts you back together. That is how we learn and grow. It’s all a part of the journey. With every valley, there’s another mountain to climb and ruminate once you’re at the top again.

To the people out there who might not currently have family or friends in their corner, I hope you remember that you are still free. No matter how you feel, you can find that support in the world. It will take work, but there are people with love to give. You can change your life and make it the one you want. We all have that power within us.

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