Meet Vincent Veloso

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vincent Veloso. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Vincent, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

My purpose is ongoing and always going through refinements and adjustments.  Stephen Covey describes one of the habits of highly effective people  as ‘beginning with the end in mind.’ One’s purpose or end can deviate or change over  a lifetime, but there are themes, interests, passions that each of us can cultivate and nurture.Introspection and intuition can help play a part, determining the end, a course of action and one’s direction and purpose in life. There are many aspects of life where you can find a purpose in the areas of health, wealth, career, relationships, etc.  

In determining my overall life  contribution and purpose in my career, for example,  from a young age I was interested in making music, films, acting and writing. They were hobbies or interests I would pursue. Performing in school Jazz band and Marching band in middle and high school were activities that I found joy in.  When I was in high school, I started taking music more seriously,  attending a music camp at Eastman school of music,  then a Jazz music camp at William Paterson University. It was then I decided to major in music in college and that decision lead me to touring around the world with different music acts. Acting and screenwriting came later through synchronicities.

In the book, “The Celestine Prophecy” there is a timeline exercise where you reflect on past events that you deem significant and look for patterns of successes and challenges, reoccurring interests or obstacles. Reflecting on those patterns can help you determine aspirations or issues to sort out.  Taking time in silence to contemplate and develop and refine your well designed life and purpose moving forward also helps. 

Also, to paraphrase Jim Rohn, one’s philosophy is like the set of a sail that can help you to navigate to your well thought out destination and purpose as you take advantage of the winds of adversity and opportunity. 

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?

Professionally, I am a musician, actor, screenwriter, director and producer. Right now, I am focused on the completion and promotion of upcoming endeavors in my acting, screenwriting and music careers specifically.

I find that music creation, acting and screenwriting are very interrelated and share aspects in creation, promotion and production. I am excited in the process of capturing ideas and transmuting them from thought into a recording or a written final tangible script. When those recordings or sheet music, or words on a page become a finished film or media production it is a very special cathartic undertaking. The collaborative aspect between writers, musicians and actors and production is really miraculous and there are many people I am grateful to and for.

Several of my recent screenplays I’ve co-written have made the Quarterfinals, Honorable Mention and Finals awards of several prominent screenwriting contests and festivals, including the Big Apple film festival & Screenplay Competition, Page Turner Awards, ReelHeART International Script Competition, and Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards

“The Old Brood” by Vincent Veloso & Matt Meinsen
-After a Special forces veteran is murdered at the V.A., the victim’s widow calls on his war buddies to find out who is responsible and avenge his death, which ultimately reveals sinister old wounds and darker secrets.

2024 Big Apple film festival & Screenplay Competition Quarterfinalist

“Half Broods” by Vincent Veloso & Anthony Miller
-A mysterious relative returns with a ring for her niece, attracting a killer cryptid that is obsessed with
resurrecting a malevolent entity.

2024 Page Turner Awards Finalist

“Downsized” Vincent Veloso & Anthony Miller
-The last shift of soon to be laid off workers are mistakenly locked in by a solar storm damaged office A.I. As they unravel bizarre and sinister company secrets, that may save their jobs and their very lives, they must find a way to survive the night, the malfunctioning A.I., and ultimately each other.

2024 Big Apple film festival & Screenplay Competition Honorable Mention

2024 ReelHeART International Script Competition Quarterfinalist

FALL 2023 Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards Quarterfinalist

My band M’lumbo.com, with Rob Flatow (Luther Vandross’s former Keyboardist), Jaz Sawyer, Paul Alexandre Meurens, Brian O’Neill, Cecil Young, has recorded four album’s worth of material over the last four years. I’m looking forward to their upcoming releases. I’ve made music and performed with these great talented friends for 25 years.

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?

One of my mentors, Jason Capital, had mentioned top 3 skills (copywriting, sales closing, public speaking) that helped him in business. These 3 skills helped me as well and are related to important skills in my endeavors (music/acting/screenwriting):

1. Screenwriting/music composing
2. Navigating terms, producing/pitching ,negotiating
3. Communication (live acting or music performance) /persuasion/delivering lines on camera/acting,

Most things can be improved upon and, to quote Marie Forleo, are “figure-out-able.” What gets measured gets managed. Find winning strategies. Adopt them and then adapt them. Associate with successful good organizations, peers, colleagues, mentors, people who have accomplished what you seek to accomplish and improve upon. Read, reflect and experiment.

1. Copy writing has aspects similar to writing/ music composing.
Improving: screenwriting/music composing
Do it. Study it.
Taking writing courses
reading scripts and screenplays
schedule out time to write daily. Keep consistent and keep the streak of daily writing up.

2. Closing has aspects similar to negotiating, navigating terms, producing/pitching

Improving: negotiating, navigating terms, producing
Do it. Study it.
producing, negotiating/navigating terms.
Investigate before you invest (in any endeavor)
Taking business or finance courses,
Seeing who is open to altering terms, price, etc

3. Speaking: communication/persuasion/delivering lines on camera/acting,
Do it. Study it.
Studying and practicing story telling, jokes, improvisation
practicing being concise.
Practicing vocal dynamics and inflection. Emulating speakers, taking
Practicing monologues
Consider getting coaching
Self tape, critique, self reflect on how to improve
Get feedback

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Focal Point by Brian Tracy is a good book that helped in many areas of my life.

Some nuggets of wisdom:

-Always be willing to question your most cherished assumptions

-The more accurate you can be about the ‘what’ , the more productive you can be when you begin on the ‘how’ and the ‘when’

-Simplification, leverage, acceleration, multiplication.

-“Accept complete responsibility for everything you are and everything you will ever be. The acceptance of personal responsibility is what separates the superior person from the average person. Personal responsibility is the preeminent trait of leadership and the wellspring of high performance.

-Accepting complete responsibility for your life means that you refuse to make excuses or blame others for anything in your life that you’re not happy about. You refuse, from this moment forward, to criticize others for any reason. You refuse to complain about your situation or about what has happened in the past. You eliminate all your if-onlys and what-ifs and focus instead on what you really want and where you are going. ”

-Time management is life management.
-Do things of higher value and discontinue activities of lower value.

Ask four key questions (paraphrased)
1. What am I doing right or well?
2. What can I do better at?
3. What should I do more of or start doing?
4. What should I do less of or eliminate?

-Your goals must be clear, written, and specific. they must be believable and achievable. They must be accompanied by written plans and schedules for their accomplishment. You must work on them everyday.

It comes down to Choices: Decisions: Consequences

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Vincent Veloso, Xavmax Multimedia

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