When Creative Director started out in the music industry, he had no idea where he’d be today. Doing what he describes as “bits and pieces of the creative process” and capturing content for artists via video and photography was his first glimpse into a future he hadn’t necessarily planned for. “I was doing like a ton of video editing.
I got into graphic design,” he tells UPROXX. “I started working on cover art from there. I got into music video direction after a couple of years of being around artists and networking.
” Those connections he made combined with a comfort behind the camera – not to mention the symbiotic relationship he was able to easily build between himself and musicians – “snowballed into other opportunities” and he was able to put on live shows for artists. Fast-forward to now, Martinez has worked with the likes of Rauw Alejandro, , Bad Bunny, 6lack, and more to bring their creative ideas to life. From 3D animation to branding merch design and experience production, his creative house, STURDY, has become a one-stop shop for musicians who want start to finish creative handling of their campaigns.
Ahead of receiving the Spotlight Award for excellence in creative direction at for the , we spoke to Martinez about how his creative intuition and love for music pushed him into a self-made career and what he’s most excited to create next. I got an opportunity, which was at the end of 2016, to work with PARTYNEXTDOOR on his second tour. He let .