Over a decade ago, Cristina Valdivieso and Jon Connor discovered something that piqued their interest. With the explosion of social media and the introduction of DSLR cameras, the filmmaking community seemed more accessible and active than ever but something was missing.
While people seemed to be connecting from all corners of the globe online, we saw a lack of opportunities to cultivate new knowledge and gather with fellow filmmakers in real life.
Sure, you could learn a lot of the technical side of filmmaking through blogs, books and online tutorials but there wasn’t a place where filmmakers could get mentorship from some of the leading minds in the industry while making meaningful connections with peers in a down to earth environment.
From there, an idea was born. Since there was no easy path for filmmakers to get a seat at the table, what if we just built our own table and invited everyone. The first Masters in Motion was a huge hit and we have continued to build on that initial success. Every year Masters in Motion continues to evolve and the community that is the foundation of the event continues to grow along with it. In the last 10 years, Masters in Motion has become one of the most well respected filmmaking events in the world. We are honored to have people traveling internationally to attend the event. It is also very humbling to have Academy Award winners, ASC and ACE members, Sundance award winners, and filmmakers from all walks of life take time out of their busy schedules to come hang out and educate, entertain and inspire us every year. We look forward to continuing this journey with all of you.
When they’re not working on Masters In Motion, Cristina and Jon keep themselves busy raising two fierce young ladies. They also co-founded Vamonos Post, a post-production company specializing in documentary feature films from pitch to premiere. Known for their storytelling chops, relentless work ethic, and unique point of view, they have become a highly sought-after editing team for feature documentaries. Their work editing alongside Bill Murray earned “New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization” an Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021 and a Golden Eye nomination. They recently collaborated with Academy Award winner Adam McKay on a feature documentary set to be released on HBO this December.
Our staff
Making Masters in Motion happen every year is very similar to producing an independent film. There are logistics, gear rentals, location scouting, scheduling and a lot of hard work behind the scenes. Much like making a film, it would be impossible without a great team. Without the help of of our kick ass crew who believe in us, our vision and the Masters In Motion community none of this would be possible.