Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcelo Bukin.
( To visit the article ckick this link: Go to VoyageMIA Magazine )
Hi Marcelo, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a director & filmmaker creating commercials, documentaries & original films. The way I nurtured my career had an atypical start. At 19 years old, after my studies in technical architecture, I left my beautiful home country Argentina for an adventure: a sabbatical year backpacking all over Europe, and that trip totally changed my life turning into four years of expeditions across the world… After Europe, I hitchhiked in remote villages in Africa, traveled in the Middle East, trained martial arts in Korea and Thailand, worked and lived in Tokyo Japan, studied yoga and meditation in India, traveled around South America, and visited many other countries – always meeting extremely diverse people, both travelers and locals, which made me connect in totally new ways with others – and with myself – realizing we are all much more alike than different, and that passion for human connection is something I bring to all my films and projects.
After those years of travel and experimentation, I based myself in Barcelona, Spain, where I studied film direction and acting and started my career as a director. My first professional film campaign won many awards around the world, including the IDA Award in Los Angeles, which brought me to base myself in the highly dynamic New York City where I lived and worked for many years. During the pandemic, I came to visit Miami for some months and fell in love with the energy, the new cultural vibe and the lifestyle here, and adopted Miami as my new main home. I keep on working with New York and internationally while operating from warm South Beach.
My style merges a highly artistic and conceptual approach with dynamic rhythm and humanity, and I apply that to most of my films, commercials, and creative projects. I am working with global brands like Knorr, Intel, Hellmann’s, Starbucks, SONY, and many others, and I am so excited about the new work I am starting to do locally as well, Miami is becoming a multicultural hub and I am thrilled to be part of it and contribute to this vibrant new period.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Struggles, Obstacles?? Never! Not even one ;). Life without obstacles is just not real life. And I always discuss this with my teams and collaborators. The point is not to not have obstacles or “problems”, the thing is what do we do with them. How do we approach these challenges?
For me, every project is a beautiful new creative opportunity, like a white canvas for a painter, and I surround myself with extremely smart A players, top professionals in the field, which are also loving human beings. My team becomes my family and we share a tremendous drive, passion and dedication for the creative process to achieve true success in multidimensional levels – and we also support each other when any bump in the roadshow up. When you have a real supportive team with aligned values, we overpower challenges with ease, and what is actually truly interesting is that during the creative process many times these challenges become opportunities: new ideas or creative solutions appear and if you are open to them end up enriching and elevating the projects.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I direct commercials and branded content films, which are the “new wave” of commercial films, where brands – instead of trying to “sell you hard” a product – engage their audiences with gripping cinematic content, connecting their communities and customers with entertainment and emotions.
I also direct documentaries, I am developing fiction films and I am constantly embarking myself in creative projects and new collaborations. I am also developing projects where I put myself in front of the camera, I worked as a showman for five years and I am excited to bring that creative angle back.
I am known for a stylized filmmaking visual approach with vibrant humanity, my expertise is to make people feel extremely comfortable in front of the camera, like if they were talking to a close friend in an intimate conversation, and that translates in authentic deliveries and genuine connection.
I partner with my clients and collaborators bringing to life, connecting – and many times rediscovering – the true DNA of each project. Sometimes the key goals are slightly hidden, and as we live immersed in extremely busy lifestyles people tend to copy & paste another films or projects. I always aim to bring an original approach to each new “baby” so it’s original, unique and memorable. When we all align with the mission, the “soul of the story,” then we can team up with the best artists and technicians to develop and play with creativity on so many levels. It’s a beautiful process.
Some highlights are a recent commercial film campaign I directed for Unilever’s food brand Knorr, an international project for agency MRM McCann shot in Japan, Brazil and Costa Rica partnering with SONY, P&G and Olympus, and humanitarian films for Global Humanitaria portraying beautiful children in tragic situations, which received many awards including the IDA Award and an Oscar consideration via DocuWeeks.
How do you think about luck?
The role of “luck” in my life? Like with “inspiration,” I believe you have to do your part so luck can also join you while achieving your goals. Picasso is the one that said: “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” I believe the same applies to luck.
When I want something in life, I just go for it, and with hard work and determination usually a great match or solution appears; a new idea, the right partner or the perfect team for the project shows up. For example, with my collaborators we design very solid creative and production plans, with ultra-sharp scripts and goals, at the same time creative surprises are always welcomed when they serve and add to our mission, the mystery of life and creativity has its own magic.
I do believe we attract the right ideas, people and situations when we approach life and projects from a dedicated, creative and meaningful win-win approach, and I am so excited about the new people and projects that are showing up in my life now in Miami.