Film Program Alum Felix Sauermann Running His Own Business

Felix Sauermann is not someone who waits around for things to happen; he goes out and creates the opportunity himself. After graduating from the Film program at The Los Angeles Film School, Felix founded his own production company: Project52 Media. His clients include GUESS Jeans and TOMS Shoes. Project52 is working on a new campaign with GUESS. They are searching for a new model and face for the company – Project52 Media has been tasked to handle the video portion of the campaign consisting of three videos and trailers. Project52 shot and edited the video for World Sight Day, an event organized by the World Health Organization and sponsored by TOMS.
Before enrolling in the film program, Felix actually wasn’t aware that filmmaking was something you could study or even pursue as a career. After moving back to California he started his research on film schools. Once he took a tour of the facility and met with an admissions rep at the Los Angeles Film School, he knew that this was where he belonged. Previously he had attended Whittier College for a degree in industrial design. He knew that a traditional 4 year school wasn’t something he’d want to do, so the film program was a perfect fit.
Being new to the world of Film, Felix “paid attention to everything”. It was important for him to break things down into its elements and reassemble them. Always having had an affinity for things of technical nature and photography it made sense to start as a camera operator.

You get to see the movie right then and there. You’re right in the middle of everything.
He spent a considerable amount of time on the Cinematography stage soaking up every bit of knowledge Charles Rose had to offer. Encouraged to pursue screenwriting by Linda Cowgill, Felix eventually finished the script for his thesis film “Wish You Were Here”. In preparation for the production Felix discovered his passion for directing in close collaboration with James Pasternak and Simone Bartesaghi. Having operated the camera on many films, Felix enjoyed piecing together a story shot by shot. The editing process seemed like a natural extension and the film turned out to be a success at the festivals.

Felix had originally started in the accelerated program and switched to the extended program when it became apparent he wanted more time and to take full advantage of all the recourses available. The time spent at the Writer’s Guild, Cinematography Guild and Producing Guild proved to be some of the most valuable.
The teachers care. And I mean really care… I like to think that I arrived as a student and left as a friend.
Felix has been fortunate to have a multitude of multifaceted and talented people on the team as well as plenty of referrals and recommendations. While also doing their own productions, Project52 is a community of filmmakers that is represented by one entity. Their purpose is to make it easier for people to approach a group of talented people and find the skill that suits their demands. Project52 pairs professionals with projects and the other way around. This method allows them to tackle a wide variety of projects since they are able to tailor the team to the clients’ demands.
Now that Felix is running Project52 Media, he is able to produce his own projects and has a lot of great things in the pipeline, including a web series titled “Invisible Rock Stars” as well as a documentary for the LAPD about a new program which prepares high school students for a career in law enforcement.
The process of starting a company was challenging – but in the end all worth it. Building a team and working with smart, creative people has been very rewarding and the company only continues to grow.
It’s better to collaborate and let people do their thing. With Project52, we have so many talented people on our team who each have their areas of expertise… You don’t want to interfere with the creative process once a common goal is in sight.