Today we’d like to introduce you to Agron Karameti.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Growing up I was strongly against reading or writing. Sports were the main thing that kept me interested in school.
In college, I was forced to take writing for the feature film class and dreaded it before it started. But I was paying for college so I paid attention from day one and really fell in love with it. I was living in a smaller market and needed the change.
Moving to New York City after college was vital for me. It opened my eyes to great writers, actors, director, and sensational artists. I was always taking my work to different readings and open mics. Challenging myself every day and constantly surrounding myself with august talent.
After five years of writing plays, making films, and doing theater, I wanted to throw myself into the unknown and start over.
I moved to Chicago knowing I needed to prove myself. Worked on a TV series my first year in Chicago and now currently in production for a short film and I’ll have a new play in stores by the end of the calendar year.
Please tell us about your art.
When writing I stand by the motto “follow the fun”. I often start by telling a story with a specific direction planned but get stuck. I’ll revisit the plot and pick the most interesting aspect and focus on that instead.
In my stories, I strive for the truth. Something I connect with is honest people who may have had the short end of the stick and has to keep plugging away to stay ahead. Those are the films I love, and I think that is one of the most relatable stories to anyone.
Any scene I write or direct, I ask what’s the truth and how do we get there? I love dealing with the aftermaths of traumatic events and how life continues. I really want people to feel empathy for characters and understand that there’s two sides of every story.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
I heard this quote once, “Never work with people who always agree with you and never work with people that always disagree with you.” You need to find people that you understand and that understand you. I always look for people that are honest, want to tell stories, and are working for something greater. If you’re a new filmmaker just remember you can’t make great movies alone.
I moved from Philadelphia to Chicago a little over a year ago and initially had a hard time connecting with people to work with. I would make a point to help out on other people’s projects when I could to meet other people in film. After working on a few projects, you began to create a network of people who you like and trust.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My favorite pieces of art have been things that I stumbled across, and with how accessible the internet makes things I really focus on getting my work into the world to be found in the same manner.
I’ve financed most of my work by myself, so it’s always a plus if people watch it through Amazon Prime. I also have it available through Vimeo and am active on social media trying to promote projects. I think that the best way to support an artist is to watch their work and share it with others. It’s the biggest compliment to hear that someone thought that something I made was with sharing with their friends.
I recently co-founded Ten Yards Media, and am working on putting new projects out through that lens in hopes of getting funding for future projects.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.agronkarameti.com
- Email: contact@agronkarameti.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/akarameti
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agron.karameti.98
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