FOLLOW A BIG PASSION, DOING WHAT YOU LOVE: THE STORY OF SIMONE POLLASTRI
His blonde curls flap in front of and behind the camera lens because, at just 22 age, Simone Pollastri is both videomaker and model.
By Erika Scafuro
His blonde curls flap in front of and behind the camera lens because, at just 22 age, Simone Pollastri is both videomaker and model. As well as being one the new faces of Bear FW and SS campaign.
Listening to Simone tell the path that led him to work as a video director for very famous fashion brands and influential names, it is clear what his virtue has been: the determination of those with a big passion. This young man from Modena, who moved to Milan, pursuing the desire to communicate through videos created the path that has already allowed him to stand out in a constantly evolving world of work.
Your job is videomaker, but you work as a model too. What did you discover about yourself staying in front of and behind the camera lens?
“It all started with a strong passion for videomaking. I was very passionate about the world of cinema, video, travel. After my studies I started to work in a small communication agency, purely as a videomaker, and after a year of experience I moved to Milan. Here I came in contact with a fashion agency, which is the current one that represents me as a talent and model. So I found myself doing work both behind and in front of the camera. If I have honestly to tell you which one I prefer, I can’t tell because each brings different experiences. I like being behind the camera because it made me discover a more creative part of me, it formed me a lot; I like having total freedom to express what’s on my mind and then bring it to life with videos. On the model side I like it because I see it more as a life experience, which allows you to grow. It introduces you to new people and in any case you always work in very comfortable environments with easy-going people who put you at ease, so it’s one of the many aspects I like to be in front of the camera for”.
You are 22 years old. So young yet you already worked as a videomaker you for important fashion brands, with influential names, creating campaigns and music videos. What was the personal and studying path that led you to achieve these goals?
“As a videomaker I have not done a real course of study. It all started as a passion, which I have carried forward over time, slowly, as a self-taught, informing myself, studying. It was mostly a passion that led me to study the use of programs and then it happened that I has been lucky enough to be able to transform this passion into a work. I immediately put myself to the test, from there my journey began. From my city, Modena, I moved to Milan and here born new opportunities: you meet people, you start to collaborate with new clients. Fortunately it went quite well, now I can say that I have collaborated with renowned brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Guess, Liu Jo. I am so proud of this”.
When did you realize that videomaking would be your job?
“Still now yes, I see it as a work because in any case it is, but being born for me as a strong passion when I sit in front of the computer is not like working. In the sense I like it, I’m lucky to do a job that’s my passion. Yes, it is work, but also fun because it allows me to express what I want to communicate through videos and creativity. I like this aspect of the video”.
You recently worked as a model for Bear latest campaign, wearing FW and SS clothing. Tell us an unprecedented aspect of this experience and your link with surfing, when and where did it start?
“The bond with surfing was my brother when he returned home after a six month experience in Australia and he gave me this strong passion. So I also discovered that I am linked to the world of surfing both as a discipline, but more for the context. Surfing allows you to meet new people and, if you have the opportunity, to travel a lot; it is something that fascinates in addition to make friends all over the world. As for Bear’s campaign, I was really happy because it was such a great week of shooting. I worked with really good professionals who eventually turned out to be great friends because after shooting all day we were having dinner laughing and joking, watching contents, photos and videos and it was really good. There were many funny moments during the campaign, but an unprecedented aspect concerns the joke they played on me during one of the last shooting days. Since I hate swim briefs, they made me believe I had to shoot with a swim brief that was actually out of sample. But they did this joke to make me pose with a swim brief. Luckily these photos won’t come out, but it was a lot of fun!”.
You travel often for work and in stunning places, which is your favorite?
“I was very fascinated by a trip I took last year to America…I had never been to Los Angeles and Palm Springs before. These are places that have truly remained in my heart. More than anything else because we are used to see them in movies, then when you are there, you discover that there are a lot of wonderful places to see and visit, not just the most touristic ones. But in reality the place that I carry most in my heart, even if it may seem weird, is Sardinia. The place where I have spent all the summers since I was a child. For me Sardinia is a second home and spending the summers there is a wonderful thing because knowing it since a kid you know places in addition to the usual tourist beaches that also allow you to isolate yourself a bit and look the wildest part of the island that is truly wonderful”.
How do you stand out in an increasingly competitive world of work?
“This is a beautiful question. In reality, I never asked myself this question because things came, let’s say, one after the other. I think the important thing is not to distort oneself, to stay the same, to have both short and long-term work goals. But the first thing is to remain oneself, not try to change or be changed by what the world of fashion can be, which in any case always goes very fast and maybe one day you go well, the next day no more. What I feel like saying is precisely the importance of stay the same and setting yourself short-term goals that make you grateful for what you are doing”.
What are the next projects you will be involved in?
“These days I am working on other video campaigns that will be out soon. There will be another big campaign, again as regards my work as a videomaker that we should go and shoot – Covid permitting – outside Italy, in Morocco. We hope to be able to complete it because we have been postponing it for a couple of months. While an upcoming project, as regards the appearance as a model in front of the camera, perhaps we will go and shoot a campaign in the mountains for an endurance sports brand with snowboards. It will be a very nice experience because I like a lot snowboarding in winter. We hope that it can be completed because obviously in this period it is difficult to make plans”.
