The Creative Gap

In this episode of The Creative Gap Podcast, filmmaker and YouTuber Matt Aitia opens up about risk, identity, and the long road toward creative ownership. The conversation begins with a reflection on resilience, patience, and betting on yourself when there are no guarantees. Matt breaks down his approach to goal-setting, consistency on YouTube, and why process matters more than surface-level metrics. He shares how stepping away from steady lighting work forced him to confront fear, redefine success, and rebuild his identity beyond job titles. A major focus of the episode is his short film Get Up, Try Again—from self-funding and committing real money, to directing for the first time, navigating anxiety, post-production setbacks, and learning when to “kill your darlings.” Together, the conversation explores mentorship, networking as relationship-building (not transactions), the emotional cost of creative transitions, and why sustainability—not status—is the real measure of success. It’s an honest look at what it means to keep creating, even when certainty disappears.

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WATCH TRAIN GET UP, TRY AGAIN ON YOUTUBE ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ho6585isjY

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Matt Aitia:  ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠
Carlo: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠
The Creative Gap:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠
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In this episode, Nica Fazio shares a grounded and honest look at what it truly takes to grow in the film industry. After moving from another country to New York, she reflects on the non-linear reality of building a career on set—navigating visas, cultural shifts, and the challenge of starting from zero in an unfamiliar industry. Rather than relying on shortcuts or titles, Nica’s path has been shaped by persistence, curiosity, and showing up with humility. Alongside her growth as a working grip and electric, she has also built an authentic presence on social media, using it as a tool to share her experiences, educate, and encourage others. Through this visibility, Nica has become an inspiration to many women around the world, showing that a career in film—especially in technical departments—is not only possible, but attainable. Her story is a powerful reminder that film careers are built slowly, through kindness, trust, and the courage to keep going when the path isn’t clear.

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Nica Fazio:  ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Community Instagram
Carlo: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠
The Creative Gap:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠
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⚙️ GEAR USED TO MAKE THIS PODCAST:
Rodecaster Pro II:⁠⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/3RluSeV⁠⁠⁠
Rode Podmic:⁠⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/3RpaR77⁠⁠⁠
Mic Stand:⁠⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/4caJUfi⁠⁠⁠
Camera 1:⁠⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/45h5E7b⁠⁠⁠
Camera 2:⁠⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/45g8iKx⁠⁠⁠
Light:⁠⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/3KK6XSt⁠

In this episode of The Creative Gap, cinematographer Adolpho Veloso reflects on the long arc of a creative career—moving from instinct and innocence to experience, restraint, and trust. Through stories from Train Dreams, he shares how embracing limitations, trusting instinct, and reconnecting with early creative innocence helped him find freedom again—both on set and in life. This episode explores how growth as a DP is deeply tied to growth as a human—learning patience, accepting imperfection, and understanding that the film is always bigger than any single decision or mistake (you make). The conversation explores choosing projects with intention, leading through calm and collaboration, navigating limitations as creative fuel, and redefining success beyond technical perfection. At its core, this episode is about presence: on set, in relationships, and in life. This episode is less about how to shoot a film and more about how to live alongside the work without losing yourself in the process.

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WATCH TRAIN DREAMS ON NETFLIX ► https://www.netflix.com/title/82020378

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Adolpho Veloso, ABC, AIP:  ⁠⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠⁠Website⁠
Carlo: ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠
The Creative Gap:⁠⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠ ⁠Youtube⁠⁠
____________________________________________________
⚙️ GEAR USED TO MAKE THIS PODCAST:
Rodecaster Pro II:⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/3RluSeV⁠⁠
Rode Podmic:⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/3RpaR77⁠⁠
Mic Stand:⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/4caJUfi⁠⁠
Camera 1:⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/45h5E7b⁠⁠
Camera 2:⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/45g8iKx⁠⁠
Light:⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/3KK6XSt⁠

In this episode, Todd Banhazl reflects on cinematography as both a craft and a place of meaning, emphasizing that a DP’s real responsibility goes far beyond the image—it’s about creating a safe, trusting, and energized environment where people can do their best work. He and Carlo talk through leadership learned by failing and repairing, why attitude and emotional awareness matter as much as talent, and how early alignment with directors and departments prevents creative conflict later on. They explore the tension between saying yes out of fear versus curating projects with intention, the shifting definition of “independent film” in a streaming-driven industry, and the importance of protecting taste, patience, and process in a culture that moves too fast. The conversation closes with a grounded perspective on joy and priorities, as Todd shares how fatherhood and family have reshaped how he chooses work—and clarified which projects are truly worth the time and energy they demand.

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Todd Banhazl, ASC.:  ⁠⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠⁠Website⁠
Carlo: ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠
The Creative Gap:⁠⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠ ⁠Youtube⁠⁠
____________________________________________________
⚙️ GEAR USED TO MAKE THIS PODCAST:
Rodecaster Pro II:⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/3RluSeV⁠⁠
Rode Podmic:⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/3RpaR77⁠⁠
Mic Stand:⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/4caJUfi⁠⁠
Camera 1:⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/45h5E7b⁠⁠
Camera 2:⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/45g8iKx⁠⁠
Light:⁠ ⁠https://amzn.to/3KK6XSt⁠

This last episode of 2025 is really just me taking a breath and looking back. All year, I’ve had the chance to sit across from people I genuinely admire and listen to their stories — not just the wins, but the doubts, the fear, the growing pains, and the parts of their lives they don’t always share publicly. Without realizing it at first, those conversations started shaping how I see my own life and the way I want to move into this next year. What stood out to me was how similar the lessons were, even though everyone’s path looked different: there’s no linear road, only commitment; kindness matters more than we think; sustainability beats burnout; fear never really leaves, but experience teaches you how to keep going anyway; and at the end of it all, people matter more than projects. This episode isn’t about having it all figured out — it’s about recognizing where we are right now, finding peace in the process, and reminding ourselves that if we’re stepping into a new year feeling unsure, tired, or hopeful but unclear, we’re not behind. We’re just starting again.

JOIN CIVA COLLECTIVE ► https://www.civacollective.com/
USE THE CODE: TCG20 TO RECEIVE 20% OFF "THE FOUNDATION" MEMBERSHIP
Carlo: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠
The Creative Gap:⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠⁠ |⁠ ⁠Youtube⁠⁠
____________________________________________________
⚙️ GEAR USED TO MAKE THIS PODCAST:
Rodecaster Pro II: ⁠https://amzn.to/3RluSeV⁠
Rode Podmic: ⁠https://amzn.to/3RpaR77⁠
Mic Stand: ⁠https://amzn.to/4caJUfi⁠
Camera 1: ⁠https://amzn.to/45h5E7b⁠
Camera 2: ⁠https://amzn.to/45g8iKx⁠
Light: ⁠https://amzn.to/3KK6XSt⁠