Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Mason
Hi Josh, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My independent film company, Mason Studios was founded in 2005. I got my start in filmmaking and video production making short films for class projects in high school. I fell in love with the process of filmmaking and after graduation I started developing longer form original films and YouTube videos. Fast forward to today and Mason Studios is now an award winning film studio that has become most well known for producing fan films and cosplay music videos at various comic cons around the country. Our 2018 Tomb Raider fan film, “Croft: Legend of the Tomb Raider” currently has nearly 150,000 views on YouTube and received official recognition from the game developers at Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics. That same year, I was lucky enough to have several cameo roles playing myself in Aldo Jone’s Weird Trailers on YouTube. Those Aldo Jones videos all went viral raking in millions of views and brought new fans to my channel. In 2023, I wrote and directed a Mario Bros. fan film titled “Super Mario Bros: Back in the Game” that was nominated in 6 categories at the Fan Film Director’s Choice Awards and it took home the award for “Best Comedy/Parody”. Our cosplay music videos are also very popular and my most recent one from Days of the Dead in Atlanta featured Jackson Robert Scott who played Georgie in the recent “IT” films so that was really cool getting to work with him on a project. Marketing my films allowed me to develop my marketing skills which led to me starting my own digital marketing agency, “Masonite Digital Marketing” in 2021.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been a smooth road as I have been entirely self taught and I’m from a small town where filmmaking isn’t even on most people’s radar. It can also be difficult at times when dealing with unprofessional actors or actresses that are more concerned with their own personal petty drama than with what I’m focused on which is creating art and building an empire. You also have to deal with people who become very envious and will try to tear you down instead of taking what you’ve accomplished and seeing it as a source of inspiration to pursue their own goals. When I make movies, it’s simply to create something entertaining or to prove to myself I can achieve something. I never do it worried about what anyone else thinks. I would encourage everyone to pursue what they love doing no matter where they’re from or who tells them no. Consistency is key. You’ll always be terrible the first day you start working toward achieving anything, but without that first day/first step, you’ll never reach the 5,000th day where you doing what you dreamed of. I’m very passionate about movies and filmmaking so no matter how difficult it is, I will continue to do it until the day I die. I’m very thankful for those who support me and look forward to continuing to do what I love.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m most proud of standing apart from most other independent filmmakers. Most of them seem to be very focused on creating artsy films that focus on films being art first and entertainment second. In many cases I question whether they consider films to be entertainment at all. I’m the opposite and see film as entertainment first and art second. My favorite director is Michael Bay and I draw a lot of inspiration from him when making my own films. When I go to the cinema, it’s usually to escape to another world and be shown something fun and exciting. Not to be put to sleep with the millionth coffee house film shot in black and white with a dull narration and no explosions, ninjas, or dinosaurs shooting lasers in sight. If I wanted that experience I would just take some NyQuil for the same effect. Nothing against people who enjoy those types of films. I’m open to watching all types of films but those art house movies just usually aren’t for me.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My Pomeranian, Rey Rey. Because she’s a dog and dogs are better than people. Not even an opinion. Just a fact.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.masonitemarketing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_masonite/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoshMasonStudios
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MasonStudios
