CLA Alumni Spotlight: Joel Delgado (’14)

Filmmaker. Photographer. Storyteller.

Communication Studies major and film studies minor Joel Delgado (’14) has had a passion for powerful creative communication since his days at CSU. From starting his own film and photo production company to working with NBCUniversal as a media technician for their international broadcasting division, he has honed his craft since he graduated.

What do you do for work?

I’m very mindful of my perception and how I frame things in my life so the goals I’m trying to accomplish and projects I’m a part of are less “work” and more “things I want to achieve.”

I’m a part of the international media operations department of NBCUniversal, working with their quality control team which involves both technical understanding of audio/visual content and worldwide compliance standards.

I also own and operate my own media production company, Panoptic Productions LLC, where I create photos, videos, edits, and sell prints. The type of content I make is universal – from music videos to headshots to long-form documentary films. That’s why I chose the name “panoptic,” which means “to see the whole from one view.” I could never find my niche, so I opened myself up to take on everything that came my way.

What do you do outside of work (hobbies, volunteering, community involvement, etc.)?

I love shooting street and architecture film photography. I created my first photo zine with photos from my trip to the Philippines and it sold out three times! I have five other folders on my desktop filled with photographs I want to develop into zines and collage art. Additionally, when the Denver Film Festival comes around, I like to volunteer for that and meet other filmmakers and film-lovers in the city.

How does your liberal arts degree play a role in those?

My liberal arts degree is so versatile. I apply it to everything! Understanding the concepts of communication helps me navigate the corporate world of NBC. Being mindful of how I present my ideas is important both creating things that will last forever on the internet and working with clients.

I’m especially grateful to have learned the art and philosophy of film with my film studies minor. When I sat down, watched and digested dozens of diverse films, breaking down and learning why the filmmaker made each choice, I began to understand the film language.

What are you most proud of (personally and/or professionally)?

I’m most proud of the first short narrative film I directed, produced, shot, and edited on a shoestring budget. It’s a dark comedy called Limbo, and it’s about a dead man’s turmoil in purgatory, adapted from the classic poem The Divine Comedy. We had only three actors, two locations, and we didn’t even record field audio. It wasn’t easy. Yet in those sacred moments in between “action” and “cut,” everyone in the room collectively and simultaneously is creating art. There’s a word in music theory called “tutti,” which is the moment when every instrument plays at the same time—and in that moment you’re levitating.

What story about your career or life would you like to share with other alumni and/or current CSU students?

What I’d like to share with others is to take the leap! There will be moments when you’re on the fence about doing something. Do it. You don’t want to ask yourself, “What if?”

After graduating from CSU, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue film production. Through communicating, networking, and showing up when it’s most important, I landed my first job on set for a feature film. As a production assistant, I soaked in everything. I asked questions and made friends. I learned about the film business. I got involved. It was all new to me, and I embraced it. I was scared, yet I took the risk emotionally and financially and gained so much in return. Wherever you’re uncertain, go that way!

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself?

One challenge I face is allowing time for myself. Nobody has time, we make time. We should all make time for ourselves and others and remind ourselves that we are exactly where we need to be right here and now.

The CSU Department of Communication Studies in the College of Liberal Arts is dedicated to teaching, researching, and advancing how communication in all its forms shapes identity, community, and culture. Housed within the Department of Communication Studies, the film studies minor is an interdisciplinary academic discipline that deals with historical, theoretical, and critical approaches to analyzing film.