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The Visual Vandal

Human // Queens NYC


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Biography


THE VISUAL VANDAL’S BIO:

CHRISTIAN SAN MARTIN AKA “POOKIERAZZI” WAS BORN AND RAISED IN QUEENS, NY. GROWING UP IN A SINGLE PARENT HOME, HE WAS NO STRANGER TO STRUGGLE AND LACKING A FATHER FIGURE IN HIS LIFE, HIS TALENTS EVENTUALLY LED HIM TO THE STREETS. HIS EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIS CREATIVE ABILITY STARTED WITH A SKETCHBOOK IN WHICH HE WOULD SIT FOR HOURS DRAWING HIS FAVORITE CARTOON CHARACTERS. SOME LOCAL KIDS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WOULD INVITE HIM TO GO “GRAFFING” OR “BOMBING” WITH THEM. GRAFFITI ALONG WITH ART & MUSIC WERE OUTLETS FOR HIM IN WHICH HE FULLY EMBRACED. AS A TEEN, CHRISTIAN AND HIS FRIEND WOULD HANGOUT WITH A LOCAL BARBER BY THE NAME OF JUGANOT WHO AT THE TIME HELPED CARRY CRATES FOR THE THEN LOCAL DJ CAMILO. CHRISTIAN OFFERED TO HELP TOO IN EXCHANGE FOR FREE ENTRANCE TO THE CLUBS CAMILO PERFORMED IN. HE ALSO LANDED A JOB AT A VIDEO STORE AND IN HIS FREE TIME WATCHED MOVIES OF ALL GENRES. THIS WOULD BE WHERE HIS LOVE OF FILM WOULD BEGIN. HE EVEN DABBLED IN FASHION FOR A WHILE. FIRST AS A PARTNER FOR FRANK & BEANS WHICH WAS SOLD OUT OF MICHAEL K, AND THEN IN 2001 WITH HIS OWN HAND PAINTED CLOTHING LINE, COLOR SKEME.

ONE NIGHT AT A CLUB, JUGANOT WAS TIRED OF WALKING AROUND TAKING PICTURES AND HANDED HIM THE CAMERA TO FINISH SHOOTING. AT WHAT FIRST FELT AWKWARD FOR CHRISTIAN, THE REVIEW OF THE PICTURES AT THE END OF THE NIGHT WOULD PROVE HE HAD NATURAL TALENT AS A PHOTOGRAPHER. ON HIS FIRST ATTEMPT HE HAD LANDED A JOB. HE WORKED FOR CAMILO FOR FREE FOR A YEAR UNTIL HE WAS ADDED AS A PAID EMPLOYEE. HIS PICTURES SERVED AS MARKETING STRATEGY FOR THE SITE. EVERYONE WANTED A PICTURE FROM CHRISTIAN, WHO WAS NOW KNOWN IN THE NIGHT LIFE SCENE AS “POOKIE”. WITHOUT ANY FORMAL TRAINING HE WAS GAINING NOTORIETY FOR THE QUALITY FOR HIS PICTURES. HE EVENTUALLY HAD A FEATURE ON THE SITE APTLY TITLED POOKIES PIC OF THE WEEK. HE HAS TRAVELED THE WORLD ALONGSIDE HOT 97’S OWN “INTERNATIONAL CLUB KING” DJ CAMILO, TAKING PICTURES OF CLUB GOERS IN DIFFERENT CULTURES. ALTHOUGH HE WAS ALREADY BECOMING A LOCAL CELEBRITY, HE WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING MORE. AFTER TAKING ADVICE FROM A FRIEND TO PURSUE A DEGREE IN PHOTOGRAPHY, HE DECIDED TO CHECK OUT THE ART INSTITUTE OF NYC. IT WAS THERE HE REALIZED HE WANTED TO PURSUE NOT PHOTOGRAPHY BUT VIDEO PRODUCTION. SEEING AS HOW MOST OF HIS JOBS RELATED TO FILM IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, IT WAS A NATURAL CHOICE.

CHRISTIAN GRADUATED FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF NYC WITH A 3.5 GPA IN VIDEO PRODUCTION. THE FIRST SHORT FILMS HE CREATED ESTABLISHED HIM AS A GUERILLA STYLE FILM MAKER. NAMING MARTIN SCORSESE AND ALEJANDRO GONZÁLEZ IÑÁRRITU AS HIS INFLUENCES, HIS GOAL AS A FILM MAKER IS TO BRING BACK TRUE ORIGINALITY TO MODERN FILMS. TWO OF CHRISTIANS SHORT FILMS HAVE BEEN SCREENED IN THE TRIBECA THEATER (THE NEIGHBOR, 2008 AND NOTHING TO SAY, 2010). IN 2009 HE SHOT BEHIND THE SCENE FOOTAGE FOR ALL KIDS ACCESS AT THE TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE HE WAS WORKING WITH DIFFERENT UNDERGROUND ARTISTS SUCH AS JUGANOT, JOELL ORTIZ, SENSATO DEL PATIO & CRISTION D’OR, JUST TO NAME A FEW. RECENTLY,HE HAS BEEN DOING VIDEO PRODUCTION FOR SEND 2 PRINT AND HAS WORKED FOR LATIN MIXX AND STRAIGHT STUNTIN’ MAGAZINE. AS WELL AS, VIDEO EDITING FOR COMPLEX.COM AND FLUD WATCHES. CHRISTIAN’S FILMS AND IMAGES HAVE BEEN FEATURED ON MANY WEBSITES SUCH AS ONSMASH.COM, THISIS50.COM,& WORLDSTARHIPHOP.COM PLUS MANY MORE. IN 2010 CHRISTIAN LAUNCHED HIS OWN WEBSITE, POOKIERAZZI.COM.

REFUSING TO FALL VICTIM TO A STATISTIC OF HIS SURROUNDINGS, CHRISTIAN SAN MARTIN HAS PREVAILED IN OVERCOMING HIS STRUGGLES IN ORDER TO FOLLOW HIS DREAMS. THE FUTURE IS PROMISING FOR THIS TALENTED & AMBITIOUS DIRECTOR/PHOTOGRAPHER/EDITOR FROM QUEENS.

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Booking


Agency The Visual Vandal

Email pookierazzi@gmail.com

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