Michael Metzler Jr.

Quick Facts

Program: Film and Cinematic Arts, BA
Graduation Year: 2023
Current Job Title: Creative Content Manager for Instant Hydration
Hometown: Vista, CA
Current City: Carlsbad, CA

Life at CBU

Why did you choose your major or graduate degree program? What interested you in this particular field of study?
Since I was 11 I've been captivated by visual storytelling - pivoting from my dream of acting early on to an emphasis on film directing and writing. At age 12-14 I was buying college textbooks and reading them cover to cover to try learning film theory. Of course, that only took me so far, and I learned the hard way that translating pure theory knowledge to actually making film was far different. But it was a great foundation and not without its upsides. I started making music videos and short films with my siblings around that time too, leaning into learning how to use a camera and get the look closer and closer to how I wanted it to be. My dream was to write and direct feature films one day.

What did you like about being in this program at CBU?
The program at CBU allowed me to be in an environment where making short films was required, pushing me to put my knowledge and theory into practice, getting outside my bubble and fear of using large film equipment and unfamiliar tools like sound recording tools, bigger cameras, and lighting. It was also a great experience to collaborate with fellow filmmakers, help others create their vision, and involve others in helping with mine. It was in my junior year, back from a covid gap year that I made my first film I was proud to make, Simon Says, which was actually just a two-man crew, myself and another student from start to finish, in which I wrote, directed, starred in, DP'd and edited.

What did you think about your professors?
My professors were so approachable. Professor Keaton made me feel comfortable and more engaged in class and was definitely a winner of the "most chill professor" award. He was super nice. Joel Barry was great, and pushed me to think more critically of my screenwriting technique. Professor Croteau was a powerhouse of a theorist, and I loved taking notes and writing in her classes, which pushed me to exercise my thinking skills.

Did you complete an internship or any field work?
I worked as a video marketer for the Recreation Center in my senior year at CBU, in which I created organic social media content to promote the activities created by the Rec Center. It was a great experience that allowed me to implement technical knowledge in an area that created value for the community, not just so I could tell my own stories. This was the beginning of my journey to where I've ended up working currently.

Did you participate in anything else at CBU?
I was also an FYE leader in my senior year, which was an incredible opportunity to collaborate with a partner in helping incoming freshman acclimate to CBU and its culture. It was also the first time I'd shared my testimony in front of a larger group of people. It was so cool hearing the positive feedback on myself and my partner's leadership and how it was impacting the students' own experience on campus.

How did you grow while in this program at CBU?
The way I grew the most at CBU was spiritually - the Spiritual Night events helped me connect with so many young students intentional about their walk in faith, and I received valuable mentorship from members there - Josh Jent-Stevens and Luke Brungardt. I owe a lot of spiritual maturity to them as well as many peers who I met, a lot of them in the Applied Theology program. Ironic, because I was a Film major. I grew socially as well, although taking a break for covid set me back, but I got more into the swing of things towards the end of junior year. My classes, especially Croteau's and my class in World Cinema expanded my mind the most educationally, as I mentioned before, and also threw me into the world of foreign cinema which was fascinating and not an area I would have experienced as much had it not been for these classes.

Did your program help you figure out your purpose?
My program helped me figure out that I was my greatest enemy - constantly fearing what the next step would look like because I thought I "didn't know enough" or wasn't able to achieve. This especially applied to my first short film projects, where I had to rent equipment from the film lab and ask other students to help me create - I didn't know what I was doing, and I thought I would fail. But fortunately I took action anyway, which is what led me to make my first batch of short films, the second one being "Simon Says" which did well at the film festival in my junior year, something my anxiety and self-doubt would have never let myself predict beforehand. This was a principle in life that I applied to future experiences, and still have much to work on to this day. But this made me more aware of that part of myself.

Life after CBU

What have you done since graduating?
After I graduated, I shortly after got a job as Filmmaker/Videographer for SANDMARC, an iPhone-lens brand based in San Diego. I created organic content for them, and one of my videos reached 3 million views. During this time, I collaborated with my best friend / brother-in-law Grant Clover in directing "I Walk With Ghosts" - a short film I also DP'd and went on to win 60+ awards in over 80 festivals around the world, including us being able to present it at NFFTY in Seattle, the world's biggest film festival for filmmakers under 24. This launched us into our next much longer short film "Portrait of a Smile," in which we were able to work with the Emmy-award winning sound designer from "Queen's Gambit" as well as the score producer from "The Witcher" TV show. That film also went on to win many awards in festivals, and both short films are on my YouTube. From there, I left my job at SANDMARC to begin work for Instant Hydration, an electrolyte startup company in Carlsbad.

What are your current job duties?
My current job title is Creative Content Manager at Instant Hydration, and my day-to-day job duties include creative strategy and creation of paid video ads, coming up with the angles, the scripts, the execution, the shooting (acting in a lot of them), and finally editing, then delivering to the media buying team to push spend into it and send it through Meta, Google, and TikTok ads. I also have a couple editors who help edit scripts that I write. My objective as Creative Content Manager is to make ads that convert customers, and I already have millions in ad spend behind my ads for Instant Hydration.

How has your program and time at CBU prepared you for your life and career after college?
The collaborative process with other students helped me a lot, as well as my Video Marketing job for the Rec Center, which ultimately landed me in the job I'm at today - I can see the thread of cause and effect, because I directly applied that experience to then get hired at SANDMARC, and from there, Instant Hydration. And of course my short filmmaking at CBU lit the flame for those 2 short films which have gotten us so much success at festivals.

Is there anything you learned at CBU that you still use in your professional life today?
As I mentioned, the mindset of 'just do it' regardless of doubt, low self-image, or prediction of finished result. My experiences at CBU reinforced the concept that I still try to get better on even today, which is that my imagination of what I can do is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the things I think are beyond me are often the simplest things and just require taking the first small step forward.

How are you making a difference in the world? How are you living your purpose?
My purpose can be easily conflated to something big I may do in the future, but the reality is, while that may also be true, the purpose God has for me, and for all of us is to respond to His love for us by loving each other, and achieving progress in this probably is one of the hardest things I will ever do. I can have an impact on the world in success, in the accumulation of wealth, and in the building of my talents and skills and knowledge, but if I don't foremost learn how to become a more loving son, brother, husband, friend, and a reflection of God's love to those around me, then I've done nothing at all of any value.
I serve at my local church, spend time with my family and friends, and try to be intentional with how I serve and who I positively impact - not as much with what I tell them, but often just in how I listen. I won't go so far as to say that is how I'm making a difference, but how I feel God is calling me to make a difference, and something I strive to be more intentional about.

What are your future goals and plans?
My career goal is to grow alongside this incredible team at Instant Hydration as the brand grows, and see where that takes me. On the side I hope to create a one-location feature film with Grant - the actual filming estimated to be around 7 days of production, and could be a couple years from now.

Would you recommend CBU to others?
Yes - it's a beautiful campus; I loved walking to the incredible gym every day and being able to eat at a variety of awesome food places. The food on campus was a huge college win. CBU also maintains its size while also holding firm to its core Biblical values, with a strong emphasis on Bible study and church involvement.

Anything else you'd like to add? Anything else we should know about you?
I have 5 siblings with an amazing single mom who homeschooled all of us for most of our lives. My hobbies include piano and hitting the gym.