Fed up with working as an assistant director on music videos and a few television spots in his home of Mexico City, Javier decided three years ago that it was time to direct some things of his own, packed his bags and hopped on a plane bound for Canada.

Although he had no intention of working in Toronto and was only here to visit his parents, he could not ignore the rapidly growing Canadian market and brought his reel along anyway to see if anybody was interested and to get some feedback on what he had done.

‘It turned out great. I’ve been very lucky and people responded really well to my work,’ says the young director. ‘I thought if I ever did get work here it would be a good stepping stone to the u.s. market.’

With most of his directing experience being in music videos, breaking into the commercial side of the business was a difficult process for him as, according to him, a lot of agencies here in Canada don’t give video and commercial directors the same respect.

And while he has not worked on a video since last winter, he hasn’t given up on them just yet.

‘Videos are much more free range than commercials with an opportunity to try new things and new technologies that you wouldn’t have the chance to try in commercials, because if they don’t work out there is too much money at stake.’

Repped by Spy Films for the past two years, Javier says his favorite spot is one he shot in May for Panasonic cd players as the agency, DDB Canada, gave him a lot freedom and the opportunity to use his own ideas.

‘I like it because it was a good idea, which is the most important thing for me; if the idea is good then the spot can only get better if you shoot it well. And I like shooting stuff that is directed at young people.’

The 24-year-old considers himself a very versatile director and describes his style as unique, smart, and above all, packed full of visual sensibility.

Although Javier’s passion and interest in fashion, photography and the esthetics of things are reflected in his work, he d’es not wish to be labeled for having one specific look.

‘I can do many things, I don’t want to be known as a person who only d’es visual pieces,’ says Javier. ‘I believe my style has changed with the times because I really like to keep up with what’s going on.’

Javier d’esn’t believe in following trends, he wants to set them with ground-breaking work in a style that suits him.

And while he d’esn’t feel that he is ready just yet, his goal is to make feature films, and to get started as soon as possible.

‘I have a lot of things written, not feature-length but shorts,’ explains the ambitious director. ‘I would like to shoot a short by the end of this year and submit it into a festival and hopefully get some attention. When I have time, I’ll sit down and write my feature script.’

Constantly looking to discover new things and see new images, Javier says who he is and the experiences he has had in his life are reflected in his work.

‘I’m very extreme, I like to push things as far as I can. I’m not one to want a comfortable life. If it ever comes down to me not being able to do my ideas to the fullest I don’t think that the project is mine and I don’t think it’s worth it. I just want to be able to express what I’m thinking at that moment and at that time.’