“ The best kind of communities are those that look out for each other and play an active role in supporting everyone around them .”

Owner - Flipside Studios . Actor . Writer . Producer . Director . Filmmaker . “ Gavie ” award winner . gradyfiorio @ gmail . com / instagram . com / flipside . studios

young man , on his first job interview , experiences an inappropriate boss , a woman wrestles with coming out , and a priest deals with a troublesome confession . At just 21 years old , Grady Fiorio has written , produced , and directed these films . After spending three years engrossed in Gavilan College ’ s film department and creating his company , Flipside Studios , in July 2021 he ventured to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time film director .

Born and raised in Gilroy , Grady , the middle of three brothers , is the son of a farmer , Richard , and an interior designer , Ann . At 13 , he attended STAR Arts Education — a summer camp for budding theater and film artists . He credits Ron Johnson Jr . for mentoring and encouraging him . At 17 , he came full circle as a volunteer and teacher .

Grady found his niche at Gavilan . Characterizing his younger self as a bit of an oddball because he appreciated the weirder side of life , he found an educational path that suited him best and gained a vast network of friends who worked very closely to support each other .

“ Growing up , school was never really ‘ my thing ’ and I wasn ’ t a ‘ great student ’, but at Gavilan , I was able to surround myself with like-minded people and fully immerse myself in the creative process ,” he reminisced . With renewed enthusiasm , he created the art he wanted and told stories he thought were important .

Each year the program holds the Gavilan Student Film Showcase where submitted movies are viewed by family , friends , and peers . Students are nominated for awards — the “ Gavies .” Grady has earned a total of five including Best Editing , Best Director , and Best Film for Madre de Dios . While he ’ s just getting started down south , he ’ s already kickstarted an acting career , been in a major feature with Brad Pitt , acted on multiple TV shows , and worked as a crew member on professional Hollywood sets .

In his spare time , he ’ s helping his local buddies with their projects . His future goals are to produce a feature film , set in Gilroy , and to contribute to the community by investing in a creative space that would foster artists . He believes that with the right support , “ young artists can feel heard and supported , just like I was . I hope that I can bring awareness to the true importance that art plays in thriving communities .”

22 WINTER 2022 gmhTODAY Magazine gmhtoday . com