Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Reizer.
Hi Joe, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Ever since I was about 12 years old, I was obsessed with all things horror movie-related. This is also the same age my dad introduced me to a little movie called “Pumping Iron”, which first introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger. From this moment on, my passions have always been filmmaking and bodybuilding. I would avidly go to horror movie conventions to meet all of my favorite actors and directors. We used to make short horror films with our childhood friends. Unfortunately, days before my 18th I lost my best friend in a car accident who was always a part of all of those short films. This was the most devastating event in my life up to this point. I went into a deep depression my freshman year of college and wasn’t really sure how I managed to get through it all. I have to credit a lot of it to bodybuilding to give me the discipline to always get the job done without excuses. The gym has always been there as an escape from the dark times in life, just as much as it is an escape to go to the movie theater and live in a fictional world for 90 minutes or so. I eventually graduated Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2014 with a filmmaking degree. I did not get any internships or job opportunities from this. However, I decided to make my senior thesis project a feature film, “Final Cut,” that I would be able to shop around to distributors after college. Luckily it was picked up and is now streaming on Amazon Prime and many other platforms. Since then, I have started my own production company called “Reel Muscle” which specializes in fitness videos and short-form ads. As a bodybuilder, the long hours on set sounded like a nightmare for me. I wanted to be in and out of a shoot in a matter of a few hours and then go home and edit. So that’s what I did. I established myself as one of the top freelance videographers in the fitness industry growing a YouTube channel to nearly 200k subscribers. I have worked with the biggest names and brands in the industry and continue to do so on a daily basis. There is no one left on my bucket list of fitness celebrities to work with. The list for Hollywood hasn’t even been touched.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Yes, and no. I wish I could say it was, but any goal you’re trying to achieve will never be the same path that anyone before you has taken. Since social media is still relatively new, and I have had to learn all business ethics and networking on my own, it has been exciting and also very nerve-racking to navigate through this journey. Believe it or not, some of the biggest struggles were caused by the people I was associated with. In the bodybuilding world, there are many vain, self-centered, egotistical people that see you as nothing but a pawn. They will go back on their word and turn their back on you in an instant. I have established myself enough in the industry to have a voice and reputation that has gotten me the opportunities I have acquired. The fallouts and “burning of bridges” are very few and far between for me, but I have learned what to do and what NOT to do from every single one of them.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As of now, I specialize in fitness and workout videos. My style features camera movements that match the movement of the exercise and muscles being used in frame. For example, the camera would follow the dumbbell of a bicep curl swing up and then back down instead of simply staying static and watching the person perform the exercise. The added movement creates more excitement and keeps the viewer engaged than a simple tripod shot.
I am most proud of the network I have created with people that are now my friends whom I once idolized as a kid. I met Arnold Schwarzenegger one-on-one at a book signing in NY where I skipped a day of classes to hop on a train to Manhattan after he announced in a tweet that morning he would be in the city. 4x Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler has become one of my close friends who I can go to for anything. The first workout videos I ever practiced editing on were old Jay Cutler workout videos that I used to import from DVDs. What sets me apart from other videographers is personal experience and knowledge of bodybuilding firsthand. I have walked the walk and competed several times, so I have a different understanding and relation to the athletes I film than any other “camera guys”. If you told any traditionally trained cameraman to go film a workout, it would look entirely different than what I come up with. The movement path of every exercise is an opportunity for a new angle and motion.
Any big plans?
My plans are to continue to build my “Reel” empire to get closer to the ultimate dream of financial freedom. I would also like to venture back towards the feature film world versus the short-form social media videos. I will always love the fitness industry, but there are only so many ways you can film a bicep curl. Telling stories and creating characters has always been what intrigued me about the art of cinema. With all of these horror reboots coming up, maybe I’ll make my childhood dreams come true by working on a Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees movie!
Contact Info:
- Email: info@reelmuscle.com
- Website: www.reelmuscle.com
- Instagram: Personal: www.instagram.com/joereizer Company: www.instagram.com/reelmuscle
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/reelmuscle
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/reelmuscle
