Feel like a Filmmaker: Leonardo Cecchi
Starting with one title in the industry doesn’t mean you have to stick to just that.
Leonardo Cecchi could have stayed on the path that was paved for him after making his on-screen debut as the lead of Alex & Co. on Disney Channel Italy. Two films, two published books, thousands of fans across the globe, most would call that a career.
Leonardo wasn’t most people. He wanted more.
Born in Minneapolis to an Iowan mother and an Italian father, he grew up between two worlds. He was performing in youth theater as a young child, and by high school was training at a performing arts school in Italy. That’s when he landed the Disney gig that led to a four-season run all while still a student. When he wrapped and graduated in 2017, he packed up and moved to Los Angeles to start something new.
What followed were roles in Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Stories, Hulu’s Prom Dates and Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend, where he portrayed visionary engineer Gian Paolo Dallara. Each opportunity a step further outside of the box from the Disney label. He was seeking more for his professional career not just as an actor, but a filmmaker.
The pivot to working behind the camera was no surprise. His most recent project, Call It All Love, which he created, acted in, and produced is:
“A short movie about a young college kid who ends up killing a girl, his ex-girlfriend. He is in a holding cell before his trial begins, and his father visits him for the first time in two years. It’s based on a true story.”
Working across two film worlds gave him a clarity about why he made the move to Los Angeles.
“The difference was huge. Here, people are dialed. It’s so magical to know that people moved across the country to be here and do that. So everyone is in love with the craft.”
Leonardo didn’t wait for the industry to see him as a filmmaker. He became one. Using social media to help him navigate is still an ongoing challenge.
“One that I am figuring out as we go because most of my following I actually got through my work as an actor. I’ve never done that much content where I actually share what I’m passionate about, what I want to say or the art that I actually am passionate about. You know, I’m definitely trying to package the messages I have in an entertaining way like with Call It All Love and The Echo Project.”
Figuring out how to share your work is something every filmmaker adapts to differently. Where you host it should never be an obstacle, every creator deserves one place to put the work they make on their own terms. That’s why we’re building KNOWN. A dedicated space for your work to be seen and shared with more autonomy and transparency than this industry has ever given creators.
