WhereNext People – an Interview With Julian Manrique
Julian’s Bio
In 2011, Julián juggled his way to victory on Colombian reality TV show A Minute to Win It and used the prize money to buy his first camera. And he’s never looked back. Fluent in English, Spanish, and French, Julián has worked across 35 countries while filming over 200 videos for WhereNext, creating everything from feature-length documentaries to marketing videos for some of the world’s most iconic brands (and proving himself to be a world-class talent along the way). In 2019, Julián filmed and directed, Esteban Chaves: Behind the Smile. The documentary won Honorable Mention in the Sports Documentary of the Year category by the Fédération Internationale Cinéma Télévision Sportifs (FICTS) at the Milano International FICTS Fest in Italy. His work has been featured in various print and online media outlets in the United States and other countries. He also has the best head of hair in Colombia.
DOP Credits
A People-First Film in Antarctica With the World’s Premier Luxury Travel Operator
Gold Telly Award for Cat Footwear ‘Surge On’ Branded Documentary
A Film Series in India with World Nomads
A Feature Length Cycling Documentary Film for Scott Sports
Assistant DOP + DOP + Director
A Feature Length Natural History Documentary Film and Short Doco Series for the Country of Colombia
DOP + Director
Meet Julian Manrique, our globetrotting Head of Video. His infectious enthusiasm powers the life and soul of our Bogotá office. Julian shares his top gear tips learned from working on WhereNext projects on six continents, his secret to happiness, and the story of his near-death experience!
Tell us about yourself.
My Name is Julián Manrique, and I've been working at WhereNext for almost seven years. I'm a very active person: sometimes a bit too active! People at the office ask me where my OFF switch is, but I'm not sure that I have one. That's because I love cycling, birding, being outdoors, and discovering new places along the way. Filming and photography are my way of connecting to the environment, the people, and their culture. And I'm getting paid for it. What more could I ask for?!
Tell us about your most memorable travel experience.
Each trip is a unique experience and will teach you new lessons. It's a process that begins as soon as you start to dream about it, and it will stay with you forever. In my personal experience, the first international assignment our storytelling agency had in South Africa was one of my most memorable travel experiences because I had never been that far away from home before. Being surrounded by majestic animals and different cultures was a mind-opening experience, and I realized that this was what I wanted to do for a living, being able to film and discover new places.
Julián on his first international assignment for WhereNext at the andBeyond Phinda reserve in South Africa.
Dead or alive, who would you like to join you on an adventure?
My sister because we have always dreamt of traveling and discovering new places together.
What are your travel equipment essentials?
For a couple of years, I have been working on mastering the art of efficient packing. I realized that I was only using about 40 % of the gear I brought, so I started packing and unpacking a couple of times before the trip, cutting out everything that I thought I wouldn't use. It really worked. The key to every trip is to travel light and fast, and it also applies to WhereNext's mindset for production and filming: the lighter you are, the more nimble you can be. It often leads to a better connection you will have with your subject when your gear can just get out of the way.
So in terms of travel equipment essentials, I usually take all of my clothes like pants and shirts in only one medium-sized dry bag, and the socks and underwear, etc., in a small-sized dry bag. That's all for clothes. It is vital to research the place you are going to travel to because medication might not always be as easy to find as in your home country, or you may need a prescription that can be hard to get hold of abroad. So it's crucial to bring your own meds (I've learned this the hard way on an assignment in the Peruvian Amazon when I had to wake my boss up at 3am and ask to borrow his medicine kit) and to be prepared for any inconvenience you may come across.
Another travel essential is an international adapter with multi-plug extensions. This can be very tricky because it's easy to forget that other countries use different plugs to the ones you find at home. It could be a severe issue if you have an assignment far away from a big city and can cripple an entire shoot.
Julian Manrique, WhereNext Head of Video, presents his essential filming gear for an assignment: 1. Video camera: Sony FS7 with 25-105 lens // 2. Photo camera: Sony A7RIV with 100-400 lens for wildlife // 3. Backpack: Lowepro with extra batteries and extra memory cards // 4. Drone: MAVIC 2 PRO with at least 2 batteries // 5. Headlamp: Petzl
When did you feel happiest?
During every trip, there's a highlight, a moment that you may never experience again. Whether it's reaching a mountain summit or having a close encounter with wildlife or even tasting flavors you have never tasted before: the key is to recognize that moment and embrace what is happening in the present. The idea is always to be happy.
See more of Julian’s work in our documentary ‘Esteban Chaves: Behind the Smile’
Who taught you your biggest life lesson, and what was it?
In my case, it was the mountain that taught me one of my hardest lessons I've ever had: that you have to listen to your own body and don't force it when it's telling you to stop. It happened back in 2012 while filming a Highline documentary in the highest peaks of Colombia. I had severe lung edema that put my life at risk. After several days of hard trekking, carrying all of my camera gear, my body was getting more and more tired until the point that I woke up at midnight coughing liquid out of my lungs. Luckily the expedition team knew the way to get back to the shelter, and it took me 10 hours to finally descend the mountain and get medical attention. The doctor told me that a couple of hours more, and I would have died of lung edema. So the lesson is to listen to your body and to be honest with yourself.
You can teleport to any restaurant on earth: where do you go and what do you order?
Thanks to 'Off The Table,' one of WhereNext's projects, I had the fantastic chance to eat in several of the best restaurants in the world. The best one I've eaten at so far is called Borago in Santiago de Chile (currently ranked No. 26 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list). Maybe because it was my first time trying gourmet cuisine or because every flavor was new to me, but it was outstanding. Also, Maido in Lima, Peru, was a great experience (ranked No. 10 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list).
No matter the conditions, Julian is always laid-back and smiling. It’s the hallmark of the infectious enthusiasm he brings to all of our storytelling agency’s projects.
Tell us about the most adventurous food you ever ate?
I'm not very keen on tasting adventurous food, but when it's time, it's time, and in my case, it was in Japan. The dish was raw horse prosciutto along with chicken necks as a side dish. In the beginning, I thought it was going to be a horrible experience, but once you taste the horse, it's not that bad. Still, I won't be adding horse to my everyday diet anytime soon!
Drink of choice?
Guanábana juice or feijoa juice. Both are local juices you can find in Colombia, and they are amazing. I tend not to drink alcohol too much because of my cycling routine, but if I had to choose an alcoholic drink, I would say a stout beer.
Where do you feel most at home?
After traveling through so many countries these last few years, I feel most at home when I'm in Bogota. All of my family are here, and the mountains bring me a lot of joy because there are plenty of climbs for cycling with a lot of elevation gain. I will never get bored of living in this city.
Julian is equally at home filming cyclists in the mountains of southern Spain as he is photographing penguins in Antarctica. He’s had the chance to do both on assignment for our storytelling agency.
Learn more about our storytelling agency here.
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