high school. There he taught himself to run sound for concerts. "I was a
high rigger for years on concert tours, setting up all the outdoor staging."
Over time, he purchased equipment piece by piece, building his own
sound reinforcement company.
He was introduced to film production when a friend asked him to
help out with some commercials he was working on. "I got hooked real
quick." Senato went on to work on Navy Seals as a day player, assisting
the grips and electricians. Working on a big feature with a gigantic crew,
he says, "I was not star struck, but work struck. I loved it immediately.
"After Navy Seals I started
trying to get on whatever I
could. I was persistent. I went
and talked to people, even
though I was green. They liked
my attitude and I promised
them I'd be a hard worker."
Low budget films followed,
some paying only a $50 flat fee
for a 16-hour day, but he took
the work to gain experience.
"I did what I had to do and
worked my way up the
ladder."
While working in Virginia,
Senato connected with some
key grips based out of Cali-
fornia. An offer of work lured
him west when the grips
returned home. He gripped
and dollied on several movies,
always returning to Virginia
between projects.
Initially leaning toward
becoming an electrician, Senato
switch-hit between the lighting
and grip departments for a
time before discovering that
his interests lay more in grip-
ping. Like he had done earlier
while working sound, he
began purchasing equipment
and formed his own company:
Senato says
success comes from
"downright hard work
and perseverance. I
talked my way into
several jobs because I didn't have the experi-
ence. Once I was there, I just busted butt,
paid attention, listened, asked questions at
the appropriate times, and didn't joke around
too much."--Russell Senato
"Do what your boss tells you to do.
You may have your own ideas, but it doesn't
matter. When you get to the point where
you're making decisions, then you can use
your ideas."--Russell Senato
"Try to learn everyone else's craft
while trying to learn your own. Pay atten-
tion to what is going on, on set. Not just in
the grip department, but watch what the set
dressers are doing and watch what the elec-
tricians are doing and the camera depart-
ment. You'll see how it all fits together. Get
set-savvy. Learn how you should conduct
yourself on the set: your attitude, where you
should be at the right time (not standing in a
doorway or sitting on a set of steps where
people are trying to carry equipment up and
down). Pay attention and do your job and
make sure you're not hindering anyone else
from doing their job."--Russell Senato
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