The Essential List: Cali Bondad
As an Asian American with a mixed ethnic background, Cali “Kay-Lee” Bondad has found great inspiration in celebrating diverse voices and perspectives, always looking to bring people together.
While character-driven storytelling is the underlying force of her work, her photographer’s eye for epic landscapes is inescapable. Natural beauty, after all, is another larger-than-life character. Often times, you'll find Cali immersed in nature – whether she's longboard surfing, on the open road with her motorcycle, or bombing down twisty hills with her road bike, she likes to live within the elements.
For as long as Cali can remember, she’s had a desire to tell stories. Her background in various art forms – from sewing and writing stories to piano and photography – all inform her attention to detail and filmmaking approach.
Cali graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Film Production and cut her teeth as a commercial editor and storyteller at ad agency Mekanism. She then made the transition to director, helming award-winning campaigns for Amazon, Cox, Google, Sparklight, Nivea, HP, Apple, Vizio, Muscle Milk, Uber, and so on. Her work has been featured in Vimeo Staff Picks, National Geographic, The Atlantic, PBS, Slate, and Popular Science. Cali is currently based in Los Angeles.
Lifestyle
o Place of birth: San Jose, CA
o Hometown: San Francisco, CA
o Staycation: Sayulita, Mexico
o Vacation: Lisbon, Portugal
o Pet: My house plants
o Place of work: At home on Zoom calls, or on set directing
o Place of workout: Muay Thai gym, waves, or cycling the city streets
o Side project: Writing my feature film script
o Mode of transport: Motorcycle or road bike
o Bonus travel essential: My journal
Culture
o Artist: Mariah Robertson
o Musician: Nick Hakim. I’ve had the Green Twins album on repeat for months.
o Commercials / music video director: Michel Gondry
o Film director: John Cassavetes
o Photographer: Geloy Concepcion (an amazing up-and-coming Filipino photographer)
o Film: Victoria (a “oner” filmed in Berlin)
o Series: Barry
o Commercial: “Earth Odyssey” for Jeep Wrangler
o Music video: Radiohead “Karma Police” (so simple yet beautiful)
o Video game: Donkey Kong
o Board game: I’d rather play Gin Rummy
o Book: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
o Graphic novel: Eightball by Daniel Clowes
o Podcast: Code Switch
o Newspaper (off or online): The New York Times
o Magazine: The Atlantic
o Bonus culture essential: Barbara Kruger’s “Thinking of You. I Mean Me” exhibit currently at LACMA.
Food and Drink
o Breakfast: Chilaquiles
o Restaurant: Burma Superstar (San Francisco)
o Cheap bite: The hot dogs at Walt’s Bar
o Working lunch: A salad from Mixt
o Favorite dish: Either BBQ Ribs or Pork Belly Ramen
o Signature dish: Chicken Tortilla Soup
o Snack: Korean Shrimp Chips
o Guilty pleasure: Cheez-Its & Orange Juice (Don’t knock it till ya try it)
o Bar: Bar Flores
o Booze: Lambrusco wine
o Not booze: Itoen Green Tea
o Bonus food: Tangerines
o Bonus beverage: A Mezcal neat
Kit
o Phone: iPhone 13 Pro (you can make short underwater videos)
o Computer: iMac 27” (for editing)
o TV: I need a new one
o Headphones: Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700
o Camera: Fuji XV100
o Soundsystem: Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN + Kanto YU6 Speakers + Yamaha A-S501SL Receiver/ Amp
o Pen / pencil: Zebra Pen F-301 Fine Point
o Where you document an idea: My beat up Moleskine notebook
o Casual clothing: Levi’s chore coat
o Smart clothing: The North Face’s First Dawn Packable Jacket (waterproof)
o Footwear: Gola tennis shoes
o Watch: Never been a watch person; I look at the sun near the horizon.
o Collection: Anything by Paloma Wool
o App: Surfline and Magic Seaweed
o Website: www.booooooom.com
o Favorite social media feed: I’m addicted to Instagram
o Work program: Adobe Premiere
o Digital work tool: A stack of hard drives
o Analogue work tool: Paper and pen
o Morning grooming / makeup essential: First Aid Beauty Face Wash
o Bonus kit essential: Timbuk2 Laptop Backpack
