I’m Mason Verhees, I was born and raised in San Diego, California, and I am 22 years old. I’ve grown up in a very artistic family, where my father works with metal and glass as a sculptor/designer, and my mother creates glass pendants and other glass jewelry. I thank my parents for passing on the artistic gene to me.

My love for film started as a child when I was given a GoPro. I spent a lot of time outside filming myself and my friends surfing, skating, and simply roaming around the neighborhood. At the time, I just filmed, and created videos for fun and now I look back at those days as a foundation for what I do now.

While attending Academy of Art University, I played baseball for four years, competing in the NCAA D II PacWest conference. Being a student-athlete was tough on me, with baseball taking up a lot of my time and focus. Being able to make films and keep up in school was quite a challenge. Reflecting on those four years brings back a lot of memories and emotions. But what I learned is how the the experience strengthened my mental toughness, and improved my time management skills.

I am graduating from Academy of Art University as a filmmaker ready to leave my mark on the world.