ABOUT ME
My name is Camila Shannon.
I’ve been riding horses for as long as I can remember. I think my dad started me on ponies when I was like 3 or 4 years old. I’ve been taking dressage lessons for about 12 years. The horses in my life have given me strength, confidence, and companionship. My passion for horses inspired me to begin film making and photography, as a way to share that passion with others.
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I first fell in love with filmmaking in 8th grade when I was assigned a 9-month Capstone project. For my project, I chose to do a short documentary on a local horse rescue. Even though I didn’t know the first thing about filmmaking, I started teaching myself camera work with my dad's Canon Rebel T3i and editing software like Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere, learning as I went.
My first film, “I Can Save This Horse,” received awards from a few local and international film festivals in the youth category. It also brought in much-needed donations for the horse rescue it featured, giving me a taste of the influence I could have as an activist. Since then I’ve volunteered my time making videos for nonprofit organizations and education purposes, and started making a new documentary called “A Horse for the Soul” about equine-assisted therapy and the life-changing impact it has on people in need. I’ve been working on it for a year, and this film has brought me into contact with extraordinary people like Dr. Temple Grandin who’ve inspired me and taught me lessons about perseverance, kindness, and self-discovery. I’m currently arranging an interview with Tim Hayes, an expert on equine therapy in Vermont, and planning to visit an Arizona prison where I’ll be able to interview inmates about their wild horse rehabilitation program when I turn 18.
I’ve devoted countless hours to filming and editing, as a way to share my ideas, passion, and creativity with other people in an impactful way, while creating change.
