Aidan Cullen
Aidan Cullen is a Los Angeles and New York-based creative. When doing an interview with someone who has such a stacing résumé, one would naturally expect a level of pretension or self-righteousness, like putting two apostrophes over resume. Talking to Aidan, you quickly realize that the kid who is doing the coolest things in the world is actually the sweetest. We sat in his finely curated mid-century modern apartment surrounde by his art and furniture, talking about film, skating in Los Angeles, and how there’s no point in doing anything if you don’ give it just about everything. Aidan described his upbringing and future aspirations, but what we found most telling is at the end of the day, Aidan is a kid who just wants to play ball.
Where are you originally from?
I'm from here, Santa Monica and Venice.
Have you been working through the pandemic?
Yeah, it's been hard. Obviously, the first four months were nothing because you couldn't go outside. That sucked. And then, kind of right after that, there was a crazy busy six months. I guess July to November, and then it's been a little slow since then. Just ups and downs.
Have you always been taking photos?
I didn't always, I used to be a pretty serious athlete.
What did you play?
A lot: baseball, basketball, soccer, and football. At the time, sports were definitely my whole life. And then I got this shitty neurological disease and a few other pretty serious health things. Sports just became not an option.
In what grade did that happen?
Ninth grade, then I had the whole “Oh my god. What am I gonna do with my life?” year. Or more like a few months?
Were you hospitalized?
Yeah, I was seeing doctors probably five days a week. It was crazy. And I broke my back, which was pretty serious.
Oh my god, you got caught with the house of cards just caving in.
Yeah, also had this weird cancer scare and, for a few months, going through that, just a lot of bad stuff happening all at once. And then I really hurt my back, and my neurological disease makes it harder for things to heal. I tried to play sports in high school, but I was always so hurt and got a lot slower. Then, early in ninth grade I started getting super into skateboarding. I started skating and working at the shoe store “Undefeated.” I was working there, getting into clothes and skating, started skating heavily, and then for Christmas my dad got me a camera. And I just started shooting from then on.
What kind of camera?
First it was a GoPro, which was fun.
Truly the GoPro, that was the first? Thats awesome. Where were you skating?
All around LA honestly.
I'm from here, Santa Monica and Venice.
Have you been working through the pandemic?
Yeah, it's been hard. Obviously, the first four months were nothing because you couldn't go outside. That sucked. And then, kind of right after that, there was a crazy busy six months. I guess July to November, and then it's been a little slow since then. Just ups and downs.
Have you always been taking photos?
I didn't always, I used to be a pretty serious athlete.
What did you play?
A lot: baseball, basketball, soccer, and football. At the time, sports were definitely my whole life. And then I got this shitty neurological disease and a few other pretty serious health things. Sports just became not an option.
In what grade did that happen?
Ninth grade, then I had the whole “Oh my god. What am I gonna do with my life?” year. Or more like a few months?
Were you hospitalized?
Yeah, I was seeing doctors probably five days a week. It was crazy. And I broke my back, which was pretty serious.
Oh my god, you got caught with the house of cards just caving in.
Yeah, also had this weird cancer scare and, for a few months, going through that, just a lot of bad stuff happening all at once. And then I really hurt my back, and my neurological disease makes it harder for things to heal. I tried to play sports in high school, but I was always so hurt and got a lot slower. Then, early in ninth grade I started getting super into skateboarding. I started skating and working at the shoe store “Undefeated.” I was working there, getting into clothes and skating, started skating heavily, and then for Christmas my dad got me a camera. And I just started shooting from then on.
What kind of camera?
First it was a GoPro, which was fun.
Truly the GoPro, that was the first? Thats awesome. Where were you skating?
All around LA honestly.
More From Issue 03
Did you ever skate at Babylon in Hollywood?
Yeah, I had a lot of friends that would go there. I wasn't really that good at skating because I was still hurt, I was like, Okay, how do I add value to the crew? So I had to be the filmer, I was always into it growing up. I always thought filmmaking was cool. Skating really made me follow it. Our crew was making a bunch of skate videos and we started a clothing company.
All this still in the 9th grade? Were you big on the skate culture, smoking and stealing beers?
I actually have never smoked weed before....
Like ever, ever?
Ever. I'm the only person from Venice who doesn't smoke.
Why do you think that was, especially when you were constantly surrounded by it?
It was a mixture of shit. Growing up, a lot of my friends were just massive stoners, who could not eat or sleep without smoking. They were spending all their money on weed and I was spending my money on making t-shirts, (laughs) and buying cameras. My parents were super not down with it. It was never enticing and it’s still not interesting to me. Different for everybody. I love that you had that mentality of, if I can’t keep skating I just have to find something else. I too was never able to throw myself off 12 stairs on a board.
Yeah, it's also gnarly, we would go out for a whole weekend just for one three second clip. Then run from the cops for hours. It was super fun for years and then when I was a senior in high school, I knew there wasn’t really a great future for me in skating.
When did you start taking photography more seriously?
I took my first photo class and started taking photography a lot more seriously. By junior year I started meeting a lot of musicians, started taking portraits of them, and by the end of junior year I was working and making some money. I was doing lookbook shoots or photo shoots or mini commercials. I was just down for whatever, as long as we could shoot.
What was your college experience like?
I went to NYU and then dropped out after three semesters because I was working.
How much were you working?
By my third semester, I started missing a lot of class, all my teachers were sorta saying I had to decide, do school or do the work. And I just decided I was gonna do the work. I was supporting myself, I got a dope apartment in the city. I called my parents, and basically just said, “Yo, all my teachers are saying I have to choose.” I had missed the maximum number of classes, they understood me choosing work they just said, “don't ask us for money.” We didn't have a ton of bread. I knew always if I wanted to buy camera gear and live in New York, I had to work hard and get myself a career. They are the most supportive parents, they saw that i wanted to be self sufficient.
Such a crazy place to be in as a young person. Do you ever think to yourself, How is all this happening?
It was overwhelming. Also New York is pretty intense. When I moved there I was figuring a lot of shit out and working and going to school. I feel that a lot of people underestimate how much work school is. I had that work and had to support myself, it was a lot. I was never really sleeping. But it was the most fun time ever.
Do you feel that you’ve evolved as a photographer and director over these few years? I mean you’ve worked with A$AP Nast and Omar Apollo, have you come to a point where you choose them or they choose you?
Definitely for the first few years there was a lot of me reaching out and going to a ton of events and meeting people. I was being persistent in a semi annoying way, but not too annoying. But I've been shooting pretty seriously now for four or five years. Now it's definitely getting to the point where I have more choice. This past year I was trying to learn how to say no more.
Really, because you have to figure out how you use your time?
Yeah, just trying to balance what the right projects are. What do I actually want to be doing? Obviously sometimes you do things for money, sometimes you do things just because there's no money, but you love it. The inbetweeners, I feel lately, it's been more of me being able to choose what comes in. Just seeing what hits the email.
Is there a project that you're most proud of?
I don't think so, which might sound weird. It's hard for me to say, to pinpoint. There were a lot of little things, my first commercial campaign was when I was a senior in high school. It was this Converse campaign and there were billboards in Times Square for this collaboration with A$AP Nast, who I still work with and worked with frequently when I was starting out.
Was that your Mid Century Modern video? You shot that on film right?
That was the first time I ever used a super eight. We even went to the Converse headquarters and had a lot of discussions on shoe design. It was really cool being a part of that process. Looking back on it's so funny. We didn't even color the film, I didn't even know what that was yet. It's been so many things, there have been hundreds of projects that have helped a little, some more than others. But I don't have the one that's like, “Oh, my God, this changed me so much,” I also have trouble celebrating, I can see that something is good or cool but I always know I can do better.
Yeah, I had a lot of friends that would go there. I wasn't really that good at skating because I was still hurt, I was like, Okay, how do I add value to the crew? So I had to be the filmer, I was always into it growing up. I always thought filmmaking was cool. Skating really made me follow it. Our crew was making a bunch of skate videos and we started a clothing company.
All this still in the 9th grade? Were you big on the skate culture, smoking and stealing beers?
I actually have never smoked weed before....
Like ever, ever?
Ever. I'm the only person from Venice who doesn't smoke.
Why do you think that was, especially when you were constantly surrounded by it?
It was a mixture of shit. Growing up, a lot of my friends were just massive stoners, who could not eat or sleep without smoking. They were spending all their money on weed and I was spending my money on making t-shirts, (laughs) and buying cameras. My parents were super not down with it. It was never enticing and it’s still not interesting to me. Different for everybody. I love that you had that mentality of, if I can’t keep skating I just have to find something else. I too was never able to throw myself off 12 stairs on a board.
Yeah, it's also gnarly, we would go out for a whole weekend just for one three second clip. Then run from the cops for hours. It was super fun for years and then when I was a senior in high school, I knew there wasn’t really a great future for me in skating.
When did you start taking photography more seriously?
I took my first photo class and started taking photography a lot more seriously. By junior year I started meeting a lot of musicians, started taking portraits of them, and by the end of junior year I was working and making some money. I was doing lookbook shoots or photo shoots or mini commercials. I was just down for whatever, as long as we could shoot.
What was your college experience like?
I went to NYU and then dropped out after three semesters because I was working.
How much were you working?
By my third semester, I started missing a lot of class, all my teachers were sorta saying I had to decide, do school or do the work. And I just decided I was gonna do the work. I was supporting myself, I got a dope apartment in the city. I called my parents, and basically just said, “Yo, all my teachers are saying I have to choose.” I had missed the maximum number of classes, they understood me choosing work they just said, “don't ask us for money.” We didn't have a ton of bread. I knew always if I wanted to buy camera gear and live in New York, I had to work hard and get myself a career. They are the most supportive parents, they saw that i wanted to be self sufficient.
Such a crazy place to be in as a young person. Do you ever think to yourself, How is all this happening?
It was overwhelming. Also New York is pretty intense. When I moved there I was figuring a lot of shit out and working and going to school. I feel that a lot of people underestimate how much work school is. I had that work and had to support myself, it was a lot. I was never really sleeping. But it was the most fun time ever.
Do you feel that you’ve evolved as a photographer and director over these few years? I mean you’ve worked with A$AP Nast and Omar Apollo, have you come to a point where you choose them or they choose you?
Definitely for the first few years there was a lot of me reaching out and going to a ton of events and meeting people. I was being persistent in a semi annoying way, but not too annoying. But I've been shooting pretty seriously now for four or five years. Now it's definitely getting to the point where I have more choice. This past year I was trying to learn how to say no more.
Really, because you have to figure out how you use your time?
Yeah, just trying to balance what the right projects are. What do I actually want to be doing? Obviously sometimes you do things for money, sometimes you do things just because there's no money, but you love it. The inbetweeners, I feel lately, it's been more of me being able to choose what comes in. Just seeing what hits the email.
Is there a project that you're most proud of?
I don't think so, which might sound weird. It's hard for me to say, to pinpoint. There were a lot of little things, my first commercial campaign was when I was a senior in high school. It was this Converse campaign and there were billboards in Times Square for this collaboration with A$AP Nast, who I still work with and worked with frequently when I was starting out.
Was that your Mid Century Modern video? You shot that on film right?
That was the first time I ever used a super eight. We even went to the Converse headquarters and had a lot of discussions on shoe design. It was really cool being a part of that process. Looking back on it's so funny. We didn't even color the film, I didn't even know what that was yet. It's been so many things, there have been hundreds of projects that have helped a little, some more than others. But I don't have the one that's like, “Oh, my God, this changed me so much,” I also have trouble celebrating, I can see that something is good or cool but I always know I can do better.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW IN ISSUE THREE
