Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Sanders.
Hi Steve, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My passion in life is film! I wanted to be a filmmaker since I was about 6 years old and that goal inspired me to forego college and attend film school in California in 2007. I enrolled in The Los Angeles Film School, a one-year immersion program and the biggest and greatest takeaways from that time were the connections and friends I made there. Over the following three years, I worked on a variety of short films and produced one feature film. Eventually, I felt it was time to move back to Texas and focus on screenwriting independently, until I felt confident to make my own film. Upon moving to San Antonio, I found work in local video and broadcast – starting off filming weddings to eventually working for the local FOX/NBC tv station, but my greatest achievement was landing a job with the San Antonio Spurs. At the Spurs I started covering the games for the in-house experience as a camera operator (i.e., we filmed just for the jumbotron). That covered the game plus kiss-cams, fan-cams, mascot hijinks, etc. Eventually I moved into the control room where I handled replays and then technical direction. My creative side still wanted more and I became a full-time Content Producer, handling a lot of the pre-packaged video elements to be played during pregame and timeouts. My true love of film never wavered, and I decided to branch out to the Austin community. I started by enrolling in sketch comedy writing classes at Fallout Theater. Here I met my future co-writer, Sarah Thornell, and a great many actors and performers. I wrote a sketch called “Crab Claw” that proved to be really popular, and I adapted that sketch into a short film starring Sarah. The short was accepted into many film festivals, taking me back to California for it’s premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival. The short got so many people talking that it inspired me to make a feature film version with Sarah and my long-time collaborator, Joey Fuentes. We wrote the script in a year, and then we hosted a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise $35,000 for production. I invested the remaining funds needed to make our feature film “In Waves” starring many of the actors and performers I met since joining Fallout Theater. “In Waves” was filmed in a tight 2-week schedule in July 2026 and I’m currently editing the film. I look forward to having a rough cut very soon and also for the Spurs season to begin.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road was definitely not smooth. While I made connections in LA, I never made deep enough networking opportunities like some of my peers were. I was very young and very broke when I was in LA, and I could not get to places so easily. After moving back to Texas, I took a 4-6 year break from making short films as my father turned very ill and I became his caretaker. For a year, my grandfather also became ill and I assisted him as well. That time was so tough, I actually had to leave my TV station job. I got severely depressed as I was not sure if I could nurse my father back to full health and if I would ever achieve my career ambitions. Unfortunately my grandfather and father passed away very close to each other, and I took a year off to gather myself. Eventually I was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel when I joined Fallout Theater. The community was a real shining star for me and eventually I was able to funnel my feelings of my father’s passing into the feature film that became “In Waves”.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I definitely identify as a filmmaker. I love to write, direct, produce, and edit my own films. I am most proud of my short film “Crab Claw” because I forced myself to not overthinking and wait for the right time to make it, I simply picked a day on the calendar and told myself that no matter what happened, that was the day I was going to film. I spent very little money on it, I had a crew of 3 people and 3 actors. That short film really made waves for me at film festivals and even within the Austin comedy and film community. I think what sets me apart from others is my determination to get things done and I’m a really fast editor. My years of editing for news, TV, weddings, and live sports has instilled in me that I need to edit to a self-imposed deadline and I need to figure out a way to tell the story fast and within a specific timeframe.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up I was definitely a hyper kid. I was the middle child and I was always trying to make my family laugh and I would get in trouble for being annoying. School was no different and before I graduated high school I was voted “Class Comedian”. I was always interested in movies, which I can thank my mother for that. She always showed my siblings and I the classic films. I also had a blockbuster card and would rent and watch everything I could. I loved playing with my siblings and cousins, so summer was always a time to look forward to. I grew up with the Simpsons and SNL, which is where a lot of my humor is derived from. I played some sports but I was more interested in AV and I joined a media tech class in High School where I met my future collaborator, Joey Fuentes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fishcatfilms.com
- Instagram: fishcatfilms
- Other: https://instagram.com/inwavesmovie
