After the Corps: Reno Olvera

Compiled by Amy Forsythe

Reno Olvera

Reno Olvera, 30, Houston
Hometown: Rapid City, South Dakota
Served in the Marines: 2006 to 2011
Last rank: Sergeant
MOS: Any other MOS besides 4300/4600 career fields? 
Martial Arts Instructor and Combat photography and film
Deployments and overseas tours: two tours for Operations Iraqi Freedom, Japan (Okinawa, Tokyo) Philippines, Korea, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Also, short tours to places like Thailand and Cambodia.
Education: B.S. in Entrepreneurial Studies, Minor in Film and Graphic Design from Minneapolis College of Art and Design, College of Business, 2015. Also, earned a Master Certification in Applied Project Management at Villanova University in 2017.
Current Position: Media Specialist, back-end post-production at Fox Sports New
Side Projects: Running Puck Fuddles and CAM COM PRO (CPP). Puck Fuddles designs and sells merchandise and hosts events to raise money for vets, pets, women and Children. CCP is our media production company.

How did serving as a Marine help you define professional goals?
Ability to push through the “unknown” and figure stuff out. I’ve become so diverse in the media field that I can look at something and if I don’t know what it is, I will find a way. I loved how we all worked together in teaching each other various skills.

What do you see yourself doing in five years?
Purchasing a warehouse/studio for CAM COM PRO and developing camera kits to rent out or sell for cheap to any media vet transitioning into the civilian world. It will help them find photo/video/graphic design gigs and they will have a network of old and new colleagues to help them both financially and emotionally.

Hobbies:
SCUBA Dive, play with dogs, run with dogs, wash dogs, etc. Essentially, love the hell out of my dogs. I am currently building an outdoor obstacle course called the PUCK FUDDLES RET PACE. I practice with my chocolate and golden retrievers a lot to see what they can handle and what cautionary methods need to be taken before we launch the race. I also work on other crafts in the garage and screen print.

What advice do you have for Marines who are getting out and looking to get into the media industry?
You have to be versatile. It’s not just being a photographer or in film anymore. Expand on your skills and become known for your ability to “do it all.” For instance, set up a photo shoot, edit the photos, develop brochures and ads, market and expand your abilities. With my knowledge in film, I create my own promos for my company and I am able to help others in media as they know I will call on them. It’s a team effort out there. Stay involved. And if you don’t know how, contact me and I’ll be happy to collaborate with you. It’s really hard to get out because you lose a lot of self-worth and finding it again is one hell of a path to take. You don’t have the resources that you once had while you were in, such as your friends and fellow Marines, equipment, time, money, etc. Be prepared – trust me.

Website: http://puckfuddles.com/