Daily Inspiration: Meet Reid Sanders

Today we’d like to introduce you to Reid Sanders

Hi Reid, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Reid Sanders and I’m an actor, filmmaker, and photographer based in Colorado Springs. I was born in DeKalb, Illinois near Chicago and I moved to Colorado back in late 2016. I attended the Colorado Film School in Denver with no prior knowledge of filmmaking or acting and I graduated with two degrees in writing/directing as well as acting. For the past six years, I’ve worked on numerous short films and feature films all across Colorado. For as long as I can remember, I have always been drawn to movies and all other kinds of visual art. When I started to meet others with the same love for the visual arts as me, I knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It is thanks to the countless artists and educators that I’ve worked with over the years that I am where I’m at today. I have learned so much in this industry and I have witnessed the making of so many powerful stories. It is my belief that everyone should get the chance to tell their stories in some capacity, and I desire to continue to help people showcase their tales to the world.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The film and photography industries are anything but smooth. These are easily some of the most high-risk high-reward roads there are. There are countless others doing the same things as me which definitely makes it difficult and often times downgrades these professions to hobbies rather than full-time careers. I often see what others are creating these days and I sometimes think that I’ll never be as talented or productive in this industry as them. Unfortunately, there are times where I would go months without getting onto a film set or booking a photoshoot. Which sometimes makes me question if I even want to continue pursuing these passions. But at the same time, I can never deny that there is nothing more satisfying or rewarding than getting with a group of friends to create a piece of art, taking photos for clients, or just going out into the world by myself with a camera in hand. Some of the greatest memories of my entire life were made on film sets and photoshoots, and that is something money can never buy. I always try to remember the many connections I made in this industry and I am so happy that I’ve met so many amazing people that I can personally call friends. I’m always so eager to see what they do next in their lives and I always hope that I can work with them again in the near future. So yeah, these roads are not smooth whatsoever. But they become the best roads to go down if you have great people alongside you.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My passions are acting, filmmaking, and photography. My journey into both acting and filmmaking started at the Colorado Film School. It is thanks to CFS that I am equipped with the knowledge and experience that I have today. I have been lucky enough to write, direct, and act in two short films in recent years. The first being The House of Amygdala (2021), an award winning psychological thriller about a boy who tries to escape an insane asylum. The second being The Place between Heaven and Hell (2023), a coming of age drama about a pair of siblings who lose both their parents. Both of these stories are very important to me and it is thanks to so many people that these films are alive. During the time of this interview, Tycho Wade’s mystery slasher film Cinemortal (2025) is nearing the completion of its post production where I portrayed the supporting role of Austin, this being my very first major role in a feature film. Also, the pilot for Lukas Paulson’s animated comedy series Film Skool (2024) has recently premiered, where I lended my voice to the bombastic movie director Lucius Bolt. Finally, Dustin Chitty’s short western The Mountain (2025) recently premiered earlier this year and has started its festival run. I had the tremendous honor of co-directing and casting this film alongside Dustin as this was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
In terms of photography, I specialize in both portrait and event photography. What first drew me to photography was the natural beauty of Colorado. Living in Northern Illinois for the majority of my life, I never knew what it was like to always have a mountain range in the horizon. When I first moved to Colorado and saw its beauty for the first time, I knew right away that I wanted to explore this passion and capture the world around me. I have been a professional photographer for about seven years now using both Canon and Sony cameras. I have been able to help so many people over the years by capturing their special moments and jumpstarting their careers. I believe in a natural and candid approach to photography as I want to capture moments and people as they are rather than making them artificial. That is the mentality that I always try to uphold for not only photography, but for all of my passions.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
When I think about all the tools and resources at our disposal when it comes to our work and passions, I am so thankful for what we have. In terms of making connections, showing my work to the world, and keeping up to date with the lives of local artists as well as my community, social media apps have really helped me put myself out there. It allows for me to be who I am and look for opportunities in my field. For more work related apps and softwares, I use Lightroom and Picsart for photography, IMDb and Letterboxd for acting and filmmaking, and Highland 2 for screenwriting. If you are interested in looking into my life and my work or if you want to work with me on anything, feel free to follow and contact me on any of the social media or websites linked in this article.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://reidsandersphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r3idsanders?igsh=MXVuM3o2bXh2Mmtpbg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18wn48KuRN/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@reidsanders?si=ENkNIlhsJjmgHiOL
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3220292/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Image Credits
Lauryn Taylor
Thomas Charleston
Samuel Gannuch
Joey McKinnon
Thomas McKinnon
Reid Sanders
Ryan Bartusek