Two storytellers.
One language.
Elevative was not built in a boardroom. It was built from two separate lives spent in pursuit of the same thing — the belief that a well-captured moment can move people, shape communities, and outlast the day it was made. When those two lives converged, something uncommon was born.
Alex Vo
CO-FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Alex didn’t so much choose filmmaking as filmmaking chose him. It began with a camcorder, a youth group, and a young man trying to keep kids engaged at his church. Then came the call that changed everything: the president of Full Sail University offering him a full‑ride scholarship. Alex compressed four years of film school into two, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Film, and walked out convinced that his craft was a form of service — a conviction he’s never put down.
That belief carried him quickly into the field. His cinematography was sought by National Geographic, Adobe, Netflix, and Make‑A‑Wish before Elevative existed. He built a reputation not on spectacle but on restraint — understanding that the strongest films get out of the story’s way. Early equestrian documentaries full of slow‑motion hooves and dramatic dust taught him the lesson that stuck: the camera serves the story.
“Express rather than impress. It is me being of service to the story — not trying to show what I can do.”
That philosophy earned him a directing credit most agency filmmakers never touch. Alex directed multiple episodes of Spiraling Up: The Journey to Become a Unicorn — a documentary series co‑produced by HubSpot for Startups and LinkedIn that streamed on Hulu. It was true editorial documentary work, featuring HubSpot co‑founder Brian Halligan and founders operating at the highest level, including “The Big Cheat Code: The Rand Fishkin Founder Story,” with appearances from Amanda Natividad and Wil Reynolds.
Beyond commercial work, Alex has built a body of documentary work driven by conscience. Hearts In Motion, the nonprofit he founded, exists to amplify voices least heard. He has traveled into impoverished communities with borrowed gear, had equipment confiscated during political unrest in Nicaragua, and kept shooting anyway — because the story still needed to be told.
Service isn’t a chapter in Alex’s story — it’s the spine. Before filmmaking became his career, he was rooted in his community through Rotary International, Leadership Morgan Hill, and his local parish. Those roots shape everything Elevative produces: the patience to listen before framing, the humility to let subjects lead, and the belief that people on camera deserve a filmmaker who showed up to honor them. As Creative Director, Alex sets the emotional standard for every Elevative project — the reason clients who come for the portfolio stay for the process.
Mark J. Sebastian
CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA
Mark J. Sebastian came up in two worlds simultaneously — and mastered both. On one side, the high-stakes commercial landscape of Silicon Valley's biggest tech brands. On the other, the sets, stages, and green rooms of Hollywood's entertainment elite. Long before Elevative existed, Mark was already moving between both with an ease that few photographers ever achieve.
His entertainment credentials are the foundation. He worked alongside legendary celebrity photographer Markus Klinko on behind-the-scenes coverage of Mary J. Blige's "Growing Pains" album shoot — earning Klinko's personal endorsement as the most talented BTS photographer he had ever worked with. He documented Fergie and David Guetta on stage, captured Rihanna backstage in Los Angeles, photographed the Black Eyed Peas, Janelle Monáe at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, Hugh Jackman, Mena Suvari, and Shepard Fairey putting the final strokes on the iconic Obama "Hope" mural in Washington D.C. He produced a Malibu Rum campaign featuring Maroon 5. These were not sideline moments — they were front-row access earned by a photographer who had built a reputation for showing up with both technical precision and human instinct.
In the tech world, he became the photographer NVIDIA's marketing team said they could not do their jobs without. He helped orchestrate production for Elevative’s AMD Radeon RX 7000 series animations, which brought cinematic storytelling to product‑launch work. He thinks in systems — not just how a single image lands, but how photography, video, and digital presence work together to build something larger.
“Mark is hands down one of the best I have ever worked with. He truly understands visual communication as a whole.””
What Mark brings to Elevative is a conviction that Silicon Valley deserves the same production craft Hollywood has always taken for granted. That belief is not aspirational. For Mark, it is already the standard — and every project he touches reflects it.
When Hollywood meets Silicon Valley, and neither one has to compromise
On January 16th, 2019, Alex Vo Films and Mark J. Sebastian Photography did not just merge — they recognized each other. Two independent practices built on the same belief: that time is a property that can be captured, and that the people inside a frame deserve to be honored, not just documented.
What they built together is harder to replicate than either could have built alone. Alex brings the narrative intelligence — the ability to find the emotional center of a story and let it breathe. Mark brings Hollywood-caliber production ambition translated through the precision and reliability that tech clients demand. One sees the story. The other knows how to make it look like it belongs on a world stage. Together they close the gap between those two things — and they built a studio that lives there permanently.
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Alex leads with story — listening first, framing second. Every project begins with understanding what it is really about before a camera is ever raised.
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Mark brings Hollywood-level visual intelligence to every engagement — the craft that turns a corporate event into something that looks and feels unmistakably intentional.
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We scale to your event — multi-day shoots, coordinated teams, high-pressure timelines. We have done it before, we handle it quietly, and we never make it your problem.
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Photo and video share one creative direction, one color sensibility, one emotional throughline — because both founders are in the room from the start.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
“I have worked with a lot of creatives through my career. Mark is hands down one of the best I have ever worked with. I can honestly say I could not do my job at NVIDIA without Mark.”
Senior Marketing Lead NVIDIA
“We've worked with many behind-the-scenes photographers since the Mary J. Blige shoot but you are by far the most talented and creative one we've worked with.”
Markus klinko
HOW IT WORKS
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No intake forms. No pitch decks. We start with a direct conversation about what you are building and what it needs to feel like.
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Creative direction, team sizing, and timeline — all defined together before a single camera ships. You know exactly what to expect and when.
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We show up, handle the complexity quietly, and deliver work that reflects the intention behind it. Your event is in good hands.
the best stories come from genuine relationships
Elevative Media, Inc. is embedded in the Bay Area tech ecosystem and available to travel wherever the story demands. We work with tech companies, nonprofits, executives, and organizations who understand that the work they do deserves to be told well — and who want a team that will show up, earn the trust, and get it right. Every time.