Bringing It Into Focus – FilmJavier

Some people spend years searching for their calling. For Javier Exposito, it clicked into place the moment he picked up a camera.

“I was accidentally placed in a video production class in high school,” Javier recalls. “I really didn’t want to be there—I had no interest in making silly videos or being on camera. But then I discovered the backside of it: filming, editing, the whole production process. I was immediately hooked.”

What started as a reluctant elective at Coral Shores High School with teacher Michele Thiery, became a clear vision for his future. Javier knew he wanted to go to film school, wanted to work in large productions, and move to Los Angeles.

Then he met Amanda and his future completely came into focus.

Amanda was working at the Islamorada Shrimp Shack when Javier got a job there. They had mutual friends and became close before romance eventually developed. When Javier reflects on his life in the Keys now, Amanda is in every frame with their two sons, Lincoln and Cooper, watching them grow up on the water, mirroring the Keys childhood both he and Amanda experienced.

But first, that picture-perfect life required a detour.

Right after Hurricane Irma, Javier and Amanda headed to Los Angeles for film school. They spent four years in Los Angeles, soaking up everything LA and the film industry had to offer. After getting married in 2020, they knew they’d someday return home to the Keys.

“All of our family is here,” Amanda explains. “We wanted to start a family, and we wanted them to grow up the way we did.”

When COVID hit and paused film production in LA, the timing felt right.

They moved back in September 2021. Then something unexpected happened: film production work left LA and started coming to South Florida. Javier landed a camera assistant role on Bad Monkey featuring Vince Vaugn (a TV show based in the Florida Keys) for Apple TV, reconnecting him with union camera operators and big-budget productions.

When that show wrapped in August 2022, rather than waiting for the next big production, Javier started saying yes to everything—real estate videos, YouTube collaborations, corporate content.

He filmed with the couple behind Life by the Bow, Clay and Stephanie Cowart, for three years while doing other projects with real estate agents and small businesses. His clients then wanted to make the most of his quality content, and began asking him to manage their social media accounts, not just create content. Amanda came on board and piece by piece, FilmJavier came into frame.

Today, social media management and content creation form the backbone of their business, particularly for local businesses.

When he’s not behind the camera and Amanda’s not behind the computer, they are living the life they’ve been capturing for others. The family loves going out to eat, being out on the water, and enjoying everything the Florida Keys has to offer.

The couple has also stayed deeply connected to their community.

Members of the Key Largo Chamber and Rotary, they provide discounted services to nonprofits like Save Alligator Lighthouse and always answer when Coral Shores calls.

“We grew up here,” Javier says. “I do everything I can to pay back those teachers and this community that shaped us.”

As Film Javier grows, Javier’s vision remains crystal clear: help Florida Keys companies thrive through high-quality content and social media management.

After all, he’s spent his whole life learning how to bring things into focus, and now he gets to do it for others.

To learn more, follow @FilmJavier on Instagram or visit FilmJavier.com to see how Javier and Amanda can help bring your business into focus.

– Jerrica Mah is a writer, Army wife, and freelance book editor who loves to travel vicariously through stories.