Filmmakers/photographers Carter + Veronika Hiyama, Sundae Cereal + Datsu Films, Santa Barbara, CA

By day, Carter Hiyama is a filmmaker and commercial photographer for his production company Datsu Films, and his wife Veronika Hiyama works in marketing for hospitality properties. But when COVID hit and lockdown kept them inside, this young Santa Barbara couple decided to start a creative nano-agency, just the two of them, called Sundae Cereal, which develops brands and assets for members of the food and wine industry. Some of the folks they’ve worked with include Omsom, Bettina Pizzeria, Municipal Winemakers, and Makesmith. Carter also made a widely loved film for Bell’s in Los Alamos, about a day in the life of restaurant owners Greg and Daisy Ryan (shown below). Together, Carter and Veronika run fairly epic photo shoots out of their kitchen and tiny office on nights and weekends. They clearly have something really special with Sundae Cereal, and I wanted to capture it in its infancy.

Sundae Cereal

Instagram: @sundaecereal

Datsu Films

Instagram: @datsufilms