Pivot
A crossroads between music, memory, and reality
Directed by Sebastian Hillesbrand
words by Katie Huelin
PIVOT sits at the intersection of music, memory, and lived experience. Directed by Sebastian Hillesbrand, the short captures something universally familiar, that moment of reaching rock bottom, only for change to quietly push us forward again.
The film was born from a time of personal uncertainty for Hillesbrand: navigating a breakup, stepping into a creative path without a roadmap, and carrying the pressure of being the first artist in his family. It prompted a fixation on failure, not as a conclusion, but as a catalyst for something more. That belief is embedded in every frame of PIVOT.
Through his reconnection with Robby, a musician finding his way back after deportation and addiction, Hillesbrand documents a second chance as it unfolds. The result is a video that feels intimate and deeply human, reminding us that transformation rarely looks like triumph or is entirely perfect, but often, like simply moving forward.
PIVOT feels like a crossroads between music, memory, and reality, more an emotional state than a straightforward story. Where did this story begin for you, and what made you want to tell it this way?
I had just graduated, gone through a breakup, and was sitting with the uncertainty of the creative path. Being the first artist in my family, the stakes always felt high. I became curious about the concept of failure: what it means, and how it can sometimes be the thing that pushes us toward growth.
I started having deeper conversations with friends and even strangers, and everyone seemed to have their own version of hitting ‘rock bottom.’ That's when I realized what I was feeling was universal. There's more that connects us than separates us. Those moments weren’t clean or linear, but they shape who we become.
While in New York, I reconnected with Robbie, who had recently moved there to pursue his dreams. I could see how music had saved him, and I wanted to show that truth without saying it outright. By then, his life had already shifted with a new band and new energy, so the “third act” of the film became his real life unfolding in front of us.
You’ve said you’ve been fixated by moments when failure becomes transformation. How did that idea shape the way you approached your main character and the tone of the film?
With all the highlight reels we see on social media, failure felt like the most interesting place to begin. Robbie’s story mirrored that. He was still in the process of rebuilding and figuring it out. I related to that deeply. I’ve always been drawn to people who are still figuring it out because I am too. It’s the messy middle where the real juice is.
A lot of my close friends have struggled with substance use, and I’ve seen firsthand how easy it is to lose yourself. So when Robbie was so open with me about that part of his life, it hit something personal. His honesty sparked reflection in me, inspiring me to want to make something that showed both the pain and the wisdom that come from the experience. I think I’m always telling my story vicariously through others.
The layering of music and voiceover creates a rhythm that feels almost confessional. How did you approach the sound design to shape emotion and memory?
“Confessional” is the right word. Robbie and I actually recorded our interview over a 3-hour Zoom call. We already had a friendship, so there was real trust there and I just listened curiously and let him talk. He was candid in a way I think he hadn’t been before, maybe saying some things out loud for the first time.
Ethan Myers, our sound designer, found that delicate balance between the voiceover, the lyrics, and the ambient guitar. The music and the voiceover almost merge, like two expressions of the same emotion. It’s melancholic but grounding.
“There’s more that connects us than separates us. Those moments weren’t clean or linear, but they shape who we become.”
What drew you to the hybrid form of documentary and narrative? Do you think it helps you capture something more truthful about the people and emotions on screen?
I'm lucky the hybrid format comes quite naturally for me because I'm a terrible writer from scratch. I love when I can see myself in someone else’s experience and love the ability to reimagine those moments cinematically. Whether that's through emotional or symbolic visuals, I love discovering ways of showing what something felt like.
When you can’t physically be there for a moment, the hybrid form lets you recreate it with empathy and intention through production design, cinematography, and tone. It’s my favorite way to build from someone else’s story because it leaves space for interpretation, and that’s where I come alive creatively.
The film has a lived-in quality, imperfect, human, and unfiltered. Was that something you chased in the edit, or did it come naturally through the process?
Pivot was made from pure feeling, instinct and a lot of delusion in a stupid tight window of time. Looking back now, it was flawed in its approach — we were literally laying the train tracks as the train was coming. And I was convinced this was evident in the final piece.
It has rough edges, but that’s what makes it human. Even the voiceover: we tried re-recording it multiple times, but the new versions lost their soul. Hate to say it, but the imperfections literally make it perfect.
The tag at the end “unmasking mental health” frames the whole piece. What role does transparency play in your filmmaking?
I’m realizing more and more that authenticity and transparency are things I really value, not just in art bu as a person. The “unmasking” tag felt like a natural way to close it, because that’s what the film is doing — peeling back the layers, honestly. The piece almost plays like a hotline call, but it’s really a conversation between two people who understand each other. What you’re hearing is that relationship — the dynamic between subject and storyteller. I think filmmaking, at its best, is about creating that kind of trust.
You’ve described PIVOT as a film about presence rather than answers. What does presence mean to you as a director?
Presence, for me, is about being open to what’s actually happening, not trying to control every frame or force a neat conclusion. It’s about listening. Listening to the subject, to my collaborators. I hate to say the cliché, but presence really is trusting the unknown. Trusting that if you show up with intention, something real will reveal itself.
With Pivot, I wasn’t chasing clarity or closure; I was chasing awareness. That feeling of sitting with someone in their truth, even if it’s messy or unresolved, and seeing them as a human with triumphs and flaws just like everyone else. There's more that connects us than separates us.
Presence is also personal. It’s about me showing up honestly, not performing the role of “director,” but being a person who’s curious, vulnerable, and aware. Still driving the ship — but ultimately knowing I am endeavoring to create a project which is bigger than myself. And when you're packaging up someone's life story, there's a responsibility to do so ethically written in the fine print.
What’s next for you?
I’ve got one last short in the works exploring the theme of failure through my childhood best friend. After that, I think I’ve tapped out every corner for that kind of story, haha. I want to keep growing in collaborative storytelling. Projects that showcase the new wave of 1st and 2nd generation third culture kids in an intentional and relatable way, and just following my curiosity ‘cause it's taken me this far. Long term, I’m chasing depth. The next chapter is about building sustainable creative freedom: working at a high level while making things that feel human, new and honest.
Credits:
Featuring: Robby Pedersen & Brandon Schock
Director: Sebastian Hillesbrand @goodneighbour
Producer: Josh Pax @jpax
DP: Evan Ciniello @evanciniello
Editor: Coline Debray @blinkandcunt
Post Audio: Ethan Myers @ethanmyers
Color: Abe Wynen @abewynen
PD: Ijeoma Johnson @babyportharcourt
Stylist: Cameron Jenkins @@beiacemj
Gaffer: Elan Sherman @elan_sherman
1st AC: Joshua Fernandez @conversejosh52
Titles: Colton Strong @coltonjstrong
Special Thanks: Colorful Grant - One Club for Creativity, Kiddo Films, Kodak