Tobias Levene

TEXT FARIDA AMAR

Tobias is definitely the kind of guy you want around in a life threatening situation. Three years in the US Army as a Cavalry Scout (an airborne qualified forward observer for large-scale troop movements), and five years in the US Air Force as a Survival Evasion Resistance Escape (SERE) Instructor — specializing in a combat search and rescue unit with missions planning executions of high value target apprehension and personal recovery. In other words he has the instincts to handle stress with stride.

Tobias earned his Bachelor’s degree in Motion Pictures and Television with a Minor in Sculpture in 2012 from the San Francisco Academy of Art University. He also holds an Associate’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering and Science from the Community College of the Air Force and a second Associate’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism from the Community College of San Francisco, which he earned simultaneously in 2013. Afterwards, Tobias made his way to Los Angeles where he then completed a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the Academy of Art.

Combining his expertise in academia with practical application in both survival training and the arts puts Tobias in a league of his own. He is at once a freelance journalist, camera operator, and production designer for film. He’s also a co-owner of a film agency called 214 Media Group which he founded with his friend, collaborator, and fellow veteran Duy Nguyen.

Tobias recently decided to go back into the military, joining the Navy this time as a Mass Communications Specialist with the intention of developing as an underwater photographer and cinematographer. There are no more than 15 people who can do underwater cinematography in the world and Tobias intends to be one of them. His favorite guns to shoot are MK-19 Semi-Automatic Grenade Launchers and his favorite films to shoot are thought-provoking emotional Iliads or BDSM porn films. His personal art is in sculpture and he works with a variety of materials — steel, bronze, plaster, clay, etc. He is happy to cast a mould of your face if you let him.

Tobias has an active mind and has a lot to say about almost everything. When he’s not on set, he likes to talk — you’ll never have a dull moment with him at a dinner party. You will often find him surrounded by a captive audience, telling stories about jumping out of helicopters in Asia or deep-sea diving for pearls in Australia. Sometimes Tobias will fill gaps in conversations with useless but useful information. For example, “There are 4 NBA teams whose names don’t end with the letter “S” — The Heat, The Magic, The Jazz, The Thunder.” When he thinks no one is watching, you can catch him belting out cheesy pop music by Katy Perry, Kesha and “The Biebs.”

Tobias’ work has taken him around the world, but when you’re in his presence you get the distinct feeling that you are the only person that exists for him. Tobias’ work as a contributing photographer for SOVO// MAGAZINE will be featured in Issue 1 to be released February 2018.