Cheeks on Set: From Barracks to Behind the Camera
“Cheeks” Aguillon, U.S. Army Veteran, former chaplain assistant, film crew member, Vegas Veteran Voices team member, tells their story to Vegas Veteran Voices, a Veteran-led nonprofit in Las Vegas.
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- In this story
- “Cheeks” Aguillon, U.S. Army Veteran, former chaplain assistant, film crew member, Vegas Veteran Voices team member
- Service branch
- U.S. Army
- Published
- Running time
- 1 hour 33 minutes (1:33:39)
- Production
- Filmed by Vegas Veteran Voices, a Veteran-led nonprofit in Las Vegas
“You’re going to learn most of your lessons that you learn by going for it. It’s going to be through failure.”
About this story
Cheeks went from Army chaplain’s assistant to Hollywood crew dog, trading formation runs for film sets and finding a new mission behind the camera. His first project was the Veteran-made cult film Range 15, and since then he’s stacked credits on Guy’s Grocery Games, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, national commercials, indie features, and even Post Malone’s “Circles” music video.
In this conversation, Cheeks pulls back the curtain on what life is really like behind the scenes of Hollywood. From fake blood disasters that destroyed a boxing ring, to scrubbing soot-covered psych walls for hours on election day, to hauling gear until sunrise, he’s lived the grind of set life and kept his sense of humor through it all.
We dive into how film crews run almost exactly like a platoon, with directors as commanders, ADs as first sergeants, and every department working together like a squad. Cheeks explains why Veterans are uniquely built for this world, and how leadership, discipline, and grit carry over from the military into entertainment.
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to break into Hollywood from the ground up, or why Veterans thrive in the chaos of production, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
This episode was filmed at Zen Private Paradise (IG @zenprivateparadise)
In their words
“People need to hear our stories. We have generations of Veterans that are disappearing without their stories being told.”
