Buddy Candela was born on March 22, 1992 in Ashtabula, Ohio. He is the son of James F. Candela and Christine (Penna) Candela. He has a younger brother, Seve Candela, and younger sister Kaytee Candela. Buddy attended Lakeside High School in Ashtabula, Ohio and was heavily involved in the theater department. He acted in 7 school productions including The Wiz, Little Shop of Horrors, and Grease. He attended Kent State University where he achieved a degree in Electronic Media Production in 2014. Buddy was an executive board member for Kent State University Independent Films (KSUIF) for nearly 2 years as an undergraduate. Buddy returned to Kent for graduate school where he pursued a film degree. Buddy then served as the Graduate Advisor for KSUIF for a semester before being elected President of the organization in December of 2014. In 2015, Buddy was hired to direct his first feature film "Unlucky."