"Speaking of 2010 contenders, with Sundance behind us and
South By Southwest announcing its lineup today we're
wondering where the next "Precious" is coming from.
Distributors should look no further than a 2009 Toronto Fest
entry, "Down for Life" which was profiled in the Times back in
September and could be called a cross between "Precious" and
"Boyz 'N The Hood," two films that gained strong traction with
Oscar. This actually should be called "Girlz 'N The Hood" as it is
the true story of a young Latina gang member who uses her gift
for poetry to find a way out of a dead-end life. Although the cast
includes Danny Glover and Snoop Dogg, it is mostly comprised
of L.A. based non-actors led by Jessica Romero who could
become next award season's Gabourey Sidibe..."
--PETE HAMMOND, LOS ANGELES TIMES
February 2010
South By Southwest announcing its lineup today we're
wondering where the next "Precious" is coming from.
Distributors should look no further than a 2009 Toronto Fest
entry, "Down for Life" which was profiled in the Times back in
September and could be called a cross between "Precious" and
"Boyz 'N The Hood," two films that gained strong traction with
Oscar. This actually should be called "Girlz 'N The Hood" as it is
the true story of a young Latina gang member who uses her gift
for poetry to find a way out of a dead-end life. Although the cast
includes Danny Glover and Snoop Dogg, it is mostly comprised
of L.A. based non-actors led by Jessica Romero who could
become next award season's Gabourey Sidibe..."
--PETE HAMMOND, LOS ANGELES TIMES
February 2010
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On Top of Los Angeles: an Interview
with Producer Frank Aragon
Published on LatinoLA: June 17, 2010
with Producer Frank Aragon
Published on LatinoLA: June 17, 2010
Twenty three years in the making, a young man
from Boyle Heights is finally ready and eager
to let the public see his work, his collection of films that is.
That young man is Frank Aragon, a filmmaker born and raised in the tough
streets of Boyle Heights, a suburb of Los Angeles just to the east of the Los
Angeles River.
In September of 2009 his film "Down for Life" starring Danny Glover, Snoop
Dogg, Kate Del Castillo, Elizabeth Pena and newcomer Jessica Romero from
Wilmington, world premiered at the prestigious 34th Annual Toronto
International Film festival.
The independent film was produced and 2nd unit directed by the Boyle Heights
native. The Los Angeles Times, Pete Hammond calls the film an early Oscar
contender -- a sign of Frank Aragon's dream in the making.
This is his fifth film in the capacity of producer; Aragon has written and
directed the others. Aragon formed his company, 1211 Entertainment, to
create, market, and distribute American-Latino themed films with a universal
appeal.
This determined filmmaker is ready to make a name for himself. In fact, he has
been working on this life-long dream since he was 13. His story is quite
inspirational. He grew up in a single parent household. His mother worked two
jobs which left him to generally grow up all alone the majority of the time.
A "latch-key" kid is what he calls himself. He spent hours taking buses into
Hollywood when he should have been sitting in his 9th grade classes because
he knew he was destined for the movie industry and couldn't get started soon
enough. He was so passionate about his goals he went out and just started
doing it and it was as simple as that. Whatever movie related project he could
work on to obtain experience, he jumped on enthusiastically. He started off as
an actor and pretty quickly landed off Broadway in New York.
Six months later he landed his first starring role in "Angel Town" opposite
Teresa Saldana. He didn't have a very close relationship with his father until
his early twenties. "I grew up brave able to take on the world but my personal
relationships have suffered because the absence of my mother and father in
my childhood turned into what I made to be my own negative perceptions of
close relationships; inside I felt worthless".
He has wondered if that contributed to his desire for a life in show business-- a
longing for acknowledgment and admiration. Just after returning from
Minnesota where he starred in a PBS American Playhouse film, he faced yet
another challenge. He lost his vision in his right eye from a freak accident
involving a bungee cord. He went through 5 years of surgeries and struggles
adapting to his disability. "I thought my acting career was over so I returned to
school to learn the technicalities of what I loved-- to produce and direct".
He began creating his own movies 12 years ago. His other film titles are "My
Fathers Love", "Boyle Heights", and "Hollywood Familia". There are no
limitations for Aragon. He sees Hollywood as not having completely caught on
to the importance of brown behind and in front of the camera. "We are a part of
the American fabric. I myself am a third generation Mexican-American with my
roots right here in Los Angeles. I love this city and all it has to offer. If you work
hard and you believe in yourself, the sky is the limit".
He's been involved in the movie industry for over 23 years now, a member of
the Screen Actors Guild since 1987 and has been in front of and behind the
camera the last twelve. He wants to work with the best because he believes he
is as worthy as anyone else. Confidently embracing his calling, he says "I WANT
TO AFFECT PEOPLE'S LIVES BY THE STORIES I'M TELLING, STORIES THAT MAKE
A DIFFERENCE IN OUR SOCIETY".
He is dedicated to tell the stories that need to be told, "…like our involvement
as a people who have contributed greatly to the growth of this country".
Regardless of how or why he got started, he is faithfully committed to this goal.
His oldest brother fought in Vietnam and his uncle fought in Europe during
World War II. He shares, "My father fought at the end of the war in the Pacific
and yet there were no Latinos portrayed in the HBO series of the same name
by Hollywood icons, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks", yet he is still a huge fan
of their work. "I would love the opportunity to work with these men and would
like to remind them not to forget all the people of color who also happen to be
Americans that are a huge part of our history too".
Frank started his own company, 1211 Entertainment, for that very reason; he
feels there is huge lack of American-Latino product. There is a need and he
intends to help fill it. "I am an actor who is also a writer, producer and director
and I am very proud of what I have overcome in my own life to be where I am at
in my career. I am a father with three children, two of which I have a wonderful
relationship with and another I aspire to one day. There is not one of us who is
without fault. I have had my share of downfalls but I believe in getting up a
stronger and a better person. I am blind in my right eye but learned to accept
my disability". A lawsuit four years later allowed him to finance his company's
current slate of films, with exception of "Down for Life", all to be released in
the Fall of 2010.
(Part 1 of 2, Aragon's push for Oscar)
from Boyle Heights is finally ready and eager
to let the public see his work, his collection of films that is.
That young man is Frank Aragon, a filmmaker born and raised in the tough
streets of Boyle Heights, a suburb of Los Angeles just to the east of the Los
Angeles River.
In September of 2009 his film "Down for Life" starring Danny Glover, Snoop
Dogg, Kate Del Castillo, Elizabeth Pena and newcomer Jessica Romero from
Wilmington, world premiered at the prestigious 34th Annual Toronto
International Film festival.
The independent film was produced and 2nd unit directed by the Boyle Heights
native. The Los Angeles Times, Pete Hammond calls the film an early Oscar
contender -- a sign of Frank Aragon's dream in the making.
This is his fifth film in the capacity of producer; Aragon has written and
directed the others. Aragon formed his company, 1211 Entertainment, to
create, market, and distribute American-Latino themed films with a universal
appeal.
This determined filmmaker is ready to make a name for himself. In fact, he has
been working on this life-long dream since he was 13. His story is quite
inspirational. He grew up in a single parent household. His mother worked two
jobs which left him to generally grow up all alone the majority of the time.
A "latch-key" kid is what he calls himself. He spent hours taking buses into
Hollywood when he should have been sitting in his 9th grade classes because
he knew he was destined for the movie industry and couldn't get started soon
enough. He was so passionate about his goals he went out and just started
doing it and it was as simple as that. Whatever movie related project he could
work on to obtain experience, he jumped on enthusiastically. He started off as
an actor and pretty quickly landed off Broadway in New York.
Six months later he landed his first starring role in "Angel Town" opposite
Teresa Saldana. He didn't have a very close relationship with his father until
his early twenties. "I grew up brave able to take on the world but my personal
relationships have suffered because the absence of my mother and father in
my childhood turned into what I made to be my own negative perceptions of
close relationships; inside I felt worthless".
He has wondered if that contributed to his desire for a life in show business-- a
longing for acknowledgment and admiration. Just after returning from
Minnesota where he starred in a PBS American Playhouse film, he faced yet
another challenge. He lost his vision in his right eye from a freak accident
involving a bungee cord. He went through 5 years of surgeries and struggles
adapting to his disability. "I thought my acting career was over so I returned to
school to learn the technicalities of what I loved-- to produce and direct".
He began creating his own movies 12 years ago. His other film titles are "My
Fathers Love", "Boyle Heights", and "Hollywood Familia". There are no
limitations for Aragon. He sees Hollywood as not having completely caught on
to the importance of brown behind and in front of the camera. "We are a part of
the American fabric. I myself am a third generation Mexican-American with my
roots right here in Los Angeles. I love this city and all it has to offer. If you work
hard and you believe in yourself, the sky is the limit".
He's been involved in the movie industry for over 23 years now, a member of
the Screen Actors Guild since 1987 and has been in front of and behind the
camera the last twelve. He wants to work with the best because he believes he
is as worthy as anyone else. Confidently embracing his calling, he says "I WANT
TO AFFECT PEOPLE'S LIVES BY THE STORIES I'M TELLING, STORIES THAT MAKE
A DIFFERENCE IN OUR SOCIETY".
He is dedicated to tell the stories that need to be told, "…like our involvement
as a people who have contributed greatly to the growth of this country".
Regardless of how or why he got started, he is faithfully committed to this goal.
His oldest brother fought in Vietnam and his uncle fought in Europe during
World War II. He shares, "My father fought at the end of the war in the Pacific
and yet there were no Latinos portrayed in the HBO series of the same name
by Hollywood icons, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks", yet he is still a huge fan
of their work. "I would love the opportunity to work with these men and would
like to remind them not to forget all the people of color who also happen to be
Americans that are a huge part of our history too".
Frank started his own company, 1211 Entertainment, for that very reason; he
feels there is huge lack of American-Latino product. There is a need and he
intends to help fill it. "I am an actor who is also a writer, producer and director
and I am very proud of what I have overcome in my own life to be where I am at
in my career. I am a father with three children, two of which I have a wonderful
relationship with and another I aspire to one day. There is not one of us who is
without fault. I have had my share of downfalls but I believe in getting up a
stronger and a better person. I am blind in my right eye but learned to accept
my disability". A lawsuit four years later allowed him to finance his company's
current slate of films, with exception of "Down for Life", all to be released in
the Fall of 2010.
(Part 1 of 2, Aragon's push for Oscar)
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
"A cross between PRECIOUS and BOYZ N THE HOOD"
Pete Hammond, Los Angeles Times
Pete Hammond, Los Angeles Times
 |
| IN PRODUCTION NOW |
| FALL 2011 RELEASE |
| New Web Series Starts Dec, 1st, 2011 |
INTERVIEW: Film producer Frank Aragon (Down For Life)
By Al Carlos Hernandez on August 31, 2009
By Al Carlos Hernandez on August 31, 2009
LOS ANGELES (Herald de Paris) – Produced by Boyle Heights native Frank Aragon, the Alan Jacobs’ gang
drama DOWN FOR LIFE is up for a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival – one of eleven
titles added to its category Contemporary World Cinema. The film was shot on location in South-Central
Snoop Dogg, Kate Del Castillo, Elizabeth Pena and introducing sixteen year old Jessica Romero from the
streets of Wilmington, California.
Frank Aragon’s past films include MY FATHER’S LOVE, BOYLE HEIGHTS, HOLLYWOOD FAMILIA and AND SO
THEY DIE. All are part of 1211 Entertainment. Aragon’s company has been concentrating on the American-
Latino audience for the last ten years. Frank is a Mexican-American (Chicano) whose passion is telling
positive Latino stories. In 2001 Aragon was the recipient of the Golden Eagle Award as an outstanding
independent filmmaker from Nosotros. This is Aragon’s first major film festival debut.
Frank tells us:
I was born and raised in the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles, eventually moving to the San Gabriel
Valley so we could live a little better life away from gangs and drugs. I was raised in a single parent
household; my mother and father split up when I was six. My mother was always supportive of me, she
just didn’t have time to nurture me the way she wanted to. It was always just me and my sister because
Mom worked a lot.
Mom always told me that I was a good storyteller. I believed her. If you tell a two year old kid that they’re
good at something, they believe it and things start to happen. I wanted more grown-up things early on, like
a career in the movie business. When my family found out about my dreams, and knew that I was serious,
they encouraged me. They patted me on the back and said, “You can do it mijo!” My friends knew that
vision was what was driving me. They fully supported me and are still expecting to have leads in future
movies I make.
My sister and I grew up with television, especially FANTASY ISLAND. One film changed my life and that film
was ROCKY. I knew then that an underdog could win or, at least, in the effort he was a winner.
I consider myself an actor who is also a producer/director. That is my love, my passion. I’m told I’m a gifted
director. After I wrote, produced, directed and starred in my first film MY FATHER’S LOVE, I realized that I
have an unshakable confidence which cannot be broken by anyone. My ultimate goal is to someday win an
Oscar.
The reason I got into acting was that in the eighth grade I had a crush on my drama teacher. I was student
body president and discovered that I loved the drama class so much! Reading plays aloud and then doing
them on stage was the best escape for me. I owe Miss Enloe; she started it all.
My first success came from an audition. I took a bus to Hollywood and walked into a dark theater to
audition for a play. I was eighteen and they cast me. We took that play to New York City and performed Off-
Broadway at Harold Clurman Theatre. I had been auditioning for two years already for things in Hollywood. I
even got cast as a dead body in a morgue scene in DEATH WISH IV with Charles Bronson. When I came
back from New York at the age of nineteen I got cast in my first film ANGELTOWN with Teresa Saldana. Bob
Morones cast me; I used to drop pictures and resumes off at his door at least once every week.
My biggest supporters have always been my daughter and certainly my family, who celebrate every
success and encourage me to keep going. The biggest challenge in starting out was being able to keep
pursuing my dream and still eat and live like any normal human being, I was a young man with
responsibilities. My high school sweetheart and I had a daughter from all of our love for each other. I was
only seventeen when she was born so I was a very young dad. My son was born four years later. Destiny
and Frankie are my two children.
My first professional gig was the play I did in New York City Off-Broadway, performing next to a theater in
which Melissa Gilbert and Phoebe Cates acted. I knew I was a real actor like them. I eventually ran into
them at the deli on the corner and invited them to my play. They came and it was encouraging, (I loved
Phoebe Cates, but I didn’t get to make out with her.) Working with young professionals on that level, I
knew I could make it then.
Originally I started out as an actor but had an accident after returning from Minnesota where I had worked
on a film. I asked the director and producer if I could learn to be a PA, a production assistant, as well. They
asked me, “Why? You are an actor.” I told them that one day I want to direct and produce so I want to
learn everything I can. I wanted to be by the camera at all times. That film was Severo Perez’s PBS film And
The Earth Did Not Swallow Him by Tomás Rivera. I traveled with the film to Minnesota and there I
eventually worked in every department. I was a grip, an electrician, in the prop department, the wardrobe
department and production assistant. That was my first film school.
When I returned from Minnesota. I worked construction as a property supervisor. Then tragedy struck. I
had freak accident and was blinded by a bungee cord that broke, hitting me in my right eye. I lost my vision
in that eye and for four years I didn’t act anymore, having to undergo surgery after surgery.Eventually I
went to UCLA and studied the technical aspects of filmmaking. Five years later I wrote, produced, and
directed MY FATHER’S LOVE. Since then I’ve made it a point to learn it all. I do what I need to survive, to
keep going until I get to the prize.
MY FATHER’S LOVE was my first serious effort, having produced, financed, written, directed, and starred
in that film. It was a major undertaking and it helped me learn so many things in so many ways. Hollywood
really doesn’t care about young or old. It cares about hotness. If you’re hot it doesn’t matter if you are one
hundred years old. If you’re thirteen and hot then you’re welcome as well. Hollywood is driven by money
and who can bring in the next big payday. In this town, if you are already successful then you are wanted. If
you are smart and can deliver in today’s age, you can dictate your terms better than back in the day.
Especially when you are not dependent upon them for your successes.
I have to say that there is discrimination against Latinos in the entertainment industry. I’m a Chicano and I’
m brown to most Hollywood people I’m just a Mexican and sometimes I am viewed as an immigrant. They
judge people based on a perception about us that is false. That being said, most people in the business
are also smart, so they cannot deny our worth any longer. They are fighting tooth and nail to try to get their
hands on our audiences.
What about your latest project? How did it come about? What events led up to its showing in Canada?
I got a call from producer Scott Alvarez who had seen my work as the location manger on REAL WOMEN
HAVE CURVES. They knew about me from Effie Brown who knew me from my film MY FATHER’S LOVE. Scott
wanted to meet me and talk about a picture.
I read the script and liked it a lot. It wasn’t stereotypical and I thought I could make a difference working on
the picture. I met with Scott Alvarez at an office in Studio City. Scott and I talked while Alan Jacobs, who
was in an office adjacent to ours, could hear our conversation regarding a certain property. POR VIDA is
the story about a young gangster girl from South Central who happens to be Latina. Even though he’d
heard the conversation, I still didn’t meet Jacobs.
We talked about the film and he offered me the job of location manager, I told him I’d like to read the script
again but I would like to help produce the movie, Based on my body of work I was certainly more than just
a location manger. He listened. I went to La Vegas for a weekend and came back. I was offered the job.
When I returned they hired Dwight Williams who is John Singleton’s line producer and executive producer
in HUSTLE AND FLOW. I met with Williams but the meeting turned into my being interviewed to be
somebody’s assistant, not a location manager or even a producer. I very politely wished them the best of
luck with the project and walked away. There comes a point when you have to say, “No, thank you,”
because you’ve earned more than they are offering. I still hadn’t met Alan Jacobs either while he was in
the adjacent office.
They went out and tried to produce the film without me. They shot for ten days out of a twenty-eight day
schedule and then went dark. That means the film shut down due to lack of money, being over produced,
spending too much money, you name it.
I knew that this project was an urban story and could be done cheaply if the right people were involved.
People who knew the hoods of Los Angeles and knew what they were doing as independent producers,
not studio producers. There is a big difference and the difference is money. Independents are
accustomed to working without money and studio producers are used to having it. I learned how to work
without it. To make a long story short, I got a call from Scott again. He explained everything to me saying
that everyone working the film was now gone. No more money means they were no longer around. We set
up a meeting at the Four And Twenty in Studio City.
This time the meeting was with Alan Jacobs and Scott Alvarez. They asked me to help them produce the
rest of the film, keep a log on the days left, keep continuity, handle cast issues, handle union issues, you
name it. Problems, problems. I asked them, “Okay so how much money do I have now to finish this movie?”
They said only about ten percent of the original budget. I accepted the challenge and went to work.
We shot an additional nineteen days using weekends, making sure we matched continuity, actors, and new
locations. No more line producers, executive producers, unit production mangers, or location managers,
These jobs are usually filled by multiple people on films with money. We didn’t have any money so I did
them all by myself.
I realized that this is what I’ve been grooming myself for all these years and I was so ready. The film is
simply good. It is excellent. We submitted the film to Toronto and they accepted us. It is one of the most
prestigious film festivals in the world. I am so excited. It is an honor in itself.
How has the film festival invite affected you? What do you hope happens there?
Being selected is my own personal confirmation that I am ready. It has shored up my confidence, giving me
new birth and a passion for the next level of projects. I hope I meet some great people who don’t mind
working on projects with a young Chicano like myself in the future. People who can see through the color
of my skin and be okay with me,hopefully through my successes. I can help enable more talented brown
people on the set who need a break too.
What is your next project? How can people support your work?
I wish I could say. It’s big. It is a comedy written by a big name writer and produced by a young Chicano on
his way to making a huge name for himself. Me!!!! Oh yeah it has a strong female Latina as the lead who
has yet to be cast. Someone’s going to get a big break! Especially if they are a Chicana! People can
support me, and the people like me who are trying to break down some Hollywood barriers, by writing
letters (e mails) to the networks about me and my work. Let them know we are coming and please go see
my movies the first week when they come out.
As an artist I want to changes lives. I want to affect people’s lives by the stories I’m telling, stories that
make a difference in our society. I want to influence the great change that is already taking shape in our
country.
My life is one story that can be anyone’s story. I know I am blessed and I will live up to all the expectations
people have for me by doing the best job I can. Making a difference in others people’s lives through the
stories I will tell and the films I produce, I will continue to be blessed by the very nature of the work and
that process.
drama DOWN FOR LIFE is up for a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival – one of eleven
titles added to its category Contemporary World Cinema. The film was shot on location in South-Central
Snoop Dogg, Kate Del Castillo, Elizabeth Pena and introducing sixteen year old Jessica Romero from the
streets of Wilmington, California.
Frank Aragon’s past films include MY FATHER’S LOVE, BOYLE HEIGHTS, HOLLYWOOD FAMILIA and AND SO
THEY DIE. All are part of 1211 Entertainment. Aragon’s company has been concentrating on the American-
Latino audience for the last ten years. Frank is a Mexican-American (Chicano) whose passion is telling
positive Latino stories. In 2001 Aragon was the recipient of the Golden Eagle Award as an outstanding
independent filmmaker from Nosotros. This is Aragon’s first major film festival debut.
Frank tells us:
I was born and raised in the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles, eventually moving to the San Gabriel
Valley so we could live a little better life away from gangs and drugs. I was raised in a single parent
household; my mother and father split up when I was six. My mother was always supportive of me, she
just didn’t have time to nurture me the way she wanted to. It was always just me and my sister because
Mom worked a lot.
Mom always told me that I was a good storyteller. I believed her. If you tell a two year old kid that they’re
good at something, they believe it and things start to happen. I wanted more grown-up things early on, like
a career in the movie business. When my family found out about my dreams, and knew that I was serious,
they encouraged me. They patted me on the back and said, “You can do it mijo!” My friends knew that
vision was what was driving me. They fully supported me and are still expecting to have leads in future
movies I make.
My sister and I grew up with television, especially FANTASY ISLAND. One film changed my life and that film
was ROCKY. I knew then that an underdog could win or, at least, in the effort he was a winner.
I consider myself an actor who is also a producer/director. That is my love, my passion. I’m told I’m a gifted
director. After I wrote, produced, directed and starred in my first film MY FATHER’S LOVE, I realized that I
have an unshakable confidence which cannot be broken by anyone. My ultimate goal is to someday win an
Oscar.
The reason I got into acting was that in the eighth grade I had a crush on my drama teacher. I was student
body president and discovered that I loved the drama class so much! Reading plays aloud and then doing
them on stage was the best escape for me. I owe Miss Enloe; she started it all.
My first success came from an audition. I took a bus to Hollywood and walked into a dark theater to
audition for a play. I was eighteen and they cast me. We took that play to New York City and performed Off-
Broadway at Harold Clurman Theatre. I had been auditioning for two years already for things in Hollywood. I
even got cast as a dead body in a morgue scene in DEATH WISH IV with Charles Bronson. When I came
back from New York at the age of nineteen I got cast in my first film ANGELTOWN with Teresa Saldana. Bob
Morones cast me; I used to drop pictures and resumes off at his door at least once every week.
My biggest supporters have always been my daughter and certainly my family, who celebrate every
success and encourage me to keep going. The biggest challenge in starting out was being able to keep
pursuing my dream and still eat and live like any normal human being, I was a young man with
responsibilities. My high school sweetheart and I had a daughter from all of our love for each other. I was
only seventeen when she was born so I was a very young dad. My son was born four years later. Destiny
and Frankie are my two children.
My first professional gig was the play I did in New York City Off-Broadway, performing next to a theater in
which Melissa Gilbert and Phoebe Cates acted. I knew I was a real actor like them. I eventually ran into
them at the deli on the corner and invited them to my play. They came and it was encouraging, (I loved
Phoebe Cates, but I didn’t get to make out with her.) Working with young professionals on that level, I
knew I could make it then.
Originally I started out as an actor but had an accident after returning from Minnesota where I had worked
on a film. I asked the director and producer if I could learn to be a PA, a production assistant, as well. They
asked me, “Why? You are an actor.” I told them that one day I want to direct and produce so I want to
learn everything I can. I wanted to be by the camera at all times. That film was Severo Perez’s PBS film And
The Earth Did Not Swallow Him by Tomás Rivera. I traveled with the film to Minnesota and there I
eventually worked in every department. I was a grip, an electrician, in the prop department, the wardrobe
department and production assistant. That was my first film school.
When I returned from Minnesota. I worked construction as a property supervisor. Then tragedy struck. I
had freak accident and was blinded by a bungee cord that broke, hitting me in my right eye. I lost my vision
in that eye and for four years I didn’t act anymore, having to undergo surgery after surgery.Eventually I
went to UCLA and studied the technical aspects of filmmaking. Five years later I wrote, produced, and
directed MY FATHER’S LOVE. Since then I’ve made it a point to learn it all. I do what I need to survive, to
keep going until I get to the prize.
MY FATHER’S LOVE was my first serious effort, having produced, financed, written, directed, and starred
in that film. It was a major undertaking and it helped me learn so many things in so many ways. Hollywood
really doesn’t care about young or old. It cares about hotness. If you’re hot it doesn’t matter if you are one
hundred years old. If you’re thirteen and hot then you’re welcome as well. Hollywood is driven by money
and who can bring in the next big payday. In this town, if you are already successful then you are wanted. If
you are smart and can deliver in today’s age, you can dictate your terms better than back in the day.
Especially when you are not dependent upon them for your successes.
I have to say that there is discrimination against Latinos in the entertainment industry. I’m a Chicano and I’
m brown to most Hollywood people I’m just a Mexican and sometimes I am viewed as an immigrant. They
judge people based on a perception about us that is false. That being said, most people in the business
are also smart, so they cannot deny our worth any longer. They are fighting tooth and nail to try to get their
hands on our audiences.
What about your latest project? How did it come about? What events led up to its showing in Canada?
I got a call from producer Scott Alvarez who had seen my work as the location manger on REAL WOMEN
HAVE CURVES. They knew about me from Effie Brown who knew me from my film MY FATHER’S LOVE. Scott
wanted to meet me and talk about a picture.
I read the script and liked it a lot. It wasn’t stereotypical and I thought I could make a difference working on
the picture. I met with Scott Alvarez at an office in Studio City. Scott and I talked while Alan Jacobs, who
was in an office adjacent to ours, could hear our conversation regarding a certain property. POR VIDA is
the story about a young gangster girl from South Central who happens to be Latina. Even though he’d
heard the conversation, I still didn’t meet Jacobs.
We talked about the film and he offered me the job of location manager, I told him I’d like to read the script
again but I would like to help produce the movie, Based on my body of work I was certainly more than just
a location manger. He listened. I went to La Vegas for a weekend and came back. I was offered the job.
When I returned they hired Dwight Williams who is John Singleton’s line producer and executive producer
in HUSTLE AND FLOW. I met with Williams but the meeting turned into my being interviewed to be
somebody’s assistant, not a location manager or even a producer. I very politely wished them the best of
luck with the project and walked away. There comes a point when you have to say, “No, thank you,”
because you’ve earned more than they are offering. I still hadn’t met Alan Jacobs either while he was in
the adjacent office.
They went out and tried to produce the film without me. They shot for ten days out of a twenty-eight day
schedule and then went dark. That means the film shut down due to lack of money, being over produced,
spending too much money, you name it.
I knew that this project was an urban story and could be done cheaply if the right people were involved.
People who knew the hoods of Los Angeles and knew what they were doing as independent producers,
not studio producers. There is a big difference and the difference is money. Independents are
accustomed to working without money and studio producers are used to having it. I learned how to work
without it. To make a long story short, I got a call from Scott again. He explained everything to me saying
that everyone working the film was now gone. No more money means they were no longer around. We set
up a meeting at the Four And Twenty in Studio City.
This time the meeting was with Alan Jacobs and Scott Alvarez. They asked me to help them produce the
rest of the film, keep a log on the days left, keep continuity, handle cast issues, handle union issues, you
name it. Problems, problems. I asked them, “Okay so how much money do I have now to finish this movie?”
They said only about ten percent of the original budget. I accepted the challenge and went to work.
We shot an additional nineteen days using weekends, making sure we matched continuity, actors, and new
locations. No more line producers, executive producers, unit production mangers, or location managers,
These jobs are usually filled by multiple people on films with money. We didn’t have any money so I did
them all by myself.
I realized that this is what I’ve been grooming myself for all these years and I was so ready. The film is
simply good. It is excellent. We submitted the film to Toronto and they accepted us. It is one of the most
prestigious film festivals in the world. I am so excited. It is an honor in itself.
How has the film festival invite affected you? What do you hope happens there?
Being selected is my own personal confirmation that I am ready. It has shored up my confidence, giving me
new birth and a passion for the next level of projects. I hope I meet some great people who don’t mind
working on projects with a young Chicano like myself in the future. People who can see through the color
of my skin and be okay with me,hopefully through my successes. I can help enable more talented brown
people on the set who need a break too.
What is your next project? How can people support your work?
I wish I could say. It’s big. It is a comedy written by a big name writer and produced by a young Chicano on
his way to making a huge name for himself. Me!!!! Oh yeah it has a strong female Latina as the lead who
has yet to be cast. Someone’s going to get a big break! Especially if they are a Chicana! People can
support me, and the people like me who are trying to break down some Hollywood barriers, by writing
letters (e mails) to the networks about me and my work. Let them know we are coming and please go see
my movies the first week when they come out.
As an artist I want to changes lives. I want to affect people’s lives by the stories I’m telling, stories that
make a difference in our society. I want to influence the great change that is already taking shape in our
country.
My life is one story that can be anyone’s story. I know I am blessed and I will live up to all the expectations
people have for me by doing the best job I can. Making a difference in others people’s lives through the
stories I will tell and the films I produce, I will continue to be blessed by the very nature of the work and
that process.
