I'm originally from the Imperial Valley Desert along the California/Mexico Border. "The Valley" is an agricultural oasis and cultural desert. My mother did the best she could to instill some culture in her two daughters. My fondest memory as a child was going to the movies with my mother and little sister. I loved the movies!!! So much going on in the rest of the world, so much excitement, people falling in love.... Plus, the movie theater was air-conditioned; a very important amenity when you live in 120 degree weather. At the time, acting seemed like a pipe dream, something completely out of reach for someone like me who lived so isolated from the rest of world. I needed to get away.
Education was my way out. I collected all the scholarships I could and hauled myself to UC Davis, a whole 12 hour drive away from home. My mother was devastated. A had a brief stint as an animal biologist (I love animals) and then decided that I wanted to help other isolated individuals (socially, economically, you name it) and I received my B.S. in Community & Regional Development. THE CITY! That's where I wanted to go. In Northern California that means San Francisco. I landed a job at the Mission Economic Development Association where I helped mostly immigrant Spanish speaking entrepreneurs start or grow their own businesses (did I mention I'm completely bilingual). Non profit work doesn't always pay the bills so I did a little print work on the side. Which led me to commercials and voiceover work. I was an actor! Well, not exactly. I enjoyed this type of work and it was very lucrative but I wasn't satisfied. I realized that the pipe dream that I had as a child could become reality. Again, education helped me move forward. I came to New York City to study theater. My mother was terrified!
After a series of acting gigs, I jumped into writing and filmmaking. I invite you to check out Semillita Productions, to learn about my self-produced projects.
I currently live with my partner, the talented jazz singer Marcelino Feliciano and our two cats in Manhattan.
