We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cheyann Montiel Reagan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Cheyann , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I am been very blessed to say every project I’ve worked on has been meaningful. My last completed script, The Holiday Delay, is ringing to share. My good friend, Raul Pizarro, a fantastic painter, died this previous year from suffering from MD his whole life. I felt so lucky to bond with such a unique soul, I always wanted to take him on a road trip. But with his condition, I knew it would be too difficult for him and his family since he was wheelchair-bound. So I figured if I can’t take him literally why not write a fictional trip for us? I was able to create characters inspired by us and play with the world in the setting to ask, “What would happen if we took off?” Well, I needed to find a clever way to incorporate the hardest time to take a trip, which for Californians like Raul and I, would be the holiday season. So with some movie magic, I wrote a Rom-com script with hints of the classic, Some Like It Hot, set mainly on the Starlight Express train in California. I sent the script to Raul and met up with him to talk about it. He loved it! He also loved the characters I created inspired by us and truly loved the fictional adventure with me. He passed away a few months later and I’m so grateful we took that trip even if it was only in our minds. I truly hope someday I can find the right team to make this movie come to life.
Cheyann , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I started my journey into filmmaking in 2004, when I followed the path of my hero Steven Spielberg to attend film school at Cal State Long Beach. I have made short films that have made rounds on the film festival circuit and premiered my web series “OFf & Running” at Paramount Studios. I am also an international speaker on producing for new media, check out my TEDx Talk on YouTube. I have been blessed to work with amazing people along the way who continue to guide and support my career. I want my future clients and collaborators to know I bring a magic lens to every story, whether it’s in fantasy or thriller. I love finding the connection to the audience and their heart. I write, direct, produce, and consult. For my commercials or ad work, my clients feel like I channel through their eyes. Check my latest commercial for Sambrero Hat on my Instagram pinned post. I have classic filmmaking training so I bring a sense of cinematic intrigue to my work as well. I also believe in family-friendly storytelling, with a global approach putting BIPOC in front and behind the production.
Have you ever had to pivot?
In 2019, I was interviewed on a local Instagram page about my career as a screenwriter and filmmaker. A longtime set designer read about me and reached out that he had a TV concept he wanted to pitch to me. At that time I kept failing to raise money for my indie SciFi feature projects, it’s really tough out there! I’m a sensitive person at the end of the day, I truly needed a break from Independent film. We sat in his restaurant, Turnbull Tavern, in our hometown of Whittier. I reminisced about working at the local diner as I worked through college. We are both Mexican American and both raised in the same city, it was like magic. Ideas started following and I wrote that comedy pilot in a weekend. A long-time college buddy connected me to an Executive Producer on a hit show on Starz. I have been writing for 20 years and it paid off. This Exec loved our show. He had a long history of incredible shows he worked on or with and his expertise pushed my script to become a multi-cam comedy. I pivoted into writing for TV and I loved the growth I witnessed in my writing. Sometimes you need to trust the journey and pivot!
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I’m currently launching my new umbrella company, Pegasus Road Entertainment. With this company, I hope to showcase my multi-hyphenate career as a writer-filmmaker-artist. I hope to work with incredible storytellers who showcase human connection and love through resilience and patience. I also added book writing to my arsenal. I’m working with two authors right now, one is a memoir/guide-to-purpose book with Kim Trotman. Kim is a computer design engineer turned hypnotherapist for past lives and alien encounters. The second is a children’s book highlighting a SoCal leader who created her home into a salon for women’s empowerment. Of course, this came to me by visiting the location with one of my best friends, Andi Franklin. I hope it encourages families to travel and visit destinations of powerful women. I am also working on my first coming-of-age musical script set mainly in New York. I always write from a specific time in my life and reflect on the mystical journey that leads us exactly where we are meant to be. I’m proud to be producing a short film called, The Caregiver’s Club written by Andi Franklin. This collaboration is very special to me as my own grandmother passed away last year. Caregiving is a huge service that isn’t talked about enough in domestic work. We are hoping to shoot this in 2025. I’m excited for these wonderful projects to manifest. I hope we can add more items to the slate next year!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/cheyannmontielreagan
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheyannmontielreagan/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheyannreagan/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ccreagan222
- Other: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm4038236/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Image Credits
Shilah Montiel
Sara Martin
Torie Pedroza