We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Betania Murillo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Betania, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I’m so grateful to have been raised by parents who never once made me doubt my capabilities, especially going into a creative field. I didn’t realize until I got older just how rare it is to have that kind of support from parents. I was always a creative and curious kid growing up so I had a new interest or obsession very frequently. I remember, even when times were tough financially, my parents doing what they could to provide me with any resources. Art supplies, a sewing machine, a video camera, dance classes, piano lessons, etc. all made my childhood the perfect training for my life as a freelance creative. Being raised by entrepreneurial and creative parents led to a lot of brainstorming sessions at the dinner table but God knew it was exactly what I needed and for that, I’m forever thankful.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m the Creative Director and founding member of Chicano Hollywood, a platform for Latino creators. We host networking events and training workshops, as well as showcase Latino-created projects on our streaming app. Ultimately, we saw a need in our community that was not being met and we do our best to provide resources so that the Chicano/Latino community can be empowered to create their own opportunities and increase authentic representation.

I primarily create content and produce events that help carry out that mission. As one of the few Latinas in my film program in college, I wish I had something like Chicano Hollywood to remind me that I’m not alone in this industry. So now my favorite part of the job is hearing stories from students and people in our network who are the impact Chicano Hollywood has made on their lives.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Throughout my time in college, internships, and in the work I do now, I have made countless pitch decks. I spend so much time finding images but Shotdeck has been a great tool for solving that! They pull images from film, TV, music videos, and commercials, and it’s extremely organized I spend hours on there.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to do everything in my power to increase opportunities for Latino and female creators. I don’t often think about having a big impact as much as I hope to make a personal impact, that the work I do can resonate with people in unexpected and special ways.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chicanohollywood.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethhmurillo/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betania-murillo-06479b161/

Image Credits

DJ Arvizo