We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carlos Lerma. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carlos below.

Carlos, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Every filmbro is going to hate me when I say, I didn’t get into filmmaking after a night at the movies, or after sifting through my dad’s old VHS collection, or by watching a film classic. As a kid with not a lot of friends, I thought of the internet as a haven to hide from playground mean kids, homework, and reality. It was on the internet after watching stranger’s short films that I fell in love with telling stories. I wanted to make other people forget about their troubles the same way other people did. It was powerful.

I did not want to wait for film school to make films, so I kinda started with what I had. I come back to that moment in Marvel when somebody says “Tony Stark built a suit in a cave with a bunch of scraps!”. I had a camera and a dream. I wrote films and did every role. Quite literally. Back in my hometown, I did not have a lot of friends who liked filmmaking, so I directed, wrote, edited, lit, produced, and starred in my own little home movies.

The day I released my first short film, I finally felt I was finally good at something. I grew up very angry at the world for not making me a cool kid, or a handsome kid, or a smart kid. I did not see myself as special. But making films not only made me feel like I just accomplished something, it took a huge load off my back. I made a short film centered around all the times I’ve wanted to die. And releasing that quite literally made me feel like I just went through a year of therapy. Like as if somebody sucked the poison out of a snake bite.

It was something I did not want to do anymore. I needed to.

I needed to draw or film a short film to keep myself sane. My writing guided my life.

In the process I learned that I could make this a career, however, it’s a career that is very hard to succeed at. Nonetheless, I love a challenge.

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

Hi! My name is Carlos Lerma and I am a writer, director, animator, illustrator and author.

I live to make animation and live-action short films that I write/direct and sometimes animate. I make short films that touch on the elements of the twenty-something experience, and just as I grow, my short films grow with me. I also make my short films (some might say extremely) based on my real life experiences. Sometimes it’s more vague, like the time I depicted my very sad one-sided dying friendship with a robot trying to keep a sunflower alive, however, recently I’ve become a little more bold, taking some real-life conversations where I’ve been humbled to the ground and slapped onto a short film. At the end of the day, my short films are honest representations of those feelings. And the very kind people who watch my films seem to agree.

I write a lot, and sometimes not everything can end up being a short film. So I write books. Poetry books mostly with essays sprinkled on top of them. Ever since I was 15 I’ve self-published a self-written and self-illustrated poetry book that is a representation of that chapter in my life. Written completely in Spanish up until I moved to the United States my books started being about very childish themes like recess bullies and middle school crushes, to the very real heartache, longing, real love, and falling out with lovers and friends.

I invite all people to come watch or read! Join the “CLub”! It’s the coolest indie film and book club on the planet (don’t look that up.)

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As a filmmaker and author, the answer will vary depending who you ask and what their priorities are. For me, the most rewarding part is seeing people’s reactions to my work, that be a film or book. Being lucky enough to be included in people’s selection for entertaining themselves is a true gift that I don’t take for granted even for a day.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Absolutely, the book “So Much I Want To Tell You: Letters to my Little Sister” by the amazing Anna Akana. As a kid she was my absolute inspiration. She did YouTube videos, so I said, alright so will I. She did a short film, and so I said, alright so will I. She did an animated poem film, so I said, alright it’s gonna be tough but so will I. Then, she made a book, and so I said, alright damn I guess I will too.

She was somebody whose career I wanted. A filmmaker and author. Her book is filled with very impactful insights from her very illustrious career in the film industry. It was also full of love & relationships stories that made me navigate my own life a little better.

If you have a computer, an internet connection, and time. I suggest strongly you get familiar with her, her work, and her work ethic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carloselerma.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carloselerma
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carloselermaus
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carloselerma/
• Twitter: https://x.com/carloselerma
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@carloselerma