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

Hi Daniel , thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative profession was when I was in the third grade. For English we had these workbooks with prompts we’d have to read aloud to the class. One of the prompts was to do a news story. The class enjoyed the news story I created so much and the way that I performed that every time we were asked to do that prompt, people would be excited to see what I’d create. The feeling of giving off an incredible performance that I wrote has stuck with me to pursue this dream of mine.

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

I am a college-educated Chicano from the San Fernando Valley. I got into the entertainment industry simply by lucking out and being born here. All my life I was surrounded by talent and productions and those wanting to be in the industry themselves. I was born in the heart of the film industry so it was easy for me to enter it. I write screenplays of various lengths, I act, I produce, I direct, and I do a ton more when it comes to filmmaking. I bring my hardworking Chicano perspective everywhere I go. When something needs to get done, I get it done. When someone needs a Chicano perspective, I bring it to them. My unique eye and experiences differentiates me from my peers. I’m most proud of graduating from California State University Northridge with a bachelors in Cinema & Television Arts in Screenwriting. The degree usually takes 4 years to complete. I did it in 3. I also went back to get my Masters in the same field. I’m one of the youngest people in my class, so I’m also very proud to be in such a select group at such a young age. Education is very important, whether it be from books or on the streets, and I bring all my knowledge to the table and present it in such a way that is digestible to everyone. With a particular emphasis on the Chicano experience, I invite people into a world that has been right in front of them the whole time, yet has been seldom talked about in mainstream media.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

During my last semester of undergraduate I took a course in Chicano Cinema. After the Oscars, my professor pointed out how there were no Chicanos who won anything, or were even nominated on the show. While there were Mexican creatives who won, there were no Mexican American creatives even in attendance. Furthermore, an honor outside of an Oscar is to get your film onto the Criterion Collection. These are a group of movies that are deemed must-watch. My professor pointed out that there’s only one famous Chicano film on the list: “La Bamba”. Driven by this, I have a dream: To walk down the aisle and accept my Oscar wearing the Mexican and American flags as capes over my suit. For my speech I begin with un grito, a victory scream done by Mexicans that I’ve never seen done at the Oscars. This would be followed by the phrase “Viva La Raza”, long live the people. Everything I do creatively, I do it as a way to show that my people belong on the grandest stages, that we have something to say, and as God as my witness, I will be heard.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is when you’ve finished with something. There’s a euphoric wave that washes over you, a sigh of relief that you’ve accomplished something. Whether big or small, that rush is what I live for. Being a creative can be nerve-inducing. What if I’m not good enough? What if they don’t understand my vision? What if this was all for nothing? These are the types of questions that can weigh you down. However, once you get past this and finish with something, you realize why you do what you do.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @gangsta_mata
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-mata-560b91337/