We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Felipe Andrés Alcalá a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Felipe, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

It was my first semester at my university, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and I was majoring in International Relations when I first got the itch to pursue an artistic career. I had chosen international relations because close family and friends, among these my brother who also studied at Tec, chose this major. I saw his college life and aspirations and was very attracted to it. I’ve also always been a citizen of the world acquiring a love of cultures and languages since a very young age, so this major was perfect to fit the bill, however, once I was there I discovered that that career path almost always ended in politics or in an office and that is something that didn’t attract me at all, so I became uninterested. Then one day I just so happen to pass by the Dean of Communication and Digital Media Studies at Tec’s office and decided to pop in for a chat to discuss what a communications major and career could possibly entail, and after about a 2-hour chat I was completely hooked and transferred to the school of Communications at Tec.

In my first semester as a communications major I took a Film 101 class and that’s what hooked me. I was always an entertainment buff and loved movies and TV, but I became so enamored by the science and construct of film. Its production inspired me and from then on, I knew I wanted to work in the film industry. That same summer a professor of mine let me know of a summer abroad program at a film school in Los Angeles called New York Film Academy. He told me that I could get college credit whilst doing intensive workshops in filmmaking and directing for film. I very excitedly sought this opportunity and with the help of my parents I was able to fulfill it and found myself at NYFA that same summer taking a 4-week intensive filmmaking workshop. If I was already enamored by film before during this workshop is where I confirmed and reaffirmed my career and what I consider to be my calling.

This was summer 2015 while I was an incoming sophomore at university. Today, 8 years later, I am working in the film industry for The Walt Disney Studios on the historic Burbank lot. In these 8 years since I decided to become an artist, I’ve made 35+ short films, one of which got selected by the Cannes Film Festival in their 72nd edition in 2019, I’ve taken up acting for film and TV and have left my home state and family to pursue my dreams in Los Angeles.

I’ve still got a long way to go but we’ve come a long way in 8 years and I’m very proud of that.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Felipe Andrés Alcalá Salinas, and I am a first generation Mexican American from McAllen, Texas and Monterrey, Mexico. I was born and raised in South Texas with a culture so special and specific that only us from the 956 can attest to. I grew up going to school in English and having the rest of my life in Spanish which enables me to consider both languages my native tongues, although I much rather prefer the Spanish speaker in me. I went to school in Texas up until I decided to move to Mexico to study at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, or better known as Tecnológico de Monterrey or just Tec. I did my 4.5-year degree at Tec apart from one summer and one semester at New York Film Academy in Burbank, California.

After I graduated in 2018, I went back to South Texas to save up money to move to Los Angeles which has been my dream since 2014. Luckily, I was able to do it after a year and came out in early 2020…. yup. I was here (in LA) for a month right when the shutdown started, and I made the conscious decision to go back home and wait it out. After much waiting, desperation, denial, and realization, I knew that I needed to do something else in the meantime. At the end of 2020 I started applying to jobs and after a long search I landed the perfect project hire role in Houston, Texas. This job that lasted 10 months in 2021 gave me the push I needed, and it ultimately landed me the job that I have now in Burbank, California for the Walt Disney Studios. I moved to California from Texas in February 2022 and have been here since. This job has allowed me to walk in the doors of the biggest company in the world and given me the opportunity to easily meet people who will allow me to fulfill my potential in the film industry.

I am a filmmaker and actor. My goals include getting my scripts made, perfect and execute my crafts to the best of my abilities in the most ethical way possible, and to take advantage of what LA offers.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Not one specific story comes to mind, but I think my journey illustrates resilience. I’m the first person in my family to pursue an artistic career. The first person in my Latino family to attempt something non-traditional. I think anybody that comes from a traditional Mexican (or Latino) household could easily relate to what I’m saying. At the end of the day, I’m a different generation and have had a completely different life than my parents ever did, but their life was very much related to the one their parents gave them, etc., etc. So here I am, making the 180 degree turn into something that depends on creativity, and that has been a real struggle since I decided to go forth with this journey.

Ever since I started this journey it’s been a constant struggle at home since the road to success in filmmaking is very unclear since there are so many ways to get where you want. It’s not a hierarchy that you work towards as the years go by, it’s a non-linear path that can only be understood if you’re in it, so explaining this constantly while at home, explaining why I needed to move to Los Angeles because back home in my city in Texas there weren’t the same opportunities, why I couldn’t just get a job at my local news channel or something of that nature. But I don’t blame anybody for this. These are different times and if something is new to your old school, traditional parents the most you can hope for is for them to try to understand because it will be a very hard task for them to grasp the concept of the film industry.

All this being said I’ve been very blessed with the parents and family I have. They try their hardest to understand the situation and trust my process even if they’re scared for me. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for the supportive parents He gave me.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I became an “adult” about a year and a half ago now when I moved to LA. It’s been a very hard journey since it’s the first time in my life where I’m 100% alone and independent in every sense of the word. That being said, last year has been about surviving and surviving only, unfortunately. I say this because I feel that it’s affected my drive and passion because when you’re just focused on one thing everything else becomes affected, so in the case of just trying to service it affected my motivation which has led to my projects being put on hold. I feel like up to a certain point this is okay because I’m learning about life and how it works. I’m learning the real struggle of dream chasing and the toll life can have on our work and projects.

I’m confident I will soon find my motivation again as things have been looking up. I heard Bryan Cranston say one on a podcast that to give your best work you must be the best person you can be and get your personal stuff in order to the best of your ability. When I heard that it really hit home and not just because Mr. Cranston is one of my idols but because I think it is very true.

In the year and a half that I’ve been over here there have been 2 immediate deaths in the family, friends getting married and taking the next steps in life, my family getting bigger thanks to my two perfect nephews, one of which was born while I was over here already, and being the only one physically far away from them and the rest of my family, seeing them grow up right before my very eyes through a screen. My confidence, which was unbreakable a few years ago, became fragile in the time I’ve been here. I’ve dealt with bad anxiety that has become part of my everyday life. All this in the last 15 months of my life, but I trust God and the process. I know better days are around the corner and my career will be waiting for me.

I’m someone who’s trying to make a name for himself whilst surviving Hollywood. If there is anyone else here going through the same journey and needs a friend, please reach out. I’m here and rooting for you. God bless and thanks for reading my story!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lifeofalcala.com
• Instagram: @lifeofalcala
• Linkedin: /felipeandresalcala
• Other: I’m someone who’s trying to make a name for himself whilst surviving Hollywood. If there is anyone else here going through the same journey and needs a friend, please reach out. I’m here and rooting for you. God bless and thanks for reading my story!