We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Juancho Rodriguez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Juancho, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Everything is a risk in the entertainment business. From the moment you decide to pursue a project and work it through the development pipeline, you are putting yourself under a tremendous amount of risk, especially when securing financing is still underway, and you’re using all your time and personal resources to get a headstart.
I would like to talk about personal risks, however. And about the moment when you need to make a decision and take a leap of faith. That leap of faith for me was fully pursuing my filmmaking career (now combined with theatre), regardless of not knowing the outcome on the other side of that choice.
A few years ago, I was a well-paid marketing executive working on campaigns sunup to sundown in order to fulfill someone else’s dream while I was kicking my own to the curb. Everything changed, however, after I decided to save my salary, let go of that job (and that sense of security), return to art, and do everything in my power to succeed in the entertainment industry. This decision opened a world of opportunities I had never imagined for myself. I had to start somewhere, and I began knocking on as many doors as possible to find someone who could lead me in.
I have to say: a change like this is scary, And taking a risk is paralyzing. But you must allow opportunity to find you. And it can only find you when you make bold choices, both in your life and in your work. Oftentimes you must juggle several positions, several projects and several deadlines in the hope that one of these will turn into fruition.
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?
I’m a film producer, writer, director and actor currently residing in New York City – dividing my time between NYC and Miami. I am now producing a few projects for theater, television and film under my production banner Dawn Kino, which was founded in Miami.
I graduated from Miami Dade College’s School of Entertainment & Design Technology, and this place was the one that blew open a door of opportunities for me. Back in 2018, I worked closely with John Leguizamo on his feature directorial debut “Critical Thinking,” which was shot in Miami and, after this experience, I developed a professional relationship with John for which I feel very blessed. John is an amazing human being and I’m humbled to still be working with, and learning from, him.
Although my main creative focus has been filmmaking, I am also exploring the world of theatre and how it can be a powerful and immediate medium to touch an audience. Acting is also a craft I keep going back to.
I’m the director and producer of the award-winning documentary short, “In Human Kind,” and I’m also a producer on the upcoming feature film “Shadow Vaults.” I’m currently developing a theatre production with John, as well as putting together a documentary feature exploring social justice.
Last year, I collaborated with an amazing actress named Evan Simone, helping her produce her one-woman show titled “Perfect.” The show is a theater performance experience for the screen and available through on-demand streaming.
Earlier this 2022, I was part of an off-Broadway theatre show in New York City, “Parasight,” produced by Blue Pearl Theatrics, for which I was able to direct an inspiring group of young actors –– Henry Temple, Alessandra Antonelli, Leyah Rose and Spence Logan –– while putting up a genre piece for the stage at the Nubox Theatre in Hell’s Kitchen, NY.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Sometime during the height of COVID, I started witnessing a lof of people on social media embrace this assumption around “deserving success;” knowing your worth and saying “no” to things that may drain your energy.
Now, although I do believe self-care and protecting your energy and emotional well-being is pinnacle, we as creatives must remember that the field we have chosen is extremely competitive; everyone wants to be in it, and the moment you let your guard down, someone will swoop in and do the work you decided not to do yourself.
My point is, we do not deserve anything. We must do the work, and we must trudge through the crazy schedules, especially in the creative industry, because that is the only way we can possibly get an “in” in the middle of the crowd.
For me, the lesson I abide by is: always say “yes,” and figure it out later. This modus operandi is stressful, but, trust me, it will propel you into a place where, hopefully soon, you get to make your own choices and be selective with the type of work you want to pursue.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Only recently did I start to seriously consider filmmaking grants, creative workshops and collaborative labs. There are many options out there: from the Sundance Institute to the Gotham, and everything in between.
Securing financing is NEVER easy, it is perhaps the most grueling part of the process when bringing an idea into actual production, regardless of the medium. However, finding different resources from foundations and workshops allows us as storytellers to present our projects in front of people who can connect us to where the money and the exposure are.
Some of the resources that have been incredible during my journey are:
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juanchorodgz/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juansrodriguez3991/
Image Credits
Juancho Rodriguez Headshots and Editorial by Ivan Meza.
All images used with permission.