Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Valeria A Avina. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Valeria A, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Any thoughts around creating more inclusive workplaces?

not betraying myself. took my a while to learn that.

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

My name is Valeria A Avina, born and raised in Durango, Mexico. I left Mexico when I was 18 to study in the US. I earned a tennis scholarship and got to play tennis during my college years. My true journey began when Fillipe Valle Costa one of my teammates motivated me to take acting class and after that everything is history. I graduated with a BA in Business, Theater with a minor in communications. Theater was everything to me but 2011-2012 the theater degree in many Universities was reduced from a major to a minor. How could I love something so much and not knowing anything about it? That’s when I heard about grad school for acting, that doesn’t exist in my country, the thought of it was surreal to me, so did what I could to audition for grad school. A year later I took the offer from The University of Iowa, and three years later I earned my MFA. New York has been my home for eight years now, I have build many relationships, not just in the theater but Film industry, Music Industry and also Universities.
In the past eight years I have taught at Fordham University, I got certify as Voice Teacher with the Fitzmaurice Technique, I performed in many venues off Broadway and off off Broadway, I directed/written my own work, I even shoot music videos. New York has been a life lesson and a playground to me.
2023 I began next to my partner our Production Company Chimera Films with the aim of highlight queer films, and new, deconstructing ways to see and make movies. Also, I am Regional Coordinator of Latin America. Currently I teache Voice at Rutgers University New Brunswick, NJ. Proud member of Intar UNIT52, NAACP, The Dramatist Guild, NALIP, Cayenne Film Festival, FLOW Film Festival, and El Colectivo LGBTTTIQ from Durango, Mexico. My body of work surrounds stories that expose how bodily autonomy is dictated by personal history, societal environments, and cultural experiences.
Award recipient of Best Film Noir at Flow Film Festival 2021 for “Do you Believe Me Now”, a short film focused on giving light to the feminicides in Mexico, “Entre Guerra y Guerra, A fuera la Bicicleta” winner of The NYLFF 2022 a short story of kids repeating history through play, as well as their pilot “One Million Girls” winner of The Late Night Competition at Series Fest 2023. Their latest film, Even in the Light (2024) shot in Mexico City is currently running for festivals circuits 2024, The short film highlights an invisibilized domestic violence experience by a non-binary pre-adolescent and how the internalized experience of this transgression manifests throughout overlooked daily circumstances.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My whole life I have been the troublemaker, the other one and crazy. Those labels carried so much weight in my life that kept me from even taking myself seriously or a way to keep me away from my own acceptance of how brilliant I am, of my wit, cleverness, depth and how far I can truly go. I cannot say I changed it completely; this is something I know I have to keep working on, on that reassurance of who I am and the things I know I can offer. Everyone will have their opinions about me and not everyone is going to like me or my work and that’s just part of life. Shifting the things, they said to me growing up as my strengths and skills have changed my career and my life.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

When I work I always give my best, I am not afraid of asking for help and the most important thing. When I want to create something or collaborate with someone, I will do my best to make it happened. I truly enjoy the process of creation, it can get emotionally draining but that to me is the learning process, finding a way to take care of myself so I can support others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.valeriaavina.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valeavina29/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeria-a-avina-982a795b/
• Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/valeriaavina