We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Zeloszelos Marchandt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Zeloszelos thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I’m the kind of person who’s constantly inspired by the world around me. Interesting stories are all around us, we simply have to choose to tune into what’s around us and look deeper. It’s a creative cosmos I live in 24-7 and I’m not going to lie sometimes I wonder how good the ideas are which for years was making a giant block in my happiness and progress as a person, as an artist and business owner. There’s history with me second guessing myself and I’ve used that as a method validate who I am and what I know I want to do. There’s a myth that to be confident means someone is never doubting themselves and I don’t believe that. Even the most solid person has their moments. As teen, I had some of the best advice told to me by a fellow writer and a classmate: Never throw anything you write or sketch away. Save it all, even if you think it’s a bad idea. Keep it because you never know, it might turn out to be a good one. You never know when you’ll need it, if it could turn into something cool later or when you might just need a laugh. Best advice ever. I started doing that and its turned into a major part of my everyday life. It not only became a way for me to gain grounded perspectives in the midst of complexity, but also a way to figure out how to move forward with an idea. It started with restaurant napkins, whatever I could find and now I have several notebooks I work out of that are organized according to large shows, short scripts, potential long term projects, client ideas and one special notebook that is a stream of consciousness that is just for me. In 2020 I was working a day job on a night shift (my legit favorite shift) and as things politically were escalating in the this country, I had been sketching ideas for businesses, films, physical theater shows that nodded to opera and circus. I was never seeing anything at all that involved people like me or that was quite as irreverent as I wanted. One night I looked down at all my ideas and decided to stop waiting for some one else to make it happen. The ideas were and are all there. I realized I didn’t and shouldn’t wait for someone to open this door. Today we’re the premier artist residency, videography company, educational hub and film festival that centers creative work through QTPOC (Queer and Trans People of Color) culture bearers. I produce work solo while also working as the Executive Director for the two businesses.

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 an analytical, fireball of a polymath based on the west side of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area and have worked for twenty years as an independent artist with day jobs in health care, education and journalism. It was through a mentor running their own film festival (Ayleen Crotty of the Filmed by Bike festival )in the early 2000’s that I re-discovered my love of film and media as a powerful artform, story telling and archival tool. I was managing the promotions and submissions as a programmer of the her film festival. Through that I discovered my penchant for spotting world class stories, creating stellar festival programming, directing and editing videos. At the time, again, this was back in the aughts and 2010’s I was primarily working in and around short videos, working for arts and culture magazines and a creative agency or two (often times with low budgets ), managing or directing creative content. I’ve got this talent for seeing what others don’t and can conceptualize complicated information into a practical narrative. When I wasn’t seeing the kind of creative opportunities, productions and creative mentorship I wanted – namely for someone like me of the QTPOC (Queer trans person of color) community, I launched the film company and residency. The residency took off first I think because there’s a severe need for better mentorship and infrastructure in arts and culture media that’s for everyone but that also maintains nuance. With the commercial side, we intentionally bring on creative partners that are equally visionary and innovative because they love to be and because we want future clients to be a part of the culture bearing we’re dedicated to. To us that’s real allyship and partnership. Clients and projects don’t have to be from the 2sLGBTQIA but they’ll benefit from our “Culture First” mission.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

This particular lesson is short and sweet…And yet it’s one I think almost every leader learns at some point if you’ve stuck it out long enough. That’s unlearning that ideas or a business plan have be written in stone. So many possibilities will cross your pathway or economics can change and that will cue you to change things up. I think that’s an exiting component to being an entrepreneur (a creative one to boot) you’re in the drivers seat. It can also be a double edged sword because if you don’t get paid, no one else does too but there’s something motivating and fun about putting yourself out there, learning new things, meeting new people and planting seeds of opportunity. Every application or conversation for capacity building, investment and funding for example, has turned into an exercise of confidence.

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

Always. One goal in particular that’s been at the forefront of my mind and many staff and board meetings is defining how and where we spend our time. This is a good question to ask ones self almost any day but in 2025 given how many things are at stake for so many, on such deeply personal levels it’s made me re-evaluate our formal mission which is dedicated to supporting multiple intelligences and stories without a culty mentality. It’s a strong and solid mission. When we’re talking about producing better media, building a better anything or negotiating tough decisions, it’s not enough to lean solely on identity as we tell our stories or are trusted to share someone else’s through a project. It’s a critical doorway but it’s the depth of the human experience and all our emotions and unseen moments that inform and make an an identity. That make a life. We’re dedicated to expansive stories about the human experience. It’s not enough to point out how much harder it is for us, because that can easily become a pity party which is dehumanizing. Real inclusivity and really great creativity are intertwined. That is why we prioritize compelling future-forward projects but make it clear we’re human first. We produce films, installations and mixed media that will hit different because of our textured experiences as QTPOC and QTPOC aligned makers. We’ve historically known what’s going to be hot and what’s not. If we as 2sLGBTQIA+ artists have an agenda here at either T & A Grand Theater and Media LLC or our non profit, Tauraro Artist in Residency & Film Festival it’s joy, community and to lease out our ridiculously good ideas and skillset to you one project at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tagrandtheater.com/ www.themarchandt.com
• Instagram: @tagrandtheater/ @taurarofestival/@mxmarchandt
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/t-a-grand-theater-and-media-llc/?viewAsMember=true

Image Credits

Photo by Holly Hanney