We recently connected with Zoribel López and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Zoribel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)?

After quitting my job of 16 years at the Puerto Rico power company’s call center I had no idea how my work life was going to look. I went back to school for marketing and event production but it was 2020 and there were no events. A classmate started introducing me to film producing and because he wanted to hire me at one of his productions but I had no experience in film, I answered a facebook ad looking for volunteer PA’s for a religious film. This was a universe I never even realized existed. I was admitted and for a week me and a group of teens (all of the PA’s were 18 and I was 38) made that movie a reality. What I learned mostly from that experience is how every tiny choice made can change the end result. Everything from meals to parking, from cast to the crew. Making a movie is creating a universe and every part counts. This was a real boot camp on filmmaking as I made it a point to be in a different department every day, Even though I has terrified the most valuable lesson I learned was to say “I do not understand or I do not know can you please explain this to me”. I was so surprised when people took the time to walk me through proceses and even though that is not the type of projects I am involved in I am very grateful I had that chance.

Zoribel , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Zoribel Lopez Calderon and I am an event and film producer. I have lived all my life in San Juan Puerto Rico and my work centers black, queer and fem in all aspects of art. I’ve had a long relationship with the art scene in San Juan starting in the early 2000’s when I was a spoken word performer and activist. During this time I was a founding member of Tonguas which is a literary magazine for students of the University of Puerto Rico. After a brief pause at a government job I went back to my true love of event producing. By the way of the pandemic I fell into film producing with and amazing company, Filmes Casa, that focuses on making national queer cinema. I have worked with Sagrado Corazon University producing Nuestro Barrio Fest with my company Aló Productions. We have also produced virtual events for the Puerto Rico Kidney Foundation and worked very closely with the Puerto Rico Film Festival and the European Film Festival (in Puerto Rico).. The focus of my work is to support and protect the creative process of artists with organization and structure in a way that is sustainable and enjoyable for everyone involved. I am a producer but I am an artist first; beauty, joy and inclusivity will always be the focus of my work.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I understand that I am in a very privilege situation where I was able to live from my savings for 4 years until I started generating income from being an event and film producer. The best source of clients for me, living on a very small island, is workshops and volunteer work. If there is a workshop or an event that is about the same topics I work with I will sing up and talk to everyone. Shaking hands and talking about my work and what I want to achieve. I have come to understand that here is very important for people to see what type of projects you support. In most cases, after I have followed up with new potential clients I have been hired for their projects. I hace a list of the organizations or initiatives I want to work with and I keep an eye on their events. I make sure they know I exist and what I can do.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

The first day of class at University of Sagrado Corazon at the post graduate certificate for marketing and event production the chairs and desks were put in a circle. I sat across this girl that had the most amazing head of curls and a very kawaii notebook and pen, I took out my very kawaii notebook and pen and caught her eye. Everyone did their introductions and I remembered her name Priscila Alers and at that time she was working with a kopp production in Puerto Rico. Next day we sat next to each other and we literally haven’t left each other side since then. Aló Productions is a mix of our last names Alers and López. Also in that class was Raul Samrah founder of Filmes Casa. He always wore the most fabulous earrings and scarfs. We were the 3 overachievers and immediately became a clique.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/aloproductionspr?igshid=YzAwZjE1ZTI0Zg==
• Other: https://www.filmescasapr.com/

Image Credits
Pictures by Filmes Casa And the image of me in a Studio alone is from Revista Etnica