As an aspiring filmmaker, he recognized that not many of his fellow students or Hollywood creators looked like him or shared his background. ‘That’s why I became a writer,’ he said in that story.” (Rafael Agustín)
Every Sunday was a celebration for young Rafael Agustín. On that day, he knew his father would take his mother and him to eat at the popular super AMs located next to many gas stations. “There was a promotion of two hamburgers for 99 cents. We were going through a tough economic situation, living day to day, and eating out was like a party for me,” says the now writer, filmmaker, and TV producer.
He laughs, recounting these anecdotes. He does so now as a great talent in Hollywood, looking to build his best offer in the entertainment world.
“We were poor economically, but I was immensely rich in terms of love. My mom always made sure I was well, that I felt good. You know, our origins are Ecuadorian, and ceviche is a very popular dish. Well, my mom managed to prepare the best ceviche for my dad and me with the one-dollar cans of seafood she found at the supermarket. I believe that’s the wealth of immigrants, transforming those situations into beatiful moments,” says this artist.
Rafael and his family migrated to California when he was only seven years old. He didn’t quite understand what was happening at the time, only that things were changing. His parents were professionals, accustomed to a good standard of living, but the political situation forced many Ecuadorians to emigrate. Upon arriving in the United States, they had to work in the lowest level jobs, like most immigrants.
His family didn’t immediately tell him that they were undocumented, and Rafael didn’t even know what that meant. He realized it when he went to get his driver’s license and understood that he wasn’t like other classmates or families.
“I had a happy childhood. I studied, but I wasn’t the best; I got by. We moved a lot, we went everywhere. I remember that only the first time we moved affected me. I cried a lot; I told my parents I would lose my friends. Then I got used to it,” he says. Rafael wasn’t much of a reader, but on one occasion, an encyclopedia salesman came to his house and convinced his dad to buy one.
“We didn’t have money, but that salesman convinced my father to… buy an encyclopedia!” he says, laughing. “My dad gave me homework; I had to study it.”
They say to never meet your heroes. Well, they’re wrong. @allendeisabel has refueled my love for life, writing, and for trying to leave this Earth better than I found it. (Rafael Agustín)
One of Rafael’s hobbies as a child and teenager was to sit at night and watch TV shows. “It was one of those moments when I felt the whole family bonding, we were together,” he shares. At one of those moments, he thought, “I want to do that in my life, tell stories.”
His Alma Mater, UCLA, writes this about him: “When Rafael Agustín was a first-year student at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, it rapidly became clear that, as an immigrant from Ecuador, he would have to carve his own path to success. As an aspiring filmmaker, he recognized that not many of his fellow students or Hollywood creators looked like him or shared his background. ‘That’s why I became a writer,’ he said in that story. ‘I realized, “Oh, I have to write myself into existence to have a shot.”'”
Agustín graduated from UCLA in 2004 and went on to write for “Jane the Virgin,” which ran on the CW network from 2014 to 2019. Later, he worked on his memoirs, “Illegally Yours,” where he narrates his life and that of his family. Subsequently, Edward James Olmos invited him to be the executive director of the Latino Film Institute, a position he left a few months ago.
“Getting there filled me with passion. Being able to promote Latino cinema from Hispanic America, helping young filmmakers in search of their dreams,” he says. This artist believes that opportunities in Hollywood are open. “We can’t approach producers with labels saying, ‘I have a Latino project.’ There are subtler ways to find those stories and voices to represent us. There are many ways to tell a Latino story; it doesn’t have to be precisely with that label. We have to be the best of the best,” he says.
Edward James Olmos invited him to be the executive director of the Latino Film Institute, a position he left a few months ago. (Rafael Agustín)
For him, Hollywood is going through very interesting times, with many opportunities. The entertainment world is evolving. “Everyone thought Netflix would end TV, but now Netflix is becoming more like television, with ads and all. There lies the opportunity, but it requires us to work double or three times as hard. We need to present excellent projects. Arrive and say, look, this is what I’m working on. If they don’t see it, you can turn around and look for other spaces,” he says. Rafael insists that the need is now on the producers: “They need to diversify their voices.”
“We have to be clear that projects have to be relevant and… commercial. We can’t close our eyes; we’re competing with thousands of proposals. I had a teacher during my residency at Sundance who told us, ‘Always answer these two questions: Why you? And, Why now?’ If you answer these two questions, I firmly believe, you are one step closer to success,” he adds.
Rafael shares that he is in a very productive and decisive moment. He left the executive direction of the Latino Film Festival, something that hurt him, to focus on his film projects; he has several things in post-production. “I am in a position where I can not wait for others. My project has always been directed to the community and commercial success. If I have now decided to work 100% on these projects, it’s because they will have a significant impact on the community. I don’t know if I made the best decision, but they are mine. I’m not going to wait for Hollywood to be ready for me,” he says emphatically.
And he concludes with a strong statement about being Latino or being American. “Being Latino is a very unique way to be American!” he laughs.
