Meet Marcel Perez | Creative Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marcel Perez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marcel, how does your business help the community?
As a producer, I have the unique opportunity to help put a spotlight on certain stories, all while adding to the representation we see on screen. My latest feature film ‘La Leyenda Negra’ is about an undocumented teenager fighting for her right to stay in America. This was during the Trump Administration when many undocumented immigrants were at risk of losing their future in this country. When the film got into the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, we had the opportunity to show this film’s message to a wider audience.

This project started off as a student film, an MFA thesis project for the director at UCLA. It was a very low-budget film that came together with the help of many other film students and professionals. During development and all throughout production, we never imagined the success and attention this movie would receive. In fact, there were many factors that would count against our film for commercial success: little to no film festival ties or connections, a cast of first-time actors/non-actors, and the entire movie being in black and white. Yet, despite everything, our movie was picked up by HBO and debuted in North and South America on HBO Max + HBO Latino.

After every Sundance screening, audience members would come up to the team and thank us for telling this story. The film left an impression with one particular pair who had come up after the screening told us and that they never considered what it was like to be undocumented. They were slowly realizing their privilege, and the fact that this film resonated with them showed us that progress could be made because of this film.

The first steps in helping a community starts with awareness and empathy. I’m happy to be at a place in my career where I can support others through the stories I tell.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I was young, one of the career dreams I had was being a comedian, specifically ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ inspired me. I loved watching it with my parents and would always crack up. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I wanted to entertain people. This dream took a pause for a while as I went to high school and joined the engineering magnet program.

I went into undergrad majoring in Mechanical Engineering – this came from the pressure of needing to have a more fiscally guaranteed profession. It wasn’t until I struggled in my Junior and Senior years of undergrad that I doubted my path. I ran out of financial aid and the ability to take out more student loans. I had over 120 credits, but I wasn’t close to graduating. I remember the heartbreak of disappointing my parents and the absolute fear of not understanding what I was doing.

During this time, I spent a lot of time working retail, trying to make enough money to pay for school. I had been visiting my school counselor every week to figure out if engineering was what I wanted to do or if it was something else. I took aptitude tests; went to career fairs and spoke with as many professionals as I could. Funny enough, the first thing that got me to think about filmmaking was watching Paleyfest 2011 and hearing the crew talk about the behind-the-scenes work that was done to make some of the best TV shows come to life. I had this “ah-ha!” moment, and the gears started turning.

From there, I saved up as much money as I could, packed up my car, and drove from Miami to Los Angeles to begin my career in film.

When I moved to Los Angeles, my career didn’t really take off until I met the right people. I met MFA Film students at UCLA and became genuine friends with many of them. I crewed on many projects and they accepted me into the fold. This led to me to produce two feature-length films. The first one, “The Way You Look Tonight,” received worldwide distribution and helped me learn a lot of what I know today. My next project, “La Leyenda Negra,” received distribution through HBO Max and HBO Latino and a variety of awards, nominations, and festival selections, including Official Selection at Sundance 2020 in the NEXT Category.

Another place that gave me a lot of connections was learning improv at UCB. I made friends and became acquaintances with a lot of extremely talented and hardworking individuals. I think when you find the right people for your network, it’s more about how much you get along and understand each other than anything else. Especially because at the time I met these people, they weren’t necessarily in the positions they have today. But because I genuinely liked them and they liked me, we were all grinding and recognizing that quality in each other.

My path as a producer has not been easy or ever certain, but as time progresses, I see more and more the fruits of my labor. Further proving to me that by working hard, collaborating with others, and constantly pushing myself to grow as a creative I can reach new found levels of success. I want the world to know that you don’t need to come from a well-connected or well-funded family to be successful, even in Hollywood. I want every young latino kid out there to know that if they feel a powerful pull to a creative field; they need to explore that and give it a real shot.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ve done this many times, and every time there is something new to add to the list or a classic that never leaves.

For food: La Carreta on Bird Road, El Tambo Grill on 117th ave, Versailles on 8th street, Islas Canarias on Coral Way, Palacio de los Jugos on Flagler, 8th street. You’d also need to get Fritanga Monimbo (or any of the amazing number of Nicaraguan restaurants). I would blow people’s minds with a guava and cheese pizza from Polo Norte. Hit up a Los Perros or Mega Perros after bar hopping for some late night snacking.

For drinks: This might be an obvious answer, but Wynwood has really come through over the years and just keeps delivering. You can easily spend a night or an entire weekend just checking out every spot there, but to name a few: Wood Tavern, Gramps, and SOS Bar. In my undergrad days, you had a really high chance of finding us at Fritz & Franz, Bougainvilleas, and The Ale House (Carolina & Miller),

If I’m bringing a friend around, I’d have to take them to some obvious spots: South Beach, Alton Road, Perez Art Museum, and the Wynwood Walls. Also, the sights of Brickell and Coconut Grove.

I’d also show them where local life exists, and where I spent most of my time growing up Calle Ocho, Flagler. West Kendall, Doral, and Westchester. I’d show them my high school Miami Coral Park Senior High, my university: FIU and how much it’s grown since I’ve been there. I’d take them to Dolphin Mall to show them where I worked: Sam Ash Music Store.

There are so many things to do and places to visit in Miami. It’s personally one of my favorite things to do when I know someone is visiting for the first time.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shout out my girlfriend, Alicia Herder, who also works in the film industry as a Writer/Director & Producer. She is one of the most talented and creative people I’ve ever met and is constantly pushing herself and inspiring everyone around her. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am in constant awe of her and appreciate the support and everything she does. So thank you, Alicia!

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6511032/?ref_=fn_al_nm_3

Instagram: https://instagram.com/heymarcelperez

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelperezproducer/

Image Credits
La Leyenda Negra poster owned by Patricia Delgado Productions Ines Unfortunately poster owned by Bad Comix Productions