Today we’d like to introduce you to Rosa Ruiz.
Rosa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born and raised in Compton, CA. I have always attended Compton schools and am proud to be from where I come from. People tend to only see the bad side of the city, but there are many beautiful stories from amazing people to be told. I come from a Mexican household of 7 with my 2 wonderful parents and 4 siblings. Growing up, there were a lot of things that I saw and experienced that made me into the person I am today. My parents almost never attended our events at school due to their jobs which for the longest I despised them for it, but as I got older I realized it wasn’t because they didn’t want to attend, but because they simply couldn’t because we were living off paycheck to paycheck. Seeing that, I always told myself that I needed to succeed in life not only for myself, but for them as well. With that pressure, it was very difficult for me to decide on what I wanted to do in life.
One day, my sister applied to be featured on a quince show named “My Dream Quinceañera” and that changed everything for me. We both had our quinces together so we were both featured on the show with 6 episodes all having over a million views till present day. Seeing the production team run the show and being able to see all the crew roles and what goes on behind the scenes made me curious about the film industry. I did my own research on the topic and received lots of support from connections. I found myself creating my own video edits and photography. There was a time when I even did YouTube vlogs.
When it eventually came to that time in my life where I had to choose a career path, I chose the film industry. My parents weren’t so happy with my decision since they wanted me to have a more common and secure job, but my heart and mind drove me towards film.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Unfortunately, covid did ruin my senior year of high school and the start of my college journey since it was all online. I fell into depression for 3-4 years where I would wake up and go to sleep crying. I felt very alone and isolated. A LOT happened throughout that time in my life that really messed me up mentally. I even went on to later talk about this topic on a podcast on YouTube on the Yass Mija channel where I cried my eyes out, but even so I never really touched base on the tougher things that happened. My relationship with my family was not the best at the time, I had to multi task from going to my job to babysitting to doing online college classes. We also found out that my little sister had autism which was something that affected me because I felt useless. I eventually approached the situation differently and researched, asked questions, helped out as much as I could, and learned what autism was. My relationship with my family improved so much ever since all of them and myself started to put in effort towards fixing it.
At the same time that everything else was going on, I had finally started my film program at Cal State Dominguez Hills in person. I was very nervous due to the fact that I completely forgot how to socialize with people after being isolated for so long. It took a lot from me to connect with my fellow classmates because I was still struggling mentally at the time and I was scared to let people in my circle, but eventually I stopped being scared and made friends. I started to love going to classes because I was finally getting some real education and hands on experience on film and video production.
The obstacle that I had to face was breaking out of my shell. One of my professors decided to put me as a producer for a short film project we needed to do for a class. That was the very first time I ever produced anything. I was scared to fail because at the time I didn’t really know what was expected from a producer. When I found out I was the voice or “boss” I had to try my best to speak up and lead the team. Little by little I broke out of my shell and became an amazing producer. I still have a long way to go, but you never stop learning.
Even present day, an obstacle that I face is the lack of equipment resources. In order to make these projects possible we need equipment. Back then I used to think that maybe if we had the best equipment, we would have the best results, but I see things differently now. Anyone can have the best resources in the world, but if someone doesn’t have the creative mind, it won’t matter. I think the lack of having these resources help independent filmmakers like myself get creative with figuring out how to get an idea on screen by working with what we do have. I learned to not let the lack of resources hold you back.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a filmmaker/creative. I have experience with producing, assistant directing, screenwriting, photography, filming and editing, G&E, PA, etc. I can do it all since I am always open to learning every crew role.
For the past year I have been producing a short film named Mi Querido Viejo that is about a young women in her early 20s, who navigates growing up, finding her identity, and staying true to her grandfather’s unwavering support. This project specially was a passion project I decided to initiate with my director Sylvia Santana, as we both wanted to bring representation both in front and behind the camera as well as a sense of understanding to our Mexican American culture. We show the struggles we face and what it is like being a part of an immigrant family and how tricky our relationships with our loved ones can be. This project was wrapped up a few months ago. It was a long process, but we did it and got the opportunity to have a red carpet event/screening for it at the Regal LA Live Theater. We have submitted it to a few film festivals and will be releasing soon on our digital platforms.
Since the beginning of this year I have been working with a clothing brand named Outake. I produced a few promo videos which will be released sometime in the summer for a clothing campaign named City of Angels where we showcased people from the cities and their stories. The reason I decided to do this project and will continue to work with Outake is because the owner behind it, Miguel Navarro, is very passionate about his work. If I had to put money on someone who I know will make it big one day, it is him and his clothing brand. I’ve witnessed the brand evolve and it’s amazing to see how far it has come. The team behind Outake come from interesting and similar backgrounds which make the brand authentic at an affordable price for great quality.
This year I have also had the opportunity to collaborate on a short film named Not Enough Latina as the screenwriter. It is about how two latinas dreaming of their big break in the entertainment industry encounter the disappointing truth, getting involved in countless moments of discrimination, nepotism, racism, and even classism during their parallel paths as actresses. Both Valery Rozo and Yanin Loza trusted me to write the script based on their story concept and after various meetings, we were finally able to lock down the final version of this beautiful story. This would be the very first time anything I have written is being put on the screen which is very exciting. It will be going into production soon so definitely keep an eye out for this project.
I’m currently apart of a writing and filmmaking program ran by Kids In The Spotlight where we’ve been increasing our knowledge on writing, acting, casting, etc. It’s been a really fun and educational experience as I have met amazing mentors/advisors and filmmakers who all have different ways of doing things. One thing for sure is that you never stop learning and being in this program has taught me that. We have our production day to film a short script that we all wrote together coming up really soon this month and I am excited to see everyone in action.
Both myself and my film bestie, Tania Montufar have started a film company named Toro Tales Productions along with our fellow film friends/filmmakers. We have a lot of projects planned for the company. We have a few short films, promo videos, and music videos in the works. Great minds think alike and we both do a very great job at multi tasking even though it can get a bit challenging sometimes, we always find a way to resolve any obstacle that comes across. Little by little the company will be pushed out there and more doors will continue to open.
With multi tasking from project to project, I took a small break from my photography, but I will be getting back to that very soon. I definitely have more projects planned for this year whether that be with a team or solo.
I am most proud of how far I’ve come. The film industry can be very discouraging as it is very competitive, but I know I’m going in the right direction as long as I don’t stop creating and continue to be passionate. Someone recently told me to keep away from the Hispanic/latino film industry due to how Hollywood doesn’t want us, but that motivated me even more to pursue that specifically. I’ve always told myself that if I go towards this path, it would be to tell real stories that truly represent my people and that is exactly what I plan on doing.
The thing that sets me apart from others is that I’m not afraid to take initiative when I have a passion for something. I think what holds a lot of people back from reaching their full potential is fear. Words of advice coming from a person who was afraid of simply talking to people once, don’t let fear control you. If you are afraid of doing something, that is more of a reason to do it. You never know what doors and opportunities can open up. I’m a very great example for the results of this advice as I am now a very well spoken individual who can introduce herself to strangers to make connections which is the thing that has opened up more and more opportunities for me.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have had the privilege of having people support me through out my journey. By being featured on the quince show, I met Kevin Stalker and Kristen Fonseca who are a husband and wife show runner duo. They are both such amazing people who have always cheered for my success on everything that I do and are always open to giving me advice when needed.
My professors have always seen the potential in me as they continue to mentor me towards the right direction.
My parents at first were not the biggest fans of me choosing the film industry, but they were the ones who applauded the loudest for me once they started to see what I was capable of creating.
My siblings and friends have always known I can do great things. They have been there when I’ve needed people to reassure me of the steps I take and I can always count on them as my biggest fans and support system.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rr.ossa?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@lifeofrosa?si=1_a9Xg118mBXYHV6
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rr.ossa?_t=ZT-8wpecIbhFiI&_r=1
