Meet MAYLEN CALIENES: Producer, Writer, Director & Founder of Latino Filmmakers Network

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

Hi MAYLEN, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk taking has been part of my life and career! The way I see it, if you don’t take risks even if you fail, you will never know if it worked out. I don’t want to be that person later in life that lives with regrets. Life inspires you to take risks, it’s up to you to do it. As far as career goes you should always be taking risks. Especially in the entertainment industry which is a risky business of its own. If you are in the entertainment industry and have stuck to it, rest assured you are a risk taker because you already took the biggest risk in life just by being part of the most complicated industry that has its ups and downs but it is also a beautiful and rewarding industry if you get to tell stories. As an artist and creative it is important to take risks in your work to stand out but also for opportunities. After all, we create art and stories to share with others, to inspire and hopefully also to be change makers in creating a better world. All of that takes risk! Behind the cameras as producers and filmmakers we should be taking risks in making and green lighting those stories that should be told, especially when it comes to giving chances to underrepresented communities whose voice should be heard. Moving from Miami to Hollywood, CA was a risk, working for the entertainment industry is a risk, making movies is always a risk and founding the Latino Filmmakers Network in 2015 at the Sundance Film Festival to bring visibility to the LatinX community and other underrepresented artists was a big risk too. But the things that I have created and took risks in creating whether it works out or not have been the most rewarding. The most successful ones where the ones that friends and colleagues had even told me I couldn’t do, why take the risk? why try? and even if I went through emotional rollercoasters I went with my gut and made it happen because CHANGE MAKERS and ARTISTS must take RISKS!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am proud of Latino Filmmakers Network because it inspires me and I do it with love and to give back to my community and help storytellers of different backgrounds and walks of life tell their story and have a voice. I’m proud that I have also inspired others to create other organizations that make a positive impact or give back to our community in their own way. I am always excited of all the projects I have lined up to either create or produce. Making movies, telling stories is quite difficult and can take up many years sometimes to complete but the passion inside of me is what drives me to create and to give back. To get to where I am today, wasn’t easy and it still isn’t easy. This is why you have to have so much love and passion for what you do to help you keep going and not give up. It’s like running a marathon, you run you fall several times, but you must get up and keep running. Life isn’t easy for anyone, the entertainment industry isn’t easy for anyone but add being Latina and a woman to the equation and you have to work three times harder and you constantly have to prove yourself over an over and over again until eventually someone finally pays attention and believes in you and decides to give you a shot. Those are the hardest people to find, the genuine ones who believe in you and want to see you succeed. Succeeding for me means success for everybody too because I always look out for so many. Along the way I have learned many lessons, I have even learned lessons while making movies that I have applied to my personal life like finding solutions to the problems. I always say that life is about learning, growing and evolving if you are not doing those three things you are not living. I would say the same thing for making films, you learn from each one you make, you grow and you evolve and hopefully the experience gets better and better. What I want the world to know about me is that I tried and that I was a good person along the way in the journey.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If you visit Los Angeles, I would go to the Hollywood Hills to my favorite spot where you can see the Hollywood sign. Not only is it beautiful but it is very inspiring and it reminds you why you are there. The Hollywood sign also has a lot of history behind it. I would also go to the Lake Shrine near Malibu, a peaceful place with a lake and swans and beautiful flowers where you go to meditate. The Lake Shrine was founded by Yogananda and part of Gandhi’s ashes are buried there. Afterwards I’d drive to Malibu to a very nice Food Market out there, grab a sandwich to go and I stop by the beach to eat my sandwich and relax by the ocean. On the way back I drive through Brentwood, Westwood, Beverly Hills down Sunset where you see a lot of trees and greens. I also enjoy going all the way up towards Griffith Park, the view up there of the mountains is beautiful, another great place to meditate and then pass by the observatory. The Huntington Library in San Marino is definitely something to check out! There is a lot of history there, there is a room full of classic literature and they have beautiful gardens and art rooms with classic paintings but they also have a lovely tea room and I am all about tea! The greatest thing about living in Los Angeles besides the palm trees, the golden sun and all the Hollywood history is that you can jump in your car, drive a few hours away and go to another nice place making you feel like your taking a little escape from the crazy city life. You can go to San Diego, Santa Barbara, Solvang, Napa Valley, San Francisco and then come back home. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shout out to my dear friend, colleague, producing partner Johnny Ray Rodriguez. Johnny has not only believed in me and in everything I do and have done throughout the years, he has also jumped on board to help produce several projects and he is the one that always has encouraged me to keep pushing forward no matter what others do or say to me that are not that encouraging. Johnny has seen me grow, learn and evolve not only in the entertainment industry but also as a person in life. He has been there for me and he is not just a friend, but that is what makes him family. As a human being he is a wonderful soul with a big heart and a talented artist! He was born in NY and grew up in Puerto Rico where he made a career of his own and is very beloved by the Puerto Rican community. Johnny then moved to Los Angeles, where we both met and connected. We have been working on a story “Gardenias” a TV series, loosely based on his life that bridges Puerto Rico to the USA through heart and humor. I will always be there for Johnny and root for him!

He is a brilliant character actor, you should also check him out on “The Three Bilinguals.” Recently we discovered while working together on a low budget web series entitled “Bro’s” now playing on Que Eye TV, hat Johnny is also good at cinematography and editing. You can watch “Bro’s” & “The Three Bilinguals” here: www.queeyetv.com

Bravo to my boy Johnny and to everything he does!

Website: https://latinofilmmaker.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinofilmmakers/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maylen-calienes-75ba958a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoyalLatinicity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/latinofilmmakers

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRXNQjMIZzj-XY8K4J6UWuQ

Other: Also visit on Instagram our bilingual channel @queeyetv https://www.instagram.com/queeyetv/