Meet Soleidy Mendez | Filmmaker, Actress

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

Hi Soleidy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The thought process is a constant one. It started with a desire to create films for people like me, to tell the stories I felt needed to be told but that I was not seeing out there. But there are so many aspects to this industry that are not just art related. The economic factor plays a major part in choosing whether or not you want to produce a film so I created the production company but take things on a project-to-project level.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a filmmaker & an actress. Thanks to my work I’ve learned that we have so much in common. Even when we think we are so different and when we try to separate who we are from the rest. We just have a different combination of likes, experiences, dreams, etc. Ironically that sets me apart, I want to see the whole picture, find what unites us, what makes us human, our worries, happiness, etc, seeing things as they are, without judging.

My films talk about these social and personal dilemmas which are not commercial subjects and make it a bit harder to get my work out there. I have to work on getting my message out but also understand the business aspect of making films. Getting to where I am has been and is a constant battle due to the lack of time & resources. The industry is not an easy one, there’s a lot of good work out there, and getting people to see yours and to grow a following that supports you is not easy.

The challenges are overcome on a day-to-day basis, learning to do the work out of love without too many expectations. This is not what we are thought to do but having a balanced life is important. I learned that the work would not be a good one if you are not out there living a balanced and enriched life. How else can you talk about life if you are not living?

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my friends were visiting the area I would take them walking around the city, bars, and restaurant hopping. I will also make sure that we have time for ourselves, to sit down and talk about what’s going on in our life. If it is during summer time I would take them to the park and spend the afternoon there until it gets dark.

But at the end of the day is about spending quality time with them so it really doesn’t matter where we go.

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?
Shoutout to those who have been there for me in my ups and downs. To those who support me even when they don’t fully understand what is it that I do. When I feel like giving up I think of them and their hopes for me and that makes me keep going.

Website: www.soleidymendez.com

Instagram: ydielos