Life & Work with Ana Mendez of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Mendez.

Hi Ana, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always loved reading and had an over-active imagination for as long as I can remember. My childhood was categorized by reading anything and everything I could get my hands on and using toys and props around my house to make the stories in my brain come alive. Since at least the age of 5, I was a one-woman-show of writer/director/actor. I remember drawing story-scapes in sidewalk chalk around – and ON! – my house. I remember my immigrant father being utterly puzzled but encouraging nonetheless.
My father’s encouragement would go on to shape how I moved and worked in the world. I understood that I was a more white-passing Latina who would often have to code switch based on the environment I was in. Not a lesson I really understood until I got older but one I’m glad he taught me earlier on.
Through high school, my love of reading and writing grew. Though I struggled in mathematics-heavy subjects (sometimes literally getting a A for all the effort I put in), I EXCELLED in every English and writing class I enrolled in. I remember the compliments from my English teachers on my papers and creative writing assignments I turned in – which really encouraged me to continue learning and growing.

I breezed my way through all of the levels and tested into the AP and college-weighted classes in high school. Words and the analysis of them brought the most joy to my day. As soon as I could, I also enrolled in my high school’s journalism program where I took on the role of copy editor for the whole publication (still have my AP Stylebooks!) as well as the Op-Ed & Lifestyle editor while writing articles regularly for the school paper. I also frequently attended journalism conventions where I would win awards for published articles as well as writing challenges that were given over the course of the weekend.

Somehow, I did not end up a journalist though I maintain an affection for those that still seem to be able to do their job in a skilled and objective way.

I ended up allowing life to lead me down a path of enjoyment while figuring out who I was and what I really wanted to do. I ended up stumbling into a job as a traveling assistant after I met the main trio from the cult classic film The Boondocks Saints along with their manager. The manager ended up soiling that relationship which led to two things: 1) the trio switched agents and asked me to come with which I did happily, and 2) I had to step up in a BIG way when their former manager started dropping the bal. Being a 19-20 year old running all logistics for an appearance at a fan event in a strange city really showed me that I was capable of great things.

From there, my responsibilities grew until I was managing between ~50 clients at any given time. I excelled at juggling multiple events without dropping the ball, writing contracts, staying on top of production coordination, travel, as well as boots-on-the-ground management of events. I managed clients from shows & movies like “The Walking Dead”, “Star Trek”, “Punisher”, “Revenge of the Nerds”, “This is Us” and many more. In all, my run as an appearance agent lasted a little over 10 years, ending in 2019.

I made a more concentrated pivot to what I knew to be my calling: professionally telling stories. I had always wanted to be a writer and finally had the confidence to seriously pursue that career path. At the recommendation from a former client, I began working as a writer’s assistant to Michael Bacall – who is possibly the greatest boss and mentor I could ever have. His versatility with writing and adaptations has been an absolute masterclass over the years, helping me to hone my story-telling abilities in ways that you simply cannot learn in a classroom or a textbook. Michael was also the first person to recognize my overachieving nature and suggest that I would make a great producer and/or director as well. After watching and learning from many great producers over the years (special shout out to Rachael Prior from Complete Fiction!) I took the time to make strides toward becoming those as well and respecting them as avenues on their own and in tandem with other story-telling methods.

These days, I am absolutely in love with all stories – be they in written or visual forms. The mega sap within me is in love with filmmaking due to its collaborative nature. I find such beauty in finding a team that can work together, where everyone can “have their turn with the canvas” as it were, and create a beautiful finished product, regardless of the genre.

I suppose that “how I got to where I am today” can be summarized in a few ways”

1. Be afraid but do it anyway.

2. This story from my childhood: When I was roughly 11/12, I like so many other pre-teens in the late-90s & early 00’s, began wearing heavy eye-liner and makeup to express myself. My mom hated this and had some very harsh and unkind words that shouldn’t have been said to a child. But my dad, though he hated it too, took time to tell me in his broken English & Spanglish that I should always make sure that I’m doing things that I want to do, because *I* want to do them, not just because other people are doing it. As a child, I only applied this to eyeliner. As an adult, I see how various encouragement has opened my eyes to areas of skill that I might not have been aware of previously and allowed me to take steps into fields that truly ignite the passion within.

Sometimes I am inspired to something simply because I want to prove a naysayer wrong, sometimes it’s because someone saw something within and took the time to highlight it when I might not have seen that within myself. But in the end, I always choose a path that is something that I truly want to do and see it through until I’m a master of that field.

I might have a long way until I’m considered a master storyteller, but I know I’ll get there and I know I’l honor the weird little girl that drew pictures on the side of her house, acting out whatever weird things came to mind.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey to be the person I am today in the career I’m in and building has not been the easiest. No career path is a straight line but sometimes life tells you that you just have to take the long way to know you’re on the right path.

My father was an immigrant who had worked his whole life. He was an athlete in his youth, worked whatever he needs to support himself and later his family, and was a chef my whole life while coaching soccer teams in his spare time. He was an avid music lover, my biggest supporter, and always encouraged me to follow my dreams, set big goals, and work hard for what I wanted.

However, I lost him when I was a teenager. My remaining parent, my mother, was well-intentioned but the exact opposite of everything my dad was. As much as I live by the sage wisdom of my father in retrospect, it was not the easiest thing to do when your primary parent in your formative years is a nay-sayer to the arts because “you’ll never make any money.”

I know this is a common refrain from many parents to their children who seek careers in the arts. Some children never get past that negative voice in their head. I almost didn’t either.

After I lost my father, I found some encouragement in my English/creative writing teachers and professors. It was the first time I’d heard from someone who wasn’t family that I had skill and promise as a writer and I began to believe that I could genuinely follow what had previously been a passion… only to later have that dashed and negated by a series of well meaning but destructive comments from my remaining parent.

These comments lead me to a 10 year detour as an appearance agent – a job at which I made really good money. My proximity to actors/directors/creatives allowed me to slowly step back into my creative passions until I finally decided that I’d sidelined myself enough.

I there are some other obstacles that I faced, but perhaps the most obstructive one was the negative voices that I allowed to dictate my creative ability, my life, and my goals. I still hear those voices sometimes and they still want to win. Thankfully, time, experience, and a solid support network now allow me to shut down those voices before they become too obstructive again.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In my own personal writing career, I write updated fables with allegorical elements that use genre to discuss social issues in a fun way viewers can connect with. My work across both film & TV deals with the mystical & psychological, often with badass women at the helm, but always with complex characters that draw from real life.

I grew up reading the original fairytales and collections from “The Book of Virtues” and became amazed and drawn in that a similar story could be told in so many different ways. This has informed much of what I create and has given me a deep appreciation for films and TV shows that fall along a wide spectrum of genres and styles. I believe that there are projects that are “cinema” – lowercase “c”, usually are less serious or and more fun and/or commercial. And then there are projects that are “Cinema” with a capital “C” – these are usually the higher end, prestige shows that are lauded by the public and awards committees. To me, both of these kinds are treated with equal respect and admiration and graded in my eyes with consideration of their genre and format. A shorter way of saying this is: There is something for everyone, not every story needs to be a pretentious, high-brow art form, and stories that seem like innocuous fun can carry the heaviest lessons and messages. Treat all art that has been hard-fought to bring to life with respect.

I take this respect and versatility with me when producing, considering directing projects, and giving notes. I always try to consider what an artist or creator is trying to achieve with their project and how they might hit their target in a more thorough and concise way. To do this, you have to, in a sense, be able to separate your own tastes from the project you’re giving feedback on or helping to come to life if the vision is not wholly yours.

This, I think, is a particular strength of mine. I think that my 10+ years of logistical experience as an agent helped me to hone my problem-solving skills in practice. Whether in a script or on a set, I’m able to look at a problem objectively, consider what is best for the project, and offer actionable solutions that can really bring the story to life in the way the creator intended.

I think that what sets me apart from most is my core belief that the success of one does not negate or detract from the success (or potential success) of another. I truly believe, in all things, that the best stories should win and pretty much all stories deserve to be told. I take this belief and my endless respect for all stories into both my own personal writing, my producing work, my note giving, and my directing work.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The entertainment industry has a lot of shakeup and uncertainty coming.

The world is in turmoil and in flux, productions are leaving Los Angeles or struggling to stay. Everywhere, people are hearing that jobs are harder and harder to come by. I think that the use of AI will bloom significantly before suffering an extinction burst and ultimately dying off.

I think in the next 3-5 years, there will be an intense fight to survive and bring back what Hollywood once was in terms of productions and jobs. I also think there will be a big push of solidarity that will bring communities together and remind the world that stories need to be told, humanities are necessary, and not everything and every job needs to be replaced by a computer or machine.

I also think in this time that we will face another strike of one or more entertainment unions and will hear threats of more contractions. BUT if there is one thing I’ve learned in the last six years while under my mentor who has been in the industry in various ways since the age of 9 – everything is a pendulum.

Things WILL get incredibly difficult, but they will also get better. As creatives with a calling that is tied to our soul, we HAVE to have hope and solidarity. Studios and executives without a creative bone in their body will exploit the lack of jobs and the narrative that things are scarce to drive up fear and competition. While part of this might be true, and that we must always fight for what we want, we cannot allow this narrative to overtake our need to create and the hope for the future.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anamendezwrites/

Image Credits
All photos were taken by me