Conversations with Fabian Acosta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Fabian Acosta.

Hi Fabian, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story begins with my parents’ immigration from their hometown in Mexico to the United States in the early 2000s. Facing both financial insecurity and persecution, they migrated in search of a better life. A few years after my younger brother was born, we continued to move around various cities before settling in our current apartment building. While growing up, the two often endured grueling, labor-intensive jobs that required them to work overtime to afford necessities such as rent or food for the week. It included my father, who specialized as an auto mechanic, working 12-hour shifts from the crack of dawn to late evening in various shops, encountering bosses unwilling to pay him the money he deserved. Often, this resulted in a physical toll on their bodies, including my mother’s left arm needing cortisone shots for an inflamed tendon. It is through these moments that I decided to build on their sacrifices to pursue higher education and a career in the film industry.

The passion for filmmaking has its origins in my mother’s love for the media. In between moving from one city to another, she would regularly play movies on our old DVD/VHS player for the family to watch together. From animated classics like Toy Story to ’90s nostalgia like Jumanji and beyond, they were routinely played. From there, my curiosity would spike to how these films were made, often referring these questions back to my mother, who did her best to provide answers. Some, like Toy Story, came in multi-desk packs, each containing behind-the-scenes interviews with the filmmakers discussing the work it took to bring these projects to life. Dozens of hours were then spent combing through footage, exploring different departments on set, and more. From there, video production classes expanded my media experience, and I then pursued a major in film at Mount San Antonio Community College. Upon graduation and acceptance to 4 different California State Universities, I transferred to CSU Fullerton to continue my studies in film. Towards the end of my undergraduate studies, I pursued a second major in American studies with a concentration in immigration studies. A few months later, I graduated with two Bachelor’s degrees in both majors, earning the distinction of cum laude in each. In return, I became the first in my entire family to attain any higher education.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest obstacle I’ve encountered has been imposter syndrome. Early in the transition from high school to community college, classmates began posting their acceptance letters from prestigious universities across the state, including local colleges. My GPA at the time was a record-low 2.2, putting me at the bottom of the entire graduating class. This period of time would bring up insecurities, leading me to compare myself to students and cast doubt on whether I could ever succeed in school. These thoughts would continue to affect my educational journey throughout my first semester at community college, with grades averaging a B. Then, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought the following semester to a standstill, sending everyone into quarantine. Throughout the first few days of lockdown, dozens of hours were spent playing video games or watching films, often in back-to-back sessions that led to late nights. Upon reaching the end of the first week of quarantine, I knew a change was needed. Through a combination of therapy and reflecting on my parents’ sacrifices, a new outlook was formed. Instead of focusing on the opportunities I didn’t have compared to others, the focus shifted to the ones at my disposal, including coursework assigned that needed to be completed.

From there on, I decided to take a leap of faith and focus solely on school during lockdown. In the following weeks, between chores at home, long stretches of the day were devoted to schoolwork. Whenever a question arose in either class, I contacted the professor to request assistance and seek feedback to improve my work. The new work ethic would result in achieving perfect A’s in all 4 classes across the semester, earning the distinction of obtaining a perfect 4.0 GPA for the first time in my life. In return, it earned a spot on the Dean’s List at Mount San Antonio Community College. Each subsequent semester would see this continued effort earning high recognition from the school, along with several scholarships from different organizations. Near the end of my journey at community college, my GPA stood at a record-high 3.8, I received numerous awards from campus clubs, and I was accepted to 4 California State Universities. I owe this change to who I am today, and this outlook continues to guide my work for my master’s degree. Despite life bringing forth a variety of different challenges, my perseverance continues to overcome any obstacle.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I currently participate in a variety of different fields simultaneously. Since 2024, I have built a career in social media, serving as the marketing manager for several local businesses. Tasks range from filming on location with an iPhone 15 Pro Max attached with a DJI gimbal to overseeing all post-production editing. Once a video is picture-locked, I market the final product through promotions across platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more. In many cases, simultaneously.

On the filmmaking side, I’ve found success as a producer for projects both big and small. The largest in scale was a $13,000-budgeted short film titled Mi Vida Mi Futuro. It follows a first-generation student named Luis as he struggles to pursue his dream of becoming an actor despite his single working mother’s wishes. In collaboration with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Cal State Fullerton offers an advanced production course titled Production 2. Through a committee process, two student-written scripts are chosen from a pool and then enter the entire production with a $10,000 budget.

My classmate, Andres Quintero, would be selected as one of the writers/directors in the fall of 2024, in which he would begin outreach to fill roles for the project. I was brought on board as the project’s scheduling producer, with my classmate Miriam Valencia handling all budget-related matters. My tasks ranged from obtaining permits in each city where production was scheduled to shoot to overseeing all related paperwork, which was compiled into a producer’s book totaling nearly 800 pages upon submission at the end of production. However, my biggest achievelment throughout the production was the outreach conducted to obtain crew members. The film industry is often seen as a highly competitive field where opportunities are often gatekept, making it difficult to find a footing. I decided to use the production as a foundation to provide filmmakers, both those starting and experienced individuals, an opportunity to work alongside one another. Throughout principal photography, nearly 3 dozen production assistants were brought on board, with capacities ranging from production assistants to 1st ACs who assist the project’s two directors of photography. These ranged from classmates at Cal State Fullerton and students from neighboring schools such as Cal State LA to individuals who worked directly in the film industry. A number of them would become close friends, with many coming on board on projects after Mi Vida became a picture in early 2025. The project would then have its first public screening at the Newport Beach Film Festival later that same year, with plans of submissions to other festivals.

Lastly, I am a student of the American Studies master’s program at Cal State Fullerton. Near the end of my undergraduate studies at Fullerton, I became more interested in researching immigration-related topics. The department offers an examination of the history and ethnic development of the country from its founding to the present, drawing connections to significant events that have shaped the United States. A concentration has been placed on exploring themes of the American Dream and the hostility many endure from both sides of the political aisle. The focus stems from witnessing firsthand my parents’ struggles as immigrants from Mexico and the hardships they faced to raise our family. Additionally, exploring these often-overlooked struggles offers an alternative to deconstructing the current language used against immigrants of all origins. As the exit option for the degree, I plan to complete a 70-page thesis that combines depictions of different immigrant groups across film with the language of administration in power at the time of their release.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Life will throw punches during moments when you least expect them. However, it’s not about how hard you can hit back, but how much you’re willing to get hit and keep moving forward. The ability to take challenges head-on and still push ahead. It is a lesson that has been a consistent source of motivation within the last several years. From the beginning of my education journey to the heartbreak following the death of my cousin Edwin, and more, I’ve continued to persevere. More recently, I was the victim of a car accident that resulted in the loss of my car, alongside physical pain that continues to this day. Yet I remain determined, more than ever, to achieve my goals while never forgetting the challenges that have shaped my journey.

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