Exploring Life & Business with Nayeli Aguilar-Báez of Left Hand Studios

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nayeli Aguilar-Báez.

Hi Nayeli, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The first time I ever stepped on a stage was when I was a kid. I don’t remember much of the experience and if anything I was sure it solidified the fact that I had the most terrible stage fright! Little did I know that many years later I would find that my calling would be on stage and on set.

After I did my first musical (which happened to be In The Heights) I realized that I had found a sense of belonging I hadn’t found anywhere else. Nothing else would ever be able to compare to the feeling of performing, and I am more than glad that I decided to listen to my gut and audition for AMDA. It is there that I found some of my closest friends and wisest mentors, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Today I’m an actress, writer, filmmaker and photographer and it is much more than I ever thought I’d be able to be. I’m glad that I decided to change my career path and I will continue to work towards making it in this beautiful and chaotic industry.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing ever is a smooth road and if it is, be careful for the curves coming up ahead.

Some of my biggest struggles definitely had to do with mental health, fear of not being able to continue on the path I had set myself on and the nagging in the back of my mind that maybe I didn’t belong. But at the end of the day, the mind is a hell of a place, and it can be as positive as it is negative. Having a community around me that had my back was absolutely the biggest reason as to why I found I could keep going, and I am extremely glad for it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Left Hand Studios?
Left Hand Studios is a film and television studio that was founded a little over two years ago by my friend Nicholas Garbesi and yours truly. It really was one of those “ideas on a napkin” sort of beginning, as it took one long sleepless night for us to write our first script titled “F.T.N.” The rest, as they say, is history.

After that we started working on writing more scripts, eventually writing the first draft of what would eventually become our first film, “Lying In Pieces”. That first iteration was much different than the final product (which was released on January 1st of this year!) and while it was a much longer process than what we had anticipated it was well worth the wait and one we will forever cherish.

Today, Left Hand Studios is run by three, Nicholas, myself, and our friend Cruz Formusa who is our executive producer. Together we’re currently working on producing our first collaborative film titled “Flow State” with Dos Flores Productions. We are currently in three different locations: Texas, Baltimore and Canada with no set main office, but we hope to soon be able to have a place that Left Hand Studios can call home base! Our biggest goals are to continue making unique and relatable indie films that tell stories that are sometimes left untold. We hope to continue growing this year and many, many to come!

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
No matter how hard things get, never
falter. Never give up. Never quit. If you have a dream, chase it at any given opportunity. Work hard to make it happen.
It’s really easy to get frustrated and call it
quits, believe me I know. Things may not always go the way you’d want them to, but that doesn’t mean they won’t ever work out. Stick with it and see it through.
The time, blood, sweat and tears will be well worth it in the end.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nayeliaguilarbaez.wixsite.com/nayeli-aguilar-b
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenayeale/ and https://www.instagram.com/lhsprod_/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LHSProductions
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
AMDA NY, Dlon Moore, Nayeli Aguilar-Báez