Check Out Cheska Bacaltos’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheska Bacaltos.

Cheska, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I remember Sundays afternoon luncheons with dozens of cousins, aunties, uncles, my grandmother and her siblings. Those Sunday afternoons weren’t complete if the elders didn’t ask us to dance or do little presentations.

I started in dance decades ago in a southern metropolis in the Philippines, and my love for dance has evolved to loving the art of storytelling and entertainment– whether it be doing sketch comedy in a small theater of 40 people, creating a web series for a couple hundred thousand viewers, or working as a social strategist for a streaming show watched by millions across the world.

My journey isn’t linear, and to be quite frank, I’m still figuring it out myself. One thing I know for certain is that I love art, and entertainment. And I try to represent that little Filipino girl dancing dancing with her cousins and family during a hot and humid Sunday afternoon to the best of my ability. I wear her like a badge of honor.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing is ever really smooth, and even now I don’t think I’ve reached where I want to be.

But failures are usually how I end up growing.

Immigrating to the US was already difficult in terms of finding my community. Dance classes were expensive, and I never found the same camaraderie that I had in the Philippines– not because America’s dance scene was unfriendly, not at all. I was just so new to the city, and without much stability. But stopping dance and just focusing on going to a junior college was actually how I found my way into stage comedy, writing, and filmmaking– shout out to Cerritos College’s theater department!

Years later, failing to move forward in a content fellowship at BuzzFeed was how I ended up in their social media team, and I credit that to growing my career.

Then yet another failure led me to HBO Max’s social team. Now I get to work on really cool TV shows with really cool people.

Roads are never smooth, and they’re full of detours… but they tend to lead to beautiful sights.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
By day I work in social media strategy. I’ve been quite lucky and blessed to work with big brands. I’ve worked with BuzzFeed, NBC Universal, NBA Take-Two, and now HBO Max. That’s my more corporate experience. If I had to pick a favorite thing I’ve done, it would be the launch of A*Pop– BuzzFeed’s Asian American media brand. My favorite pieces of content come from there– from celebrity interviews with Asian media personalities, to exploring languages with friends.

Outside of my 9 to 5, I’m a writer. I wrote and filmed a web series a lifetime ago called “It’s Complicated” that explored queerness and bisexual panic. I was on a sketch team called “Murder” at Second City Hollywood before that theater closed during the pandemic. I directed an LGBT web series called Functional, which was written by the wonderful Daniel Luna. He was featured in Voyage LA years ago, as well.

Currently, I am exploring writing screenplays– by myself and with friends. I love writing RomComs and comedy pieces. In recent years, everything I write and am involved in includes being Filipino or Asian is part of its DNA.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Networking for the sake of networking has never worked for me.

What has worked for me is finding like-minded friends who are driven to do the same things you do. Find people that inspire you, and are better than you at things you are not. Find people who intimidate you a little bit, too. Be quick to refer the people you truly believe in, and don’t embarrass them when they refer you.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lazycheskie/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheskabacaltos/

Image Credits
Paola Trusendi (https://www.instagram.com/paola.trusendi/)
Doni Masongsong (https://www.instagram.com/doni_shootsfilm/)
Cheska Bacaltos