Meet Arlyn Dela Pena in Los Angeles

Arlyn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My journey into entertainment parallels like a lifetime movie. It was a tragic event, an act of God, my phoenix rebirth, that led me to pursue acting. Dramatic right? Because it was just that dramatic! I was an active duty Army Officer for nine years when I was in a fire accident in Mexico. I was air-evacuated back to the United States and was admitted into the burn unit. While I was healing, I realized how short life could be and I wanted to pursue all my dreams. I got out of the military, moved to Los Angeles and began focusing on my life ambitions. After learning to walk again, I started taking acting classes and going to industry events. Then I became involved with FilAm Creative, which became my LA family and support system for entertainment. I began booking commercials, short and feature films, and hosting gigs. I met so many amazing people and had wonderful opportunities come my way. I was able to learn more about behind the scenes and that’s how I became a producer, director, and podcast host.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I feel really lucky and grateful that I’ve had an amazing ride. I learned to be fearless after the fire accident which helped me put into perspective the ups and downs of Hollywood. I think the biggest challenge was seeing the true obstacles that Asian-American filmmakers face. I hope to see more Asian-American stories being told by Asian-Americans. I hope to see more lead roles for under represented communities. It is an uphill battle and we need to keep pushing to get our voices heard. Strength in numbers is real!

Arlyn Dela Pena – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I absolutely love what I do! I am an actress, producer, director, and podcast host. FilAm Creative Voices is a podcast about Filipino-American entertainment artists and community leaders. Our showrunner, Rodney Cajudo, created the podcast and asked myself and Walter Talens to be hosts and producers. It’s fascinating to hear personal stories of other creatives in the industry. We get to know our guests on a personal level and we help support their latest endeavors. Our podcast helps to create a bigger platform to highlight Fil-Ams in entertainment.

MG Productions is a production company where I am a producer, along with Mary Grant and Charles Gray. We have produced promos, commercials, and hilarious online skits. Working and laughing with good friends is my cup of tea any day! It’s a great balance of being productive, coming up with creative and witty ways to tell a story, and also keeping it real.

My latest projects as a lead actress premiered at the Asian World Film Festival in October.  “Legacy” was one of the projects and you can catch the next screening at FilAm Creative’s Filmmakers Night on Friday, November 30th at 6pm, held at the Regency 6 Theater in North Hollywood. “Legacy,” directed by Ashleigh Coffelt, is an amazing film about a Filipino immigrant who fulfills his dream of coming to America, vacationing in Los Angeles yearly with his daughter. It’s an emotional piece so bring the tissues. The other project that premiered at the film festival was a music video called “I’m Okay” by hip-hop artist nak, Director Sammie Villanueva, and Producer Michael Abesamis. I play a soldier and a mom who deals with life issues after coming back from war. You can view it at https://youtu.be/vPDREJJosaE