Meet Jessica Siqueiros of Viscera Productions in West Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Siqueiros.

Jessica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started as, and continue to be, an actor. But there was always something that bothered me in how we view that job as powerless. You are taught that you are low on the totem pole, that you are replaceable. Meanwhile, actors who ‘make it’ are worshipped in our world. This disjointed messaging led me to create my own work, to take back my power. It’s something that happens often nowadays, thanks to the accessibility of the technology.

I co-founded Viscera Productions about two years ago, at the same time as I started dabbling with directing. It changed my entire world.

The immense growth in the last year is thanks to my very personal journey with taking ownership of my Latinx heritage. As someone that is mixed race, my white-passing privilege led me to be somewhat timid about my own identity and ethnic experience. But when I looked around me at the lack of Latinx women in power positions and behind the camera, it felt vital to bring to light the complexities of my own identity and how it mirrors society at large.

It’s clearly a conversation we are ripe to have in this country, and I’m grateful that we have been able to add to it as a company.

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?
How nice it would be, a smooth road. But the truth is that success is such an illusive concept. The pursuit of it is where the joy is, once you get there you spend all your time looking towards the next goal. So, in that sense, I wouldn’t want it to be a smooth road anyhow, where would be the fun in that?

The fact is, there are still deeply inherent prejudices in our industry. The concept that my work may be too niche for an American audience, yet too Americanized for a Latinx audience is definitely a challenge. Luckily, the audiences themselves are proof against that.

Beyond that, there are the everyday challenges of filmmaking. Funding, an onslaught of rejections, not enough hours in the day, a flooded marketplace. I think the biggest challenge is that last one, getting people to see your work amidst all the other films/shows. And fighting the negativity that might come if you start to view art as a competition. There’s a world where filmmakers all pit themselves against each other to vie for the audiences, but I definitely choose actively to not participate in that. There’s room for all of us, and audiences for all the beautiful work that is being created.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Viscera Productions – what should we know?
When we started, me and my business partner (Ariel Eliaz) had this concept of bringing people together for the sake of learning and experimentation. We would take a human that was just starting out but owned a camera and pair them with a highly experienced commercial director, and see what would happen.

This concept of bring people across barriers is the most fundamental element that I am proud of, and it extends from behind the camera into the soul of our stories.

For example, my recent film, Pozole, is about bringing disconnected sides of the Latinx spectrum together. I want to show that we can have positive conversations about unity, while still acknowledging how complex the underlying issues are.

We spend so much time as human beings operating in an infrastructure that most of us don’t think to challenge. And as a company from the very beginning, we have strived to open people’s eyes to new ways of viewing how ‘things are done’.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Curiosity, it’s the only thing that will keep you going beyond some benchmark of ‘success’. A deep curiosity for human beings, how they operate and what drives them to keep going in spite of it all.

My only real goals in life are to stay curious, and never get cynical.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.visceraproductions.com
• Phone: 7025036369
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
BTS Photos: Megan Miller, Stills from Pozole: DP Lara Aqel

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.