Meet Rene Michelle Aranda of Starpark Studios

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rene Michelle Aranda.

Rene Michelle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My mom, Cheryl Aranda, was a cantor for the archdiocese, a self-produced, self-published gospel singer and the front-man of a rock band that toured venues around California. I used to want to be a singer-songwriter, like my mother, but I wasn’t exactly American Idol material at age nine.

Despite that, she still brought me on stage with her as a backup singer. So early on, I was garnering stage presence. I gave up on pitch-perfect sometime in grade-school choir and when time came for choosing an elective in junior high, I opted for auditing for color guard. Unfortunately, the only thing I was a major in was clumsiness so… I didn’t make the team. My second option was Drama, as my sister had taken it and loved it. We had a class assignment one day to cold read in front of the class and I remember that rush, that felt more like a snap or an awakening, and our instructor pulled me aside afterward to tell me words I’d longed to hear, “You’re a natural.”

It was at that moment, I knew what I wanted to do with my life and die pursuing. I’d heard my calling, so I decided to attend a different high school than I was meant to, in exchange for the best theater program our district had to offer and as soon as I graduated, I auditioned for and was accepted into the Los Angeles Theater Academy, a three-year acting conservatory with high caliber alumni like Morgan Freeman and Mark Hamill.

It was there I learned networking is a foot in the door and work ethic is proving you belong in the room. An alumni by the name of Kate Whitney came to visit the same instructor, by the name of Fred FATE, that told my dad about the program, as Fate had taught my father at a different school some thirty years prior and when my mom was on her death bed after a seven year battle with cancer, she was actively asking my dad to reach out to Fate about this program for me.

During her visit with Fate, Kate invited some of us who happened to be walking down a hallway to one of her movie sets as background. I went, had a blast and learned a lot; Made it into the movie trailer and subsequent music video for the theme song and then I did what many laugh at extras doing: I added everyone on Facebook. A few years later, I’d been producing some of my own work with friends (made mostly from investing in my own Canon 7D and offering free behind the scenes photos of their projects) and posting and sharing what I’d been up to. Kate had been watching my growth and reached out one day to ask if I’d replace a crew member her production company was losing: the Line Producer. She asked if I could do that. Of course, I said, “yes” and immediately consulted google on what in the heck that even was.

I made enough of an impression on the Executive Producer on the first movie as LP that he asked me to help him with the next three slated that had guaranteed television distribution. Sins of a Call Girl (not a porn, surely to the disappointment of some), Fighting Chance, Cherry Red Kiss and Until the Day I Die (a 2-part feature). We were a low budget, indie company, so I had the stressful but fruitful responsibility and honor of helping with much of the creative process, including casting and acting in some bit roles. Each project, my involvement increased. By the time we’d parted ways just a year later, I’d become an international casting director, producer, and actor with a network debut and limited theatrical release.

For Cherry Red Kiss, we hired a police car and actor package from a man named David Hill, owner of many hollywood companies, including a casting company. I worked as hired help for him for a number of years and in exchange, he booked me on some of the biggest titles I’m attached to, including introducing me to directors who would hire me on subsequent films.

In the nature of freelance, more than one circle perpetuates you at a time, so another happenstance meeting with a Casting Director named Renee Garcia propelled me to heights I couldn’t have achieved on my own. I worked with her as an assistant, thanks to a mutual friend linking us named Burgandi Phoenix (of Talentboom), and an insight to the intricacies and nuances of the professional casting world transformed my approach to auditioning. Thanks to her, I booked an All-Star film called Papa that might’ve been the first movie that resulted in my earning verified “celebrity” status at conventions, festivals and on websites across the world like Fandango.

Now, I freelance for a living doing what I love and am hired mostly by word of mouth. I have a lot of projects I’m looking forward to sharing about, like Wiped (known as Nova Vida during production), TruLord, Debbie & Doug Drop Acid in the Desert, Boris and the Bomb, and Dusters (which is my first overseas shoot, filming in just a few weeks in Australia). All of these projects have names you’ve heard, faces you’ve seen and it’s a surreal feeling to see myself among them.

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?
The road has been anything but smooth. Roller-coaster is one way many describe it. “Feeling like you’re starting from square-one over and over again” is how director Michael DeLorenzo recently put it for me. There will always be people who doubt you, people who take advantage of you; people who set out to make you feel less until they feel bigger.

It’s our individual responsibility to surround ourselves with people who build us up when we have the power to do so because it’s a long journey; life-long by choice for some of us. People who drain you, feeding “emotional vampires”, will only make it harder for you to survive both career-wise and physically.

The struggle, as they say, is real. There were times I lived out of my car. Several times and for upwards of six months at a time. Half a year, I lived out of an office space. A few in between months, I’d stay at my dad’s and commute hours at a time to get to set. I felt fortunate when I was able to Airbnb within the Greater Los Angeles County but even that was only possible because of a mutual living situation with a life partner. Altogether, I’ve spent years technically homeless. And even now, with a solid address, I’m broke more often than not because I’m still paying back debts I amassed when I was working for “exposure” for the better part of a decade. That’s the real joy I get from all the glamorous posts on red carpets and at conventions is knowing how hard it’s been to stick this through. How many people complimenting me on a beautiful dress know I got it at Goodwill on the way there?

Overnight success might be a lottery win for some, but it’s not the norm and even after success comes longevity. There’s no one way to do this because everyone’s talents are so unique and every opportunity is circumstantial. I remember the moment it clicked for me that “making it” was literal and about the process, not about some finish line.

Please tell us about Starpark Studios.
My company is called Starpark Studios. I do across-the-board media and content creation; all aspects of production from concept through development to distribution and marketing.

For the company, I specialize in management (including producing, coordinating and assistant director work), script doctoring and EPKs, photography and social media. Though I’ve been fairly busy with my personal career as an actor, I’ll always make time for projects I’m passionate about and am casting often, sometimes simultaneously with other projects.

You can see an extensive list of skills and associated titles on the internet movie database (IMDb.com). Fun fact! I’m coming up on 250 total film credits.

Starpark Studios itself is known best for its association with Plus Entertainment and the titles we released on the TV network, CineLatino. My personal pride and joy (with co-producer Nadeem Mirza of Create Music Group) being Cherry Red Kiss, which even made it to the shelves of retail stores after premiering with a Beverly Hills red carpet screening that reaped great critic reviews.

What I believe sets me apart is my extensive background in almost every department in film. I learned by doing and I respect the power of delegation, trusting others to help me do a job when I believe they can do it better or more efficiently than I might be able to at times.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood might be when I convinced my mom to send me to drama camp one summer, reasoning she paid way more money for my two elder siblings to take four years of marching band. The camp itself was an awesome experience but that might’ve been my first successful career negotiation.

Contact Info:

• Website: starparkstudios.com
• Email: starparkstudios@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starparkstudios/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starparkstudios
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/starparkstudios
• Other: renearanda.com

Image Credit:
Guillermo Proano, Dante Sessions, Bryan Rivers, David Hill

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.