Meet Tessie Herrasti of No Filter Productions in Midcity

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tessie Herrasti.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I never thought I would be able to come to the United States and push myself to grow as a performer, it was indeed an opportunity that came somehow, unexpectedly.

So here I am now, moving forward with my childhood and forever dream of telling stories and living them through the eyes of characters and various circumstances.

I started a very long time ago, in Mexico City, I was the kind of child who was always telling stories, making up songs, and running around everywhere. I come from a big family so I used to grab all my cousins, write a short play and direct them. We would usually perform it during Christmas and it was a lot of fun.

Now that I look at my journey, I have walked many paths and many places, and all of them have encountered a common theme: that of storytelling. Before I saw my career and the acting craft as a way of being validated so that other people could see that I was actually worthy of being heard or seen, it’s a very human feeling, actually. However, that has now evolved,

Throughout my work and life experiences, I have understood that is not really about me individually, but about the responsibility I have, as an artist, to tell those stories that otherwise would never be heard by others and would be unfortunately lost.

For me, it is about identity, justice, love, equality, diversity, and many other important subjects that are carried through the stories we tell.

At the end of the day, stories are our way of connecting to others, the way we build relationships.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The way I see it; there can be no growth with neither change nor challenge.

Multiple times, I have fallen headfirst into the traps of a superficial industry but along the way, I have also encountered the most amazing artists fighting for the sake of making this world better.

As an actress and writer, the challenges that characters experience make the best stories, right?

We all curious about seeing how someone makes either the best or the worst of the situation they’re in. If they succeed or fail.

So, it hasn’t been really smooth, no, I could sit here and tell you about every single time things didn’t go where I expected, but it would be quite…depressing, no?

So, I’m still out there, on this journey, pushing hard to bring more inclusion on the screen, more stories that are diverse in all their nuances, where we can hear accents, see multiple nationalities, and where I can offer those stories, a fair representation.

By writing a novel that will evolve as a TV series, I’m doing double the work and it is a tough road, in the Entertainment industry is often about who you know, who knows you, and who wants to help you get more media visibility.

The hardest part, or the most challenging, I would say, is to keep being true to myself and not letting go of my ideals of inclusion, even if I have to do it a single step at a time and sometimes, alone.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m a storyteller and a creator.

I adore immersing myself in stories, basking in myths, folk tales, legends, and cultures.

I have a particular fascination with languages and diverse people, I want to know their story, where do they come from? How has their journey been?

I’m in the early stages of my production company: No Filter Productions. So far, we only have the pilot of The Jewels of Light, the fantasy novel I’m working on.

With this company, I would like to be able to produce more stories that are different, bold, and magic.

Let’s paint it like this: Imagine you’re traveling and the only people you see or meet are pure copies of yourself. Life would be boring, wouldn’t it? There would be nothing to talk about, nothing to exchange, it would be like any other day with yourself and the mirror.

By bringing different cultures and life experiences together, we can be aware of the magic in the world, the real essence of diversity!

I use fantasy, magic realism, or absurd. Writing and acting can become a useful tool to convey any message, therefore, I stand as a fierce advocate of going back to childhood, where we could dream freely, far and wide!

A time in which we played without making distinctions and we traveled with the help of our creativity, deep into distant lands filled with infinite possibilities while using the never-failing power of our imagination.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I would love for The Jewels of Light to go on to become a continuous high-quality TV series, this could offer work and opportunities for diverse actors, crew members, and artists around the world who are interested in telling this particular story.

I find it very important for human beings to embrace differences as virtues instead of weaknesses so we can actually move forward towards a sense of unity.

The big picture for me is always GIANORMOUS! I would love to use any success I can get as a performer to help others.

There is a plague of disconnection right now, people are more isolated than ever so it is my hope as an artist to bring a sense of connection between us all and a compassionate approach to storytelling.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tessieherrasti.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tessie.herrasti/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tessherrasti

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