Today we’d like to introduce you to Don Michael Mendoza.
Hi Don Michael, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Producing was something that I fell into via a happy accident. After college, I was your typical struggling actor and was dissatisfied about how I was being cast in shows until I met my company co-founder for LA TI DO Productions, Regie Cabico, who encouraged me to pursue creating my own opportunities.
He and I put our heads together in Washington, DC in the summer of 2011 and created the concept that would become a cabaret series called LA TI DO that launched as a weekly series on January 23, 2012.
Since then, LA TI DO became a production company founded by two Filipino Americans that expanded from one to six cities – soon to be seven in 2023 – that produces concerts, cabarets, theater, and special events throughout the year at the national level. Today in Los Angeles, Lindsay Hopper is our Associate Artistic Director who runs programming and operations for LA TI DO in that market.
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?
Like anything you create yourself, it is never a smooth road and the challenges we came upon were some that I’m truly grateful for. One of the most unique challenges for us was determining whether we would be a not-for-profit or a for-profit company. Another challenge is trying to get our company into venues and passed gatekeepers that are used to excluding a company like our and people like us who aren’t already well-connected in the industry.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a multidisciplinary artist and marketing professional because I tend to work in many different parts of the arts industry. In addition to being the co-founder of LA TI DO Productions, now housed under my new parent production company DMH Mendoza Productions, LLC, I am also the host and creator of my podcast and blog called Producing While Asian, and I am the first Director of Marketing and Media for the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra based in Los Angeles.
People know me mostly for my producer accomplishments via LA TI DO and the many shows and events I’ve created and supported for the last decade. I am most proud of creating a safe artistic space for not just artists in general but also bringing equity to underrepresented and oppressed communities of color, gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or all of the above alongside those who are part of the majority. This aspect also sets me and the company apart in most situations.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see there being even more effort to make the industry as a whole more equitable and safe for all individuals looking to be involved in or work in the arts for an extended amount of their time in life.
Pricing:
- Tickets start at $20
Contact Info:
- Website: www.latidoproductions.com
- Instagram: @latidoproductions
- Facebook: Facebook.com/latidoprods
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/latidodc
Image Credits
Photos by: Billy Bustamante Benjamin Zenker Sasha Sinclair LA TI DO Productions
