Meet Marcelena Campos Mayhorn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcelena Campos Mayhorn.

Hi Marcelena, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today. 
I think my journey began when my grandfather gave me a journal for my 7th or 8th birthday. I was confused by the gift since I didn’t ask for it, but all he told me was, “Write down everything.” And I did— I started to journal about my life every single day. The journal entries started to turn into stories, which felt like a natural evolution, considering how much I loved to make up plays and songs to entertain my younger sister and my family. What got me interested in filmmaking specifically, though, was when I saw LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING at 13 years old. I was mesmerized by the film. It was the first time I considered what went into making such a gigantic movie. It was then and there, in that dark theater in my small Texas hometown, that I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life.

College took me to North Carolina, where I studied Filmmaking at the UNC School of the Arts. I knew I wanted to eventually end up in Los Angeles, but I also knew I had to do some more growing up first. Post-graduation, I ended up in Austin, Texas, where fate led me to intern under Barbara Morgan, Executive Director of the Austin Film Festival. Before I knew it, I was offered the job of Office Manager. AFF was a great school for me: it’s where I learned how to succeed in a job and how the entertainment industry works. I grew a lot over the next couple of years and had a major takeaway in the end: I wanted to become a writer — specifically, a television writer. From there I left AFF and became a freelance writer within the Austin community. I covered a lot of independent films as a film critic and actively attended various film festivals around the city. Not only was I getting to write more, I was now studying film & TV from a new lens.

I finally made the move to Los Angeles in 2015. I started out as a Line Producer’s Assistant on a television show and gradually worked my way up the assistant ladder over several shows for the next 4 years. My “big break,” as they say, came in 2019 when I was brought on as a Staff Writer on the Netflix show SELENA: THE SERIES. I then became a full-time television writer, and have been doing that ever since!

Alright, 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?
Oh, not at all! Like any road, some parts were smooth, and others were extremely bumpy. I remember someone early on telling me that freelance writing doesn’t pay the bills right away, and boy, were they right. I was always working odd jobs — from a surgical clinic to nannying — to support myself and this dream of mine. But the biggest hurdle of all has actually been my own mind. There are so many times where you can get in your own head and, unfortunately, in your own way. Imposter syndrome is a very real thing, and is a part of this journey that I didn’t see coming. But like every obstacle that comes my way, I’m constantly figuring out how to work through it to keep moving forward.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a writer who thrives on telling stories about morally confused people. A lot of my work is set in Texas and has the backdrop of a Mexican-American family (like mine) somewhere at its core. I specialize in character development, particularly relationship nuance. Of all the work I’ve done thus far, I’m perhaps proudest of my first episode of television (DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW— Season 6, Ep. 14). I got the chance to tell a heart-warming origin story amidst the wackiness of a fun superhero show. It was an experience that made me step back and say, “Wow! I’m finally doing it!!”

What does success mean to you?
To me, success is all about mindset. It’s not about how much you’re making or even if you’re actively employed. I know that probably sounds strange, but between the pandemic and the 2023 strikes, I learned that my success is defined by my journey. Am I writing every day? Am I loving what I’m doing, even when I’m in between jobs? Am I working towards a greater goal? Am I present, both for myself and those around me? If I can answer “yes” to all of these, I consider that to be a success. 

Image Credits
Alejandra Castro-Castillo
J.W. Hendricks