Check Out Angel Amaral’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angel Amaral.

Angel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
For as long as I can remember, I have loved watching movies. They have always been there for me and taught me valuable life lessons. As a kid, I watched every genre of movie- ranging from comic book movies like Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” in theaters with my parents, to horror movies like “A Nightmare on Elm Street” in my grandma’s attic on VHS. My love for film grew exponentially over the years until I could no longer not be a part of them. Performances like Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Departed,” Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight,” and Tom Cruise in any movie heavily inspired me to want to tell moving and captivating stories just like them.

My mom saw and understood my desire, and being a fellow big dreamer, she supported my passion. She put me in acting classes, took my headshots, and drove me to every audition. By age 12, I was booking national commercials, Disney & Nickelodeon TV show guest star roles, and even got the chance to be the lead actor in an independent film. At age 16, I got to see myself on the big screen surrounded by my loved ones (including my now-wife!) when the movie premiered in theaters. This was an absolute dream come true as I got to be in the industry that I admired so much and spent my childhood yearning to be a part of.

Even when I wasn’t acting, movies were always on my mind. As a result of organic, endless hours of talking after school with my friends, Julius, Daniel, and Tim, we decided to start a YouTube podcast called The GOAT Movie Podcast. This was my first foray into posting on social media and building an online community of film lovers. After graduating high school, I got my Bachelor’s degree in Film and Television Media Studies, where I was able to learn more about the filmmaking process, including the behind the scenes elements. Throughout college, I even got a job at my local Regal movie theater so that I could watch movies for free and eat unlimited popcorn!

Then, during the pandemic, I started posting all my movie discussions, reviews, and reactions across all apps including TikTok, as BluRayAngel. This username came from my vast collection of Blu-ray physical media discs, especially steelbooks, that I had on display in my movie room. Any movie I love, I have to own and add to my collection. I have 100’s!!! This love of physical media stemmed from my early days at Blockbuster browsing the aisles and picking a movie off the shelf to watch that night. My collection means so much to me that my brother gave me the nickname, Blu-Ray Angel!

As BluRayAngel, I started making videos as a hobby, and I had no idea it would become my career. I would just pick up my phone, record myself talking, and post consistently from my room, my car, or during my breaks at work. My trailer reaction for “The Batman” teaser is the video that put me on the trajectory that I’m on today, thanks to director Matt Reeves sharing it. When Robert Pattinson said, “I’m vengeance,” my mind was blown and I screamed with excitement with my brothers, Robert and Richie. From there, more people found my page and I was able to further connect with people who shared my similar interests.

One day when watching Dragon Ball Z with my brothers, Goku transformed and charged up a kamehameha wave and my expression “HEEYUUH,” that I yell when I get hyped, was born. My brothers and friends thought it sounded hilarious so I continued saying it whenever anything exciting happened and it became my catchphrase! HEEYUUH!!!

The last 6 years posting on social media have led me to such unbelievable opportunities that I would have never imagined I would get the chance to experience. I get to go to movie premieres, attend special movie events, work with incredible brands and movie studios, and meet and interview some of my favorite actors. I have even been able to be in promotional videos with Robert Pattinson, Dwayne The Rock Johnson, and Tom Cruise, which was a peak, full circle experience! I love what I do so much and am so incredibly grateful of where this journey has taken me so far!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When I turned 18, the agency that represented me could no longer represent me as an adult, as they were a child acting agency. They referred me to another agent, but she already had a full client list and did not have the time to represent me. I stopped going out to auditions and it made me feel like I had to pivot and pursue something else. I had been fully invested into acting since I was a kid so this was a challenge to try to navigate how to translate my love of movies into a different medium. I eventually started sharing my passion on social media, which has been an amazing adventure, but acting will forever be a love of mine. I hope to one day get back into acting as an adult, bringing along the knowledge I’ve gotten from my life experiences.

An obstacle I endured during my social media career was with our “The GOAT Movie Podcast” Youtube channel. It was gaining momentum and doing really well during the “Spider-Man: No Way Home” era with discussions, theories, and reactions, when we were hit with unexpected copyright strikes from a third-party. For years, we never had any issues with copyrighted content and suddenly, we got 3 strikes all in the matter of a week for reasons we still don’t understand. Just like that, our channel was terminated at 35,000 subscribers. I tried everything I could to appeal these strikes and get the channel back because I believed the videos were all under fair use and commentary, but to no avail. All our videos we had posted for years were completely gone. I cherished those videos and I was never able to recover them, even after contacting YouTube. Losing that channel and those memories with my friends really hurt, but it pressured me to work even harder, start a channel again from scratch, and keep sharing my passion. As a result, I’ve managed to rebuild a strong community as BluRayAngel, which constantly inspires me to persevere.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a digital creator, movie and television reviewer, and lifestyle influencer. I am a proud proponent of collecting physical media and keeping movie theaters alive. The theatrical experience means so much to me because of the shared experience that you can’t get at home. I love to share my reactions, unique perspectives, and key takeaways from any media I ingest. I take pride in providing in depth and insightful commentary with a positive outlook and genuine love for the art of the motion picture!

I feel like the world of film reviewing can be engulfed in cynicism and sometimes it confuses me to see film reviewers talk about movies in such a hateful way. Aren’t we supposed to be movie lovers? Although I know that many movies and tv shows aren’t perfect, there’s a constructive way to give criticism where we can actually offer feedback instead of just spewing hateful rhetoric for clicks and attention. That way, there’s productive discussion around film and maybe that commentary can improve a future story. I encourage viewers to find the good in any project and highlight that, because each piece of media has something to offer us. The creatives have a purpose behind their story, and I know it takes a lot to get a movie or show made. So let’s take what we can get from the themes, appreciate the artistry, and not allow film cynicism to be at the forefront of the beauty that is cinema.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I believe my positive outlook on life and consistency attribute the most to my success. I have three pillars that guide my work: inspire, educate, and entertain. I strive to be innately good in my actions, give everything my all, refuse to be outworked, hope for the best, and inspire others like my favorite character, Superman.

Movies and comic book characters have really shaped who I am. I love superheroes because of what they stand for. They are a reflection of the best of humanity and remind us to help others whenever we have the power to. The most important thing is how you make someone feel through your connection or interaction with them. I get immense joy from making others laugh! I believe that a smile is contagious and is enough to make someone’s day. You never know what someone is going through, so I try to be kind and smile through life as much as I can 🙂

I can’t stress enough how having an incredible support system has ultimately been the foundation of all of my success. I grew up watching my mom have incredible drive in her career since she had me at 15 years old. Throughout my creative journey, my family has believed in me and championed me every step of the way, including my amazing wife whom I have been with for almost 13 years now, and my 4 miniature pinscher chihuahuas who teach me unconditional love. Every milestone I have been able to achieve has been because of their support, love, and encouragement.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blurayangel/?hl=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.snapchat.com/@blurayangel11
• Twitter: https://x.com/BluRayAngel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYMM3ItwdgNEe_uco8uaPyw
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@blurayangel11?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits
Patty Othon