Exploring Life & Business with Hope Lopez of Moonlight Comedy Productions & Let’s Get Creative

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hope Lopez

Hope, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As a visual storyteller, I wholeheartedly embrace each step of the cinematic process with a deep love of showcasing brilliant, diverse narratives. Every day, I work to bring positive representation within the media for women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ folk, those with disabilities, and other marginalized communities. My activism also extends to uplifting the material conditions of underserved people through exposure to different perspectives from a mainstream audience. My goal is to bring an intersectional lens through complex characters so that future generations of children do not face the detrimental effects of identity erasure.

At California State University Long Beach, I cultivated my conceptual and technical skills while falling deeper in love with my passion for cinema. Concurrently, I learned screenwriting, production management, editing, acting, cinematography, and directing. In addition to supporting the Producer’s Club as Vice President, I served as Staff Writer and Supervising Producer of Writers’ Block. After three years, I graduated with a B.A. in Film & Electronic Arts with a concentration in Screenwriting and Production Management. Afterwards, I obtained an M.F.A. in Cinema & Television Arts in Screenwriting from California State University Fullerton. All the while, Group Effort Initiative selected me to participate in the 2022-2023 mentorship program to create an accessible pipeline of success toward my career in film.

While pursuing higher education, I worked as a Development Intern and Writer for three media production companies. These duties allowed me to enrich my practical understanding of film and television production while refining my expertise in social media content and brand marketing. Meanwhile, I served as Co-Host and Executive Producer of a podcast, Let’s Get Creative, which shines a light on emerging artists. In this role, I championed the first two seasons through an authentic on-camera presence and intimate connection between interviewees and company affiliates. These positions allowed me to co-create a nonprofit organization, Moonlight Comedy Productions, in which we bring intersectional representation to the comedic space. Because of these culminating experiences, I synthesized my lifelong drive for activism and filmmaking by employing and showcasing diverse voices who create brilliant stories satirizing the socioeconomic conditions of modern society.

Because of my mastery of visual storytelling, I apply the same skill, energy, and unique creativity to whatever project I take on.

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?
My journey is unique yet not free of meandering roads. My English/Irish Grandma married a Samoan man, raised five children, and emigrated from Christchurch, New Zealand to the States. After a divorce, she had my Mom with my Grandpa who is from Chihuahua, Mexico. My Mom then met my Dad who is from Tangamandapio, Michoacán, and had me in Fountain Valley, California. I’m mixed. I don’t need an ancestry test to see I have dark curls, a curved nose, a thicker body, brown almond eyes, and light skin. “Ni aqui, ni alla.” I live in the borderlands. This multicultural background gave me a particular perspective in which I was hyperaware of all the material effects of systems of oppression in American society. Not only that, but this internalized oppression also caused me to assimilate and have a severe case of identity erasure. As an adult, I’m able to self-reflect and realize why that is. It’s the intergenerational trauma of slavery, colonialism, and genocide of my ancestors. However, as a teenager, I just wanted to belong somewhere, and I could intuitively tell that society wasn’t in my favor. This was reinforced in every single piece of media I consumed. Towards the end of my high school career, I was faced with a decision of what I wanted to do in life. There was intense pressure for me to go into STEM but that wasn’t where my passion lay. Despite criticism, I decided to concentrate on screenwriting and production management in college. Being a lifelong writer, I thought I would create my own space through complex and intersectional characters that nobody has ever seen. That’s how I took my first steps toward my career as a filmmaker and activist. It starts with a vision. It starts with you.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Moonlight Comedy Productions & Let’s Get Creative?
My businesses are the ultimate synchronization of my activism and filmmaking. Set in the Bay and Los Angeles Areas, Maria Fe Picar and I are the creators of a nonprofit production company called Moonlight Comedy Productions. We produce a comedy show that interviews emerging artists within the entertainment industry all while performing sketches that highlight the absurd nature of reality. Think SNL mixed with Between Two Ferns and Portlandia. It’s quirky, eccentric, and absurd! Through this cause, we shine a light on diverse filmmakers who have extraordinary talent but have not been given the opportunity due to societal perceptions and lack of accessibility. Not only that, we provide an open and safe work environment consisting of a majority of women, LGBTQIA+ folk, and disabled individuals which is rare in any professional space let alone a production company. We are currently accepting donations to conceptualize and actualize Moonlight Comedy! The other production company I’m a co-owner of is Let’s Get Creative with Antonio Moten. This is a podcast that interviews emerging creatives and gives them a platform to share their unique story and artistic endeavors. There’s so much talent in the world and that’s what we are here to highlight. We open a dialogue with special guests regarding their remarkable journeys, visionary artworks, and sociocultural issues that influence their worldview. Season 2 starts soon so please stay tuned!

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I believe the quality that makes me most successful is my innate drive to create and my ability to be highly in tune with that. What keeps me endlessly inspired is the fact that the process of filmmaking is not about me. It will never be. It’s about character. Removal of the ego is necessary to create something vulnerable and real. It’s more of a spiritual realization that fundamentally changes the way you create art. I like to think this ego death is what Michelangelo experienced while uncovering the Statue of David from marble or Rembrandt painting a self-portrait. A feeling of One with the Universe. During challenging times, I’ve learned that this belief helps me to be mindful of the now and radically accept reality for what it is. There are so many distractions from the external world and internal fears that prevent an artist from realizing this epiphany. This is a reminder to all artists that it’s not about you. However, you can still find yourself and achieve Enlightenment through the process of creating art. Every person has this drive. It’s about uncovering it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hope-lopez.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hbalopez/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopebalopez/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hbalopez
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hbalopez
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8834859/

Image Credits
All photos were created or shot by me except for SuperNed (2023) which was directed by Vincent Pastor and shot by Rachel Bardin. I co-wrote, produced, and worked as a background actor (as shown) in the film.