Inspiring Conversations with Blanca Espinoza of Chola Vision Productions & Moon Chola Tarot

Today we’d like to introduce you to Blanca Espinoza.

Blanca, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Creator, oldies singer, director, and actress. Through and through, I am a storyteller. My creative background started in acting and singing. As a performer, I learned to take front and center, which later developed into a desire to create multiple forms of content. Including my social media presence as @moon_chola, where I learned to combine my love for oldies and my spiritual practice.

In my earlier years, I joined a few production teams where I noticed a common theme amongst colleagues. Many of them had a hard time navigating the business aspect of their creative projects. They would often run into roadblocks, primarily financial or management-related, so I decided to enroll in business school. I graduated with a Business BA in 2020. I credit that as the move that really helped me build the foundation I could stand on.

Post-graduation, I began networking and entered into a creative cohort which birthed Chola Vision Productions. It was created with the intention of being able to tell the stories of Chicanos, LA-Natives, and people who identify with Cholo Culture. After a couple of years of producing music videos and short-form content, I had garnered the experience and a creative network that would lead me to collaborate with playwright and renowned actor Alex Alpharaoh, whom is also my romantic partner, and Bernice Molina- Valle, of @fromthestreetstotheset talent management through the No Fronts Actor’s Workshop.

The program, led by Alex, trains students from underrepresented communities from LA, many of which are managed by From The Streets to The Set, in experiential acting. The project organically developed from our friendship and the common desire to amplify the talent in our community. I held an active part from the inception of the project, moving from the role of Scene Director to an Acting Coach and, more recently, as the Lead Director of our latest sensationalized talent showcase of Alex’s street-centered adaptation of Shakespeare’s original play: Romeo & Juliet Rolling Through East LA. The collaboration between Chola Vision, No-Fronts Actors Workshop, and From The Street To The Set has transformed into a creative hub that has granted access to Angeleno storylines and Chicano talent who really needed a platform.

Evolving from the student actors’ play showcase, I am now getting ready to direct and produce my first feature film by the same name: Romeo & Juliet: Rolling Through East LA.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was definitely not a smooth road. Some of the greatest struggles I faced were finding mentors, generating resources, and building community. It was a lot of trial and error. Part of the process was having to deal with interpersonal conflict amongst other creatives. I learned to place and respect boundaries, learned to connect with the “right” people, and learned how to generate resources- especially financial. Another challenge I commonly faced was learning to enforce and support the basic idea of “artists should be paid.” I want to create a standard in my company and beyond where people understand the translation of energy exchange to monetary value in the creative process of a project. Oftentimes, I found myself not only advocating for my own work but for the work of other creatives I collaborated with because they had a difficult time placing a monetary value on the amount of work and energy they delivered.

As you know, we’re big fans of Chola Vision Productions & Moon Chola Tarot. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
As Moon Chola, I offer spiritual consultations that help clients through their decision-making process and self-discovery. I also provide free resources like weekly readings that provide insight based on zodiac signs. For the enthusiasts, I have a subscription-based community on Patreon where they can access extended general readings as well as monthly moon rituals. My creativity peaks when I am able to merge the spiritual with my passion for oldies music. I have released eight oldies music videos inspired by astrological zodiac signs, including “Sad Girl” by The Intruders, dedicated to Cancer, “Two Lovers” by Mary Wells, dedicated to Gemini, and “Sabor a Mi” by Trio Los Panchos, dedicated to Libra. All of which were produced by Chola Vision. Through Chola Vision Productions, as the CEO and Director, I also offer music video packages, from concept to creation, support building short-form content, self-tapes for actors who audition, as well as actor’s training in collaboration with the No Fronts Actors Workshop.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
What felt like a risk was to create content that felt authentic to me, wondering if it would be well-received by the very people I seek to represent and uplift. There have been a lot of attempts to represent Raza and our experiences in a variety of ways. Many of which have been negatively perceived as inaccurate or exploitative. Ultimately, the risk lies in personally investing: emotionally, energetically, and financially, into projects that potentially would not have the anticipated return and reception. There was a huge risk that maybe people would struggle seeing talent that looked like gang members representing classical and iconic characters. Through Moon Chola and Chola Vision, I have dived into that risk in the hope of creating the representation I yearn to see and hope that is something my audience can resonate with and

Pricing:

• Full Reading $150
• Mini reading $85
• IG Live Reading $30-40

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cholavision.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cholavision/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cholavisionproductions
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/moon_chola/

Image Credits
f1. Image credit – Alex Zamora f2. Aleja Jimenez