Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Mike Cuenca of East HOllywood

Mike Cuenca shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Mike, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Finally releasing Boys About Town after working on the movie series for seven years. Just the feedback it received. When you work on something for so long you forget your original intent. It’s nice to have an audience connect with it, reminding me what I was going for.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
DIY Los Angeles-based filmmaker. 11 feature films, several music videos, and a cult web series made for less than your usual bar tab.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I’m not sure. Always was a dreamer. And always geeky and passionate. Of course, kids like that tended to get picked on a lot.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
To be as true to myself as possible. I value genuine people. Part of being screwed over by the phonies, as Holden Caulfield would say.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Experience. Experience as many things as one can. It’s important to get out of your comfort zone. That is how we evolve as beings. Order something different on the menu. Discover new music. Roam a different part of town. Revisit something you hated, you’ll be surprised. Read opinions opposite of yours. Be open to them. Don’t immediately discard them.

I’m a film obsessive. According to my film diary, as of today I’ve watched 559 films this year. But I still socialize. I go out as often as I feel like (which is a lot). I still make time for all the things that matter. I’ll do anything to help fuel my imagination. That’s what people who know me really well might say most matters to me.

A close friend told me recently, “I don’t think it’s possible for you to *not* be creating something, it’s like oxygen for you.”

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
This might came off as pessimistic but reality slaps me across the face everyday. Making DIY movies hasn’t paid off in the way I had imagined them to, but they’ve enriched me with friendships— the people who I’ve become close to through working with them on one of my projects. But I’ve been doing what I do for 18 years now. And I can’t grow and fully realize my vision because my hands are tied. No budget. No representation. Nothing. As hard as I try to obtain someone to give a shit. But I’d rather be dead than not make something. Even if that in itself kills me in the end.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mikecuenca.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikecuenca_