Today we’d like to introduce you to Jorge Ramos.
Jorge, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I wasn’t the kid who picked up a camera when he was ten and started making movies, but all of my interests sort of led me to cinema. I grew up in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, a Mexican border town and later moved to Brownsville, Texas. Perusing the arts was uncommon in that area because it’s such a working class community, but my parents always supported me and my craziness.
I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I had no clue where they came from, I just loved entertaining anyone who’d listen. As I got older, I developed an interest in drawing which turned into a new way for me to tell stories. I would spend all of my free time drawing odd characters and comics. When I was 12, I picked up a guitar and began writing songs. I was absorbing so much inspiration from directors like Tim Burton and rock and roll from the 1950’s. At that point, it was clear that creating was everything to me. It fueled my curiosity and satisfied my ideas. I dedicated my high school years to music and the stage, which is when I wrote my first full length play.
I had a deep love for art, music, and stories, so film seemed to be the intersection of the three. At this time, I decided to pursue filmmaking and moved away to study film production at the University of Texas. I never really had access to a camera before college, but I had spent my entire life cultivating a love and understanding of different mediums of creation. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was ultimately learning the language of cinema, which is (to me) the ability to bring story, images, music, color, rhythm, and tone into a perfect harmony. I’m a writer/director based in Los Angeles currently shooting music videos and developing a mini-series set in the Texas/Mexico border.
Great, 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?
I’m so lucky to have the friends and family I have because they’re so loving and supporting. Of course, being a first generation Mexican American to graduate from a university had its own challenges, but the struggles were always internal. I had a difficult time adjusting to life outside of my Hispanic community, but my anxieties receded once I completed my first short film. Something clicked in me, like “okay, this is for me.” I’ve learned that self- doubt and existential fears are part of the equation, but they don’t have to slow you down if you ride the wave and get to work. Filmmaking has its own sets of challenges, but I’m fortunate enough to understand the cinematic language that’s needed to bring an audience into my own world. For me, every filmmaker has a central story to tell, and the challenge is to express it differently with each project and character.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m an independent Writer/Director who takes interest in finding beauty in the macabre. My work explores the struggles of connecting through the tragedies of the human condition. I present my narratives through highly stylized dark comedies and music videos. I’ve been recently accepted to participate in NALIP’s Latino Media Market, where I will have the opportunity of pitching a mini series about my hometown. The project is called “Frontera,” which will be a five-episode anthology series about bizarre stories from the border.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment was the day a realized I had a voice as a filmmaker. I admire directors with a signature look and feel and I think I’ve developed my own. It took many years of experimenting and cultivating and I can’t wait to share it with the world.
Contact Info:
- Phone: (956) 459-0337
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @jorgearramos
Image Credit:
Fidencio Casas
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