This Arizonan is among the most influential Latinos in Hollywood. Here's why

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Arranging film sets and loading trailers for the art department was just the start of a career that put Arizona writer and producer Peter Murrieta on the map — a career spanning more than two decades that would lead to this inclusion in the 2024 generation of Most Influential Latinos in Media, an award granted by the Imagen Foundation.

Murrieta, 58, was born in Tucson, Arizona, into a Mexican-American family. The television producer and writer has dedicated himself to advocating for the representation of Latinos in the entertainment industry in front of and behind cameras. Among his most recognized projects are Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place, Netflix's Mr. Iglesias and, recently, Prime Video series Primo.

Murrieta has been influential in the careers of several artists of Latino descent — Selena Gomez, George Lopez, Mario Lopez and more. Today, in his role as associate director of the Sidney Portier New American Film School at Arizona State University (ASU), he pushes students to strive for these heights.

Finding a path in television writing

Murrieta is based in Los Angeles, but he was a resident Tucsonian well into his 20s. He attended Sabino High School, off Snyder and Harrison roads. In 1988, he graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in creative writing.

Murrieta then moved to Chicago, where he joined The Second City, a theater company known for its extensive teaching of comedy, sketch and improvisation writing.

"It was challenging. I had spent time at Second City, I knew I wanted to write, but I didn't know a lot of people that did what I did," Murrieta said in an interview with La Voz/The Arizona Republic. "Of course, I knew people in Second City — those colleagues and friends were actors and writers — but a lot of them had gone to New York to pursue late-night or sketch television."

What Murrieta longed to achieve was to write scripts for television series and, in turn, produce them.

After a few years in Chicago, he set out for Los Angeles in 1994, where he got his first job in the industry as a member of the “swing gang,” people who are in charge of loading trailers for the art department on films and setting up production sets.

This job marked the beginning of a career as a television writer and producer that has been active for more than 25 years.

Opening the field for Latino faces and stories

Producing shows that resonated with American audiences was one thing — creating successful ones that centered Latino stories was another entirely.

A memory from his childhood that involved his father marked his desire to tell those stories from his community.

His father was a fan of Sanford and Son which aired in the 70s, a comedy show about a father and his oldest son, both Black men, who owned a junkyard. Murrieta recalled something his father said to him when watching the show together: "This is the closest we're going to come to being on TV," referring to seeing people of color depicted as main characters on a show.

Murrieta made it his life's work to change that.

He went on to produce shows about the stories of Latino people, such as “Greetings from Tucson” and “Lopez," including faces from that same community, such as Selena Gómez, George Lopez, Cristela Alonso, Mario Lopez, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Justina Machado and Lupe Ontiveros.

"It was always wanting to represent me and the people I knew," he said.

A leap into teaching

For many years, Murrieta dedicated himself to the creative side of the industry: writing, producing, building sets and more. Ten years ago, the producer decided to enter the world of teaching, starting at the American Film Institute. Years later, in 2019, he joined ASU's Sidney Poitier New American Film School, which is based in Los Angeles.

As deputy director and professor of practice, he has been instrumental in guiding ASU students to find their calling, he said.

“Being able to tell people that didn't know they were writers, but have the talent, that they're writers” fills Murrieta with enormous joy. Among the Poitier Film School projects in which Murrieta has provided support is Semester in LA, a scholarship program for ASU film students to gain experience and earn school credits while based in Los Angeles. This program has opened doors to full-time jobs or internships for many, Murrieta said.

He is also involved in the binational Kaleidoscope Film Festival. This is an initiative of ASU, the University of Guadalajara and the Institute of Mexico at Wilson Center. This year will mark its second edition.

Murrieta hopes to continue promoting student dreams and create more accessible ways for them to enter and remain in the industry. “Ask a lot of questions, mess up and be curious,” Murrieta offers as advice, not only to his students, but to all the young talent that hope to make it.

'We have the charge of being influential'

Imagen Foundation, founded in 1983, focuses on promoting the inclusion of Latino talent in the entertainment industry, both in front of and behind the cameras. Since 1985, the foundation has held its annual awards which are now a classic Hollywood fixture.

These awards began with a singular recognition and over time they have incorporated more than 25 categories that include acting, direction and music. Among these awards is the prestigious recognition of the Norman Lear Writer's Award of which Murrieta was the winner in 2018. Additionally, the Arizonan has been the winner of multiple Emmy Awards for his work on Wizards of Waverly Place.

Last weekend, Murrieta accepted the award during the 38th Annual Imagen Awards reception in Los Angeles. He brought along five of his film students to experience the evening.

"When you talk about being influential in media, what I like about it is the idea that is not saying 'I'm influential', but it's saying 'we have the charge to be influential,'" Murrieta said.

Reach La Voz reporter Paula Soria at psoriaaguilar@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Peter Murrieta recognized as influential Latino in Hollywood