Gloria Calderón Kellett and Kryzz Gautier on Creating Space for Latino Stories

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images; Kryzz Gautier

The way Gloria Calderón Kellett sees it, uplifting latino creators is a win for everyone, from creatives working behind the scenes to the companies that boost their work.

"Brands should care more about our community. We spend a lot of money, so whoever is going to figure out the earliest that one in four millennials is Latino, that's who we're going to be loyal to. Everybody wins in this scenario", shares the writer, producer, director and actress.

As part of Spotlight Dorado, the McDonald's short film contest for Latino filmmakers, Calderón Kellett paired up with emerging filmmaker Kryzz Gautier, whose submission Chimera explores themes of queer life and afro-latinidad through a sci-fi lens.

In an exclusive interview with People Chica, the pair shared a peek behind the scenes of Gautier's short and shared why contests like Spotlight Dorado are vital for Latino creatives everywhere.

Spotlight Dorado seeks to uplift the power of Latino storytelling. What does it mean for you to be a part of this initiative?

Kryzz Gautier: Latinos are almost 20% of the US, but we're about 1% of TV directors and about 3% of film directors, so for a brand like McDonald's to be providing these type of opportunities for the most underrepresented community in Hollywood feels groundbreaking and pretty special because if Hollywood isn't giving us these [opportunities], then I'm excited to see someone else stepping up and doing it.

Gloria Calderón Kellett: To have a huge company like McDonald's put money behind Latino stories is really humongous. It's going to have a huge impact on the future storytellers.

I will be honest, I was worried, are they going to be really sanitized scripts because it's a brand? But no, this is a great story. It's beautiful, it's cinematic, and [the contestants] will all have proof of concepts after this to go out and take the town by storm.

As storytellers, you know there's so many aspects of the Latino community left to be seen on the screen. What's one thing you'd love to see brought to life that hasn't been done yet?

GCK: There are 20 plus countries under this umbrella of Latinidad and as a result, there's so many stories within the diaspora that we want to share. I want to tell my stories and I want there to be a space for Chris to tell theirs. This is when we thrive, when there's many of us all getting to make our own specific versions of what we want to make. That's real progress.

What is something that participating in the spotlight Dorado has taught you about life and your craft?

KG: There's so few of us in the industry that we all get to know each other, word spreads around and you start connecting with each other. The beauty of collaboration and how open the process has been, whether it be with the mentors, with the brand itself, with the representatives of Spotlight is something that I'm going to take away. it's been very beautiful.

What's a piece of advice you'd give aspiring storytellers about pursuing their passion and sharing their art?

KG: Be fearless. Someone might tell you, that's not going to sell or that's not going to go anywhere. But if you write authentically and you write the stories that resonate with you, someone out there is going to respond, whether it takes a year or ten years. Whether it's a $10 million budget or $100 million budget, someone's eventually going to respond to it if it's true.

Interview conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.