Moctesuma Esparza
Encyclopedia
Moctesuma Esparza is an award-winning producer, entertainment executive, entrepreneur
and community activist. Moctesuma Esparza is well known for his contributions to the movie industry and commitment to creating opportunities for Latinos everywhere. As an American
film producer
and the CEO of Maya Cinemas, a theater chain catering to the United States Latino
audience. He is also a partner of Robert Katz
in the company Esparza/Katz Productions. Moctesuma founded Maya Entertainment
in 2007, a vertically integrated media content company providing full service motion picture distribution and production.
He is "an outspoken promoter of Latino films" and many of his films focus on Chicano
themes. He has produced over twenty films, several of them for television, and has won over 200 awards.
A participant in the 1960s-era movement for the civil rights and equality of Mexican-Americans, Esparza remains committed to public service, donating his time to educational, cultural, and professional organizations, especially those that aim to educate Latinos in the business of media production.
, California
. His father, a refugee of the Mexican Revolution
, migrated to the United States in 1918. His father's awareness of the motivations behind the Revolution imbued him with a strong sense of social justice
. As a child, he viewed Spanish-language films in the many Los Angeles theaters that offered such fare. Moctesuma was a theatre major in high school. He acted, played the saxophone
, and loved movies.
During his sophomore year at UCLA, Moctesuma created an ethno-communications program at the film school at UCLA. He wrote a proposal, made the curriculum, and successfully created the first multicultural film program in the United States. He later became a student in it also.
During the 1960s, he participated in the Chicano Movement
, agitating for the civil rights
of Mexican American
s. He was one of the organizers of the 1968 Chicano Blowouts, a series of youth-led protests inspired by educator Sal Castro
in which Mexican-Americans demanded equal educational opportunities. His role in the walkouts as "liaison to the press," which led to his interest in the media. The movement is memorialized in his 2006
HBO film Walkout
.
He studied theatre
arts, motion pictures, and television at the University of California, Los Angeles
, where he received his B.A.
in 1971 and M.F.A.
in the same field in 1973.
against the Vietnam War
. The Moratorium footage became his first documentary, Requiem 29. This documentary was pitched to NBC
and went on to win an Emmy Award. He also helped organize Chicano student conferences and the Media Urban Crisis Committee, which analyzed the effects of media on minority communities and recommended that members of those communities attend film school.
After graduating from UCLA, he worked for the children's television program Sesame Street, developing bilingual segments. Shortly thereafter, he produced the pilot and the first season of the PBS program Villa Alegre, which won multiple awards. His first commercial production, ’’Drunk Drivers Get Carried Away’’, received a Clio Award.
Following the success of Villa Alegre, Esparza became an independent producer of documentaries. He also filmed a production of the Chicano comedy troupe Culture Clash
, A Bowl of Beings, prior to breaking into Hollywood with The Milagro Beanfield War.
. Since then, he has opened 16 other multiplexes in California, with 26 more scheduled to open in Texas. Maya Cinemas primarily shows first-run Hollywood films, sometimes with subtitles in Spanish
, but also screens foreign and independent films. The concessions offer traditional snacks such as popcorn as well as "Latino favorites like burritos and churros." They all feature Mayan motifs, hearkening back to the Los Angeles theaters of Esparza's youth.
In 2007, Esparza resigned from the board of trustees of the California State University
system. After planning to open a Maya Cinemas at the Campus Pointe Project at California State University, Fresno
, a neighboring landholder who also planned to open a cinema presented a legal challenge, charging that Esparza had a conflict of interest in developing the project while sitting on the board of trustees. Despite the University's finding that there was no conflict of interest, Esparza resigned out of "respect for the intent of the government code to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest."
themed product for all distribution platforms throughout the world and is dedicated to the growing U.S. Latino
market. This year, Maya expanded significantly releasing more than twenty films.
the Corporate Board of Directors of the Motion Picture Television Fund,
the Board of Directors of the Museum of Latin American Art,
a Trustee of the California State University System.
a commissioner to the Los Angeles City Retirement System.
Currently serves on:
the National Hispanic Cultural Center Advisory Board,
the Latino Coalition Against Aids Advisory Board,
the National Hispanic Media Coalition
Advisory Board,
the Toigo Advisory Board,
the Minority Media Telecommunications Council Board of Advisors,
the American Film Institute Board of Trustees,
the UCLA School of Theater,
the Film and Television Dean’s Executive Board
the Claremont University Consortium Board of Overseers.
the New America Alliance, he is a Board Member and former Chair
the Marathon Club, co-chair
Chairman of the Board of the Latino Theater Company in Los Angeles.
, a Clio award, an ALMA award
, a Cine Golden Eagle award. Moctesuma was also selected as one of the 50 “Most Powerful and Influential Latinos” of 2008 by The Imagen Foundation
.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and community activist. Moctesuma Esparza is well known for his contributions to the movie industry and commitment to creating opportunities for Latinos everywhere. As an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and the CEO of Maya Cinemas, a theater chain catering to the United States Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
audience. He is also a partner of Robert Katz
Robert Katz
Robert Katz was an American novelist, screenwriter, and non-fiction author.Katz was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Sidney and Helen Katz, née Holland, and married Beverly Gerstel on September 22, 1957...
in the company Esparza/Katz Productions. Moctesuma founded Maya Entertainment
Maya Entertainment
Maya Entertainment Group, Inc. is an independent multi-platform video distribution company. Moctesuma Esparza and Jeff Valdez founded the company in Los Angeles, California in 2007.Maya Entertainment procures and produces content that appeals to the new diverse American Latino and multi cultural...
in 2007, a vertically integrated media content company providing full service motion picture distribution and production.
He is "an outspoken promoter of Latino films" and many of his films focus on Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
themes. He has produced over twenty films, several of them for television, and has won over 200 awards.
A participant in the 1960s-era movement for the civil rights and equality of Mexican-Americans, Esparza remains committed to public service, donating his time to educational, cultural, and professional organizations, especially those that aim to educate Latinos in the business of media production.
Childhood and education
Esparza was born and raised in East Los AngelesEast Los Angeles, California
East Los Angeles is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. His father, a refugee of the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, migrated to the United States in 1918. His father's awareness of the motivations behind the Revolution imbued him with a strong sense of social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
. As a child, he viewed Spanish-language films in the many Los Angeles theaters that offered such fare. Moctesuma was a theatre major in high school. He acted, played the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, and loved movies.
During his sophomore year at UCLA, Moctesuma created an ethno-communications program at the film school at UCLA. He wrote a proposal, made the curriculum, and successfully created the first multicultural film program in the United States. He later became a student in it also.
During the 1960s, he participated in the Chicano Movement
Chicano Movement
The Chicano Movement of the 1960s, also called the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, also known as El Movimiento, is an extension of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement which began in the 1940s with the stated goal of achieving Mexican American empowerment.-Origins:The Chicano Movement...
, agitating for the civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
of Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
s. He was one of the organizers of the 1968 Chicano Blowouts, a series of youth-led protests inspired by educator Sal Castro
Sal Castro
Salvador B. Castro is an Mexican-American educator and activist. He is most well known for his role in the 1968 East Los Angeles high school walkouts, a series of protests against unequal conditions in Los Angeles Unified School District schools...
in which Mexican-Americans demanded equal educational opportunities. His role in the walkouts as "liaison to the press," which led to his interest in the media. The movement is memorialized in his 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
HBO film Walkout
Walkout (film)
Walkout is a 2006 HBO film based on a true story of the 1968 East L.A. walkouts. It premiered March 18, 2006 on HBO. Starring Alexa Vega, Efren Ramirez and Michael Peña, the film was directed by Edward James Olmos...
.
He studied theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
arts, motion pictures, and television at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, where he received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1971 and M.F.A.
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in the same field in 1973.
Film career
Esparza's earliest work in film was in service to the Chicano Movement. He filmed a speech given by Reies Lopez Tijerina at UCLA, as well as the 1970 Chicano MoratoriumChicano Moratorium
The Chicano Moratorium, formally known as the National Chicano Moratorium Committee, was a movement of Chicano anti-war activists that built a broad-based coalition of Mexican-American groups to organize opposition to the Vietnam War...
against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. The Moratorium footage became his first documentary, Requiem 29. This documentary was pitched to NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and went on to win an Emmy Award. He also helped organize Chicano student conferences and the Media Urban Crisis Committee, which analyzed the effects of media on minority communities and recommended that members of those communities attend film school.
After graduating from UCLA, he worked for the children's television program Sesame Street, developing bilingual segments. Shortly thereafter, he produced the pilot and the first season of the PBS program Villa Alegre, which won multiple awards. His first commercial production, ’’Drunk Drivers Get Carried Away’’, received a Clio Award.
Following the success of Villa Alegre, Esparza became an independent producer of documentaries. He also filmed a production of the Chicano comedy troupe Culture Clash
Culture Clash (performance troupe)
Culture Clash is an Chicano American performance troupe composed of the writer-comedians Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas, and Herbert Sigüenza. Their work is of a satirical nature....
, A Bowl of Beings, prior to breaking into Hollywood with The Milagro Beanfield War.
Maya Cinemas
In 2005, Esparza opened the first multiplex in the Maya Cinemas chain, a 14-screen theater in Salinas, CaliforniaSalinas, California
Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...
. Since then, he has opened 16 other multiplexes in California, with 26 more scheduled to open in Texas. Maya Cinemas primarily shows first-run Hollywood films, sometimes with subtitles in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, but also screens foreign and independent films. The concessions offer traditional snacks such as popcorn as well as "Latino favorites like burritos and churros." They all feature Mayan motifs, hearkening back to the Los Angeles theaters of Esparza's youth.
In 2007, Esparza resigned from the board of trustees of the California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
system. After planning to open a Maya Cinemas at the Campus Pointe Project at California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fresno, often referred to as Fresno State University and synonymously known in athletics as Fresno State , is one of the leading campuses of the California State University system, located at the northeast edge of Fresno, California, USA.The campus sits at the foot of...
, a neighboring landholder who also planned to open a cinema presented a legal challenge, charging that Esparza had a conflict of interest in developing the project while sitting on the board of trustees. Despite the University's finding that there was no conflict of interest, Esparza resigned out of "respect for the intent of the government code to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest."
Maya Entertainment
In 2007, Moctesuma founded Maya Entertainment, a vertically integrated media content company providing full service motion picture distribution and production. Maya acquires, produces, and distributes multicultural and LatinoLatino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
themed product for all distribution platforms throughout the world and is dedicated to the growing U.S. Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
market. This year, Maya expanded significantly releasing more than twenty films.
Leadership Positions
He has served on:the Corporate Board of Directors of the Motion Picture Television Fund,
the Board of Directors of the Museum of Latin American Art,
a Trustee of the California State University System.
a commissioner to the Los Angeles City Retirement System.
Currently serves on:
the National Hispanic Cultural Center Advisory Board,
the Latino Coalition Against Aids Advisory Board,
the National Hispanic Media Coalition
National Hispanic Media Coalition
National Hispanic Media Coalition is a non-partisan, media advocacy and civil rights organization in the United States that represents the interests of Latinos and other people of color in the media and telecommunications industries.-Mission:...
Advisory Board,
the Toigo Advisory Board,
the Minority Media Telecommunications Council Board of Advisors,
the American Film Institute Board of Trustees,
the UCLA School of Theater,
the Film and Television Dean’s Executive Board
the Claremont University Consortium Board of Overseers.
the New America Alliance, he is a Board Member and former Chair
the Marathon Club, co-chair
Chairman of the Board of the Latino Theater Company in Los Angeles.
Awards
Moctesuma has won over 200 awards in his lifetime. These awards and honors consist of an Academy Award nomination, a Golden Globe nomination, an Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, a Clio award, an ALMA award
Alma Award
The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field...
, a Cine Golden Eagle award. Moctesuma was also selected as one of the 50 “Most Powerful and Influential Latinos” of 2008 by The Imagen Foundation
Imagen Foundation
The Imagen Awards are administered by the Imagen Foundation, an organization dedicated to "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry"....
.
Production credit
- Taco Shop (2012) (executive producer) (filming)
- Mosquita y Mari (2011) (executive producer) (filming)
- Without Men (2011) (executive producer)
- Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie WrightAcross the Line: The Exodus of Charlie WrightAcross the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright is a 2010 action film starring Aidan Quinn. Filming took place in Los Angeles, California and Tijuana, Mexico. The film follows a banker who escapes the U.S...
(2010) (video) (executive producer) - Harlem Hostel (2010) (executive producer)
- One Hot Summer (2009) (made for television) (executive producer)
- Moe (2008) (executive producer)
- The Startup (2007) (executive producer)
- WalkoutWalkout (film)Walkout is a 2006 HBO film based on a true story of the 1968 East L.A. walkouts. It premiered March 18, 2006 on HBO. Starring Alexa Vega, Efren Ramirez and Michael Peña, the film was directed by Edward James Olmos...
(2006) (HBO) - Gods and GeneralsGods and Generals (film)Gods and Generals is a 2003 American film based on the novel Gods and Generals by Jeffrey Shaara. It depicts events that take place prior to those shown in the 1993 film Gettysburg, which was based on The Killer Angels, a novel by Shaara's father, Michael...
(2003) (executive) - Price of GloryPrice of GloryPrice of Glory is a 2000 American sports drama film written by Phil Berger, directed by Carlos Avila and starring Jimmy Smits. The movie was nominated for several ALMA Awards in 2001. The film was shot in Huntington Park, California, Los Angeles, California, and Nogales, Arizona...
(2000) - Introducing Dorothy DandridgeIntroducing Dorothy DandridgeIntroducing Dorothy Dandridge is a television film directed by Martha Coolidge. Filmed over a span of a few weeks in early 1998, the film was aired in the United States on August 21, 1999. The original music score was composed by Elmer Bernstein. The film is marketed with the tagline: "Right woman....
(1999) (executive, made for television) - Selma, Lord, SelmaSelma, Lord, SelmaSelma, Lord, Selma is a 1999 American film based on true events that happened in March of 1965, known as Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. The film tells the story through the eyes of an 11-year-old African American girl named Sheyann Webb . It premiered as a television movie on ABC on January 17,...
(1999) (executive, made for television) - Butter (1998) (executive, released on video as Never 2 Big)
- Rough RidersRough Riders (film)Rough Riders is a 1997 three hour television miniseries about future President Theodore Roosevelt and the regiment . The series prominently shows the bravery of the volunteers at the Battle of San Juan Hill, part of the Spanish-American War of 1898. It was released on DVD in 2006...
(1997) (TV) (executive) - The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca (1997)
- SelenaSelena (film)Selena is a 1997 American biographical drama film about the life and career of the late Tejano music star Selena, a recording artist who was well known in the Mexican-American and Hispanic communities in the United States and Mexico before she was shot to death at the age of twenty-three.The movie...
(1997) - The Avenging Angel (1995) (made for television)
- The Cisco Kid (1994) (TV) (executive)
- Gettysburg (1993)
- The Ambulance (1990)
- The Milagro Beanfield WarThe Milagro Beanfield WarThe Milagro Beanfield War is a 1988 American drama film based on the John Nichols novel of the same name, the first book in a trilogy. It was directed by Robert Redford and the screenplay was written by Nichols and David S. Ward...
(1988) - The Telephone (1988)
- Radioactive Dreams (1985)
- The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) (made for television)
- Only Once in a Lifetime (1979)
- Agueda Martinez: Our People, Our CountryAgueda Martinez: Our People, Our CountryAgueda Martinez: Our People, Our Country is a 1977 short documentary film produced by Moctesuma Esparza. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
(1977) (producer) - Villa AlegreVilla AlegreVilla Alegre may refer to:*Villa Alegre, Chile*Villa Alegre , a 1973–1980 bilingual Hispanic children's television series on Public Broadcasting Service in the United States...
(1973) (producer - season 1)
Public service
- Founding member, César ChávezCésar ChávezCésar Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
Foundation (2002-Present) - Member, Board of Commissioners, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (2009-Present)
- Corporate Board of Directors, Motion Picture Television Fund
- Advisory Board, National Hispanic Media Coalition
- Board of Directors, Museum of Latin American ArtMuseum of Latin American ArtThe Museum of Latin American Art was founded by Dr. Robert Gumbiner in 1996 in Long Beach, California and serves the greater Los Angeles area. MoLAA is the only museum in the United States exclusively dedicated to modern and contemporary Latin American art. Since its inception, MoLAA has doubled...
- Member, Board of Trustees, California State UniversityCalifornia State UniversityThe California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
(2004-2007) - Chair of the Board, New America Alliance (2000-03)
- Co-Founder/Board member, National Association of Latino Producers
- Founder and Board of Directors member, Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise Charter School
- Board of Advisors, Minority Media Telecommunications Council