An Interview With Edward Sylvan
The Anti-Bullying and Youth Empowerment event that we’ve been bringing to schools has been an incredible experience. Seeing the overwhelmingly deep emotional reactions from kids who identify with the film during our presentations has been the most amazing thing. Whether it’s seeing an auditorium of kids raise their fists in solidarity with the lead character during the film, or hearing kids’ emotion-filled stories of being bullied has been remarkable. Their willingness to share their stories and help one another identify how they can be of service to one another, in real-time, has been so incredible to watch. Seeing kids connect with one another based on this short film and its message has fundamentally changed my life.
As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact” I had the pleasure of interviewing Tony Estrada.
Anthony “Tony” Estrada is a Los Angeles-based producer, writer, and director. His most recent concept film, ¡Viva la Revolución!, starred, Mexican crossover superstar, Maite Perroni, and child stars, Lonnie Chavis (This is Us) and Miya Cech (The Astrounauts). After playing several festivals internationally, Estrada developed and presented a Youth Empowerment and Anti-Bullying Event anchored by the short film and presented to schools across the country. Currently, Estrada is developing the feature Those Who Fear Us, and the filmed musical, Labor of Love.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?
After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2012, I taught film and photography, English grammar and literature at my high school alma mater. While teaching, I was an intern for MGM in Beverly Hills, where I was offered a job as an assistant to producer Adam Saunders. I helped garner financing for the company’s film fund. From there, I worked as an assistant to Lee Toland Krieger. While under Krieger’s mentorship, I produced, wrote, and directed my first short film, Martha Cook, which played at the 2014 Santa Barbara Film Festival. During that time, I developed pitches and worked onset with Lee on The Age of Adaline, and shot second-unit coverage for MTV’s Happyland. In 2014, I wrote, produced, and directed my second short film, For My Youth the Bell Tolls, which won the Audience Award at 2015 We Like ’Em Short Film Festival.
Being invited to venture into the branded content arena, I started to write, produce, and direct scripted corporate content for Niagara Bottling. Since then, I have produced branded content and commercials for several other national brands including CBS, Mattel, Lyft, and Los Angeles County.
In Spring 2016, I wrote and directed the short film Bridesman, starring Danny Trejo, which is currently being shopped as a feature. My most recent short film, ¡Viva la Revolución!, which I mentioned earlier, enabled me to launch as a motivational speaker to schools across the country. Additional projects based on the short film include a children’s book series and a kid’s television series.
Currently, I am developing the crime-drama feature Those Who Fear Us, and the filmed musical, Labor of Love. My first book, a ‘motivational memoir’ is being developed for publishing by a NY-based literary agency. As I move forward in my career, my ongoing commitment is to develop and pursue projects and opportunities that help develop the influence of Latinos in front of and behind the camera, in the film, television, and non-scripted genres.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
The most interesting thing I’ve experienced was directing the kids of ¡Viva la Revolución! And watching them perform. Everyone told me, “Don’t work with kids.” So, I decided to work with thirty of them in the middle of summer, arming them with water balloons and super soakers. ’Til this day, I will never understand why people say that. Sure, it has its unique set of challenges with scheduling, but these kids were so professional, so prepared, and so willing to be vulnerable in a way that many adults have issues doing. It was absolutely fascinating to watch them work. I loved every minute of it.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
One of my favorite people I’ve worked with so far has been Danny Trejo. We worked together on my short film, Bridesman and he is one of the kindest, most giving people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing in Hollywood. He played a day laborer turned stripper. Asking Danny Trejo to strip in front of a room full of actors and crew, while wearing American Flag underwear was intimidating, as you can imagine, but he dove in with exuberance and enthusiasm.
During a lunch break, we had a mariachi on set. As they were playing, he got up and sang with the mariachi. That was one of the coolest experiences of my life and something that I’ll never forget. It felt like home. Like family. And he was a part of it.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
My current projects which I’ve mentioned, include the motivational memoir, a social commentary crime thriller called THOSE WHO FEAR US, a musical film called LABOR OF LOVE, and the serial novelization of ¡Viva la Revolución! and its dual tracking as a children’s television show. I consider all these my passion projects. I’m also currently producing corporate content for several brands, and in pre-production on a comedy pilot for two executive producers.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
I’m such a history nerd that it’s difficult for me to choose. I’d have to say Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are probably my top three. Churchill failed MASSIVELY on several occasions, but he continued to believe in himself. He continued to find ways to inspire and lead, even in the darkest of times. Teddy Roosevelt, because even though he had this very rough exterior, he was a deeply emotional and sensitive leader. When he was hurt by something, he let it hurt, so that he could learn from it. Lincoln, because he is quite possibly the greatest leader to have ever walked the earth. He faced seemingly insurmountable opposition but found a way to consistently lead through the darkness, including his own battles with severe depression. A brilliant speaker, a stern, yet flexible approach, and a consistent focus on doing what was best for the greater good and not his own self-interest.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
The Anti-Bullying and Youth Empowerment event that we’ve been bringing to schools has been an incredible experience. Seeing the overwhelmingly deep emotional reactions from kids who identify with the film during our presentations has been the most amazing thing. Whether it’s seeing an auditorium of kids raise their fists in solidarity with the lead character during the film, or hearing kids’ emotion-filled stories of being bullied has been remarkable. Their willingness to share their stories and help one another identify how they can be of service to one another, in real-time, has been so incredible to watch. Seeing kids connect with one another based on this short film and its message has fundamentally changed my life.
The potential future life of the short film continues to unfold with the children’s book series and kid’s television show being developed with the guidance of my awesome teams at the Seymour Literary Agency and Eris Talent Agency. These projects are helping to get this message of self-love, empowerment, and community to kids across America. Just wow.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
I went into the project with a creative vision for a simple story about playground rivalry, and the desire to make a short film that would garner attention on me. ‘Me’ was admittedly the primary motivator. It wasn’t until I had a catalyzing conversation with my mentor and strategic advisor, Michael Nicklin, that my mindset about the potential of the project and my core intention, shifted dramatically. During this tearful exchange, I started to realize that this project could be so much more, if I stopped making it about me, and focused not only on the message but its reach. It’s a potential impact. And ways to increase the reach of the film through future projects. The short film production became a project of service. As I brought more people on board the project, they started to share their experiences with bullying, and the project really started to take flight. I felt that this community of people we brought together was working on something that could fundamentally change the way young audiences viewed themselves and others.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I so often think about this 4th grader at the very first presentation we did. It was toward the end of the presentation, and there’s this moment where I ask the kids, “Is there anyone who would like to be courageous enough to share their story about being bullied with everyone here?” Her hand shot up.
She shared that she had been bullied constantly because she liked to be silly and she liked to sing and dance randomly — all the things that made her feel most like her. She said that being bullied made her feel that she no longer wanted to be herself. That she hated the fact that she didn’t feel like she could be who she wanted to be. The subtitles of that, whether she knew it or not, hit me at my core.
As she and I went through this empowerment exercise of remembering who she is, she started to stand more proudly and felt “like Wonder Woman”. I asked all the kids, as she stood in the front of the auditorium, “if anyone sees her sad and lonely, who is willing to be her friend.” Nearly every kid in the auditorium had their hand raised. At the end of the exercise, I told her to look around at the raised hands, and remember, “That no matter what — no matter how bad it may seem. No matter how ugly it may get, do not forget that at all times, somewhere, you are loved and you deserve to be loved because you are you.” I don’t think there was a dry eye in that auditorium.
That is a moment that I’ll never forget. Seeing her step back into her power and see that she was supported was such a powerful moment.
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
Absolutely. The pandemic has exposed and exacerbated deep inequities across public schools nationally. Recovery from this long period of limited learning will have far-reaching effects, not only academically, but also socially. All the acts of aggression we are seeing playing out on the news every day, including hate-based violence, will play out on the playgrounds of our schools as in-classroom learning reaches pre-pandemic levels. In short, bullying will accelerate.
It is imperative to us that we help combat this by getting our message into more schools and children’s organizations nationwide. One non-profit organization that has been very helpful in doing so is the Chicago-based Communities in Schools. They have both advocated for our program and set up events for us with the schools in their network. We delivered our first program on-site at Chicago schools and continued with virtual presentations during the pandemic.
We seek to ally with Anti-Bullying nonprofits to deliver the program to schools, to national and regional non-profits to assist with school placement, and with a national children’s-focused brand for potential tour sponsorship. School budgets are often so tapped by the essentials, specially-focused programs such as ours are not affordable, and require sponsorship to exist. In addition to this ‘top-down’ approach, we also ask that parents and community groups introduce the program to their school administrators for consideration. If you feel that this program would be a benefit to your child’s school, we’d love to speak to you about how we can help you with the introduction.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Work diligently to discover your voice, not just regurgitate or replicate what you see, what others are doing, or what is popular. As a younger filmmaker, I was trying to prove my merits to others by reflecting what was already established as good. There was no risk or empowerment in that. Only self-fulfilling prophecy.
- There is no shortcut or skipping the line, no matter how much you think you can. Buckle down and do the work no matter how much it scares you. I thought I could sweet talk my way to “the top”. Truth is, it was all just fear. Fear of doing the work and trying to elude accountability for what my voice is, what it was, and what it will become.
- Stop focusing on the result. This one project you’re working on should not and will not define you for a lifetime. It’s all one piece to a bigger puzzle. I would so often say, “this is the one that will make me break through.” When in reality, every project should be a lily pad. A “this is the one” mentality can be so dangerous because, from experience, putting all your self-worth on it succeeding can only lead to suffering. For me, no matter how much it did, or did not succeed, I still felt empty inside. It’s about the process of creating. The results will follow.
- You cannot impose your will on the universe, no matter how hard you try. Find peace with yourself, and the world will shift around you. For such a long time, I thought that if I pounded my head through a brick wall enough times, eventually, I’ll break through. So often, people are offering a way to scale the wall, or show you the door right next to you that may get you exactly where you need to go. It’s that openness to the opportunity that will really put you on that path that you feel confident about. A path that is unknown, but taking you where you need go. The surrender to the forces greater than you.
- That dark creative tunnel, where it seems like there are no solutions, or every idea seems like a bad one — that’s your brain figuring it out. Embrace it. Go through it. Put the work in and you’ll come out of the other side stronger for it. Previously, if something wasn’t perfect, I’d just run away from it. I so often would stop creating because I hadn’t perfectly figured something out yet. Perfection is the killer of creativity. I realized nothing will ever be perfect. What we’re doing as creatives, is just getting the project to the starting line, in the best shape possible, before a new set of challenges and opportunities arrive that will teach us something new.
- The greatest gift every project will give you will not be what you produce, but what you learn from it both personally and professionally. Seeing each project in this light has been deeply fulfilling and creatively liberating. It’s been absolutely amazing.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
One of my guiding forces throughout my life and in my work is to, “Leave this place better than when I found it.” Leading with that idea gives me such energy and vitality every day that I wake up because it makes me feel purpose-driven. Early on, I was so ego-driven. So about me, that I lost sight of who I was. All the creative energy I was putting forth felt deflating because I was putting it into something that was only serving myself. ¡Viva la Revolución! changed all of that. As soon as I started to focus on the film’s anti-bullying mission, this entirely new energy overtook me. Soon, it developed into an anti-bullying and youth tour, and now, it’s turning into a children’s book series. It continues to give and give and give both to myself and to others, especially kids. It is and continues to be the most rewarding project I’ve worked on so far.
Our window of time on this planet is so small, that the more we can give to the world the more we can truly impact the human experience for the better.
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
Brené Brown (professor, lecturer, author, and podcast host). Her work has been so incredibly impactful to the work that I do with the children. Reading her books, listening to her talks and interviews, has allowed me to translate her message both for myself and for the kids. Her message of courage, vulnerability, and self-love have been massively influential to my own self-development and the work I do with the children.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Keeping on theme with Teddy Roosevelt, (who Brené Brown often quotes):
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
I love this quote so much because it is the definition of courage. For so long, I tried to protect myself. Stand on the outskirts and look in because I was afraid to accept accountability for my words and my actions. I, unknowingly (or perhaps knowingly), hid in people’s shadows, so that I didn’t need to pay the piper in whatever way I had created in my head. I didn’t need to expose myself to see if I could truly sink or swim. I could live in the comfort of my self-fulfilling prophecy. Now that I recognize this, I am still scared, but I find so much courage in truly, genuinely, putting myself out there both personally and professionally. I put in the work every single day, knowing that it may not be “good enough”, but in the end, what really matters is that every single time, I prepare myself to rise to the occasion. And whether I succeed or fail, I’ll have known that I lived truly to myself, and the lessons that I am supposed to learn will unveil themselves, taking me to a truer sense of who I want to be. That’s the most liberating and gratifying thing I can think of.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can visit my website officialtonyestrada.com
Instagram: @officialtonyestrada
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialtonyestrada/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estradatony/
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success!
Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Producer Tony Estrada Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.