We had the good fortune of connecting with Adrian Manzano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adrian, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
You don’t really go in thinking of it as a business and that might be the hardest part. Being an artist while thinking about the market. Features are out Webseries are on their way out. Tick Tock is huge. So it’s a combination of having your compass, you’re true north. While staying flexible and keeping up with trends and having a finger on the pulse.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Most of the struggle has been internal. Generational trauma that comes from migration and violence. I never had to experience any of it personally. Giving yourself permission to fail, to embarrass yourself. Dropping the machismo/ego to try to create art. Once you get passed that, with a little help, you can start creating. I’ve been blessed with 4 features, several shorts, and now a burgeoning standup career. There is the issue of chasing too many rabbits. But I find the rabbits end up fucking each other and you get to play in several sandboxes.
I was recently admitted into the Harvardwood Pilot Development Lab. I went through the lab in 2021, so now is my second time and I have a good plan to really hit a home run with this new series I’m developing.
My standup is slowly growing. I hope to have an Hour set in a year and do a live special,

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Catalina Mountains are underrated. South LA has an interesting mix of cultures.
Salsa Dancing at La Descarga.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I started with Latino Theatre in NYC which has a long tradition in the city. Working bilingually and bi-culturally is now second nature. When I started there was no diversity talk and I was told to. change all my characters to white. Latino’s still have a long road head, being the largest group yet always being underdogs. The man who really moved the needle among many but in recent years is Lin Manuel. I admire his bravery to rap to his own tune.

Website: https://www.backstage.com/u/adrian-manzano

Instagram: manzanoadrian5

Youtube: youtube.com/manzanoadrian

Image Credits
https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/adrianmanzano

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.