Meet Gabe Castro | Multi-Media Creator

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

Hi Gabe, what do you attribute your success to?
The Ghouls Next Door is a media-literacy program. Our biggest measurement for success is whether our audience is being educated or feeling seen. It’s our job to highlight and explore the ways our history and culture impact our cinematic worlds. We try to cover content that people enjoy or are knowledgeable in so that they can learn to be critical of media and understand its impact.

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.
I, Gabe, work in public access Television. A big part of my job is helping others realize their television dreams. It has been an absolutely pleasure to pursue my own. Because I work in Television, the technical aspects of this project came about quite easily. I had no end to support from my community to create the show. I think the biggest challenge for us was finding our voice and intent. We wanted to stand out amongst the other creators that cover films and media. To do this, we took on the education and history part of film as well.

Because of this, the work we do is based very strongly in education. We believe media has the power to change the world, even the fictional works we use as escapes. Horror specifically, has been used as a way to discuss societal issues, struggles, and histories. It is an opportunity to heal together as well as learn. As a creator, it is my goal to entertain my viewers but to also instill in them the tools to become more than a passive viewer.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m based in Philadelphia, so I’m not sure of how much help this will be for your readers but if they ever find themselves in the city of brotherly and sisterly love, I would love to send some recommendations.

Philly is a big foodie city. So there’s no end to the good bites you can find in the city. We’re also an old city, the Country’s first capital, so there are many amazing historical sites and artist spaces too!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We have had so many people in our corner that have helped support us on our media-making journey. CineSPEAK, a local film-loving organization gives us space and a platform for our work and critiques. Dusky Projects has partnered with us and given us opportunities for career growth. PhillyCAM, Philadelphia’s Public Access TV & Radio station is a platform for us as well as an educational tool. They also have giving us the proper training to be able to create our programs. And finally, the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival and the Independence Public Media Foundation has supported us and partnered with us in the past. We appreciate everyone who has been there for us and helped us achieve our goals.

Website: https://www.theghoulsnextdoor.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theghoulsnextdoor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ghoulsnxtdoor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghoulsnextdoor

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiNP07V2qbiCE8s94ocq4yQ