Meet GABRIELA LUGO | Writer/Director/Producer

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

Hi GABRIELA, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I feel like this is a question typically aimed at women, and yet, men struggle with this too, they just aren’t supposed to talk about it I guess. But for me, it’s important to let myself off the hook. I can’t be 100% good at everything 100% of the time. There are days, I rock at my writing and I drop the ball a little on the kid homework front. There are days I rock the parenting bake sale and I didn’t put in that research time. There are days I’m a great wife, and a bit of a lousy parent and an only adequate worker and there are days that I am the best CEO of my business, motherhood be damned. I don’t love this about myself, but I find that having compassion for the fact that I can’t be all things to all people 100% of the time, is freeing. I can only do my best at one task at one time, and be secure in that fact. We’re human. So work-life balance for me starts with admitting we aren’t superheroes. We can absolutely have it all — just NOT at the same time. At least, I’ve realized, Not for me. So setting realistic goals for myself and setting myself up for success with small goals, help me stay on track to get to where I need to go. That, and scheduling. I love my color-coded calendar and I live by it. I schedule writing time, Producer time, director time, mom time, wife time, daughter time, work out time, it all goes in there. DO I move things around? Constantly. But it helps me track what I’m spending my time on and how to work more efficiently at being a human.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I write mostly dramedy centered around latine people and our joy. Even if the particular subject matter I’m writing is dramatic in nature, its important to me to find joy even in the darkest piece. I want to celebrate so much more than our trauma, which seems to be all I get fed about latinidad these days. I want my work to be thoughtful and entertaining, but hopefully also make you think about something in ways you perhaps hadn’t before. Or if you had, allow you to live in it. I want to celebrate Latinidad — in all of its incarnations. We are such a diverse cultural group, made up of so many races and ethnicities. I want to celebrate it all — and make art that is commercial and accessible with meaning.

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?
I love the Malibu Cafe at Calamigos. That’s usually my go to spot when people come in from out of town. There’s usually great music, great atmosphere, and my kids can run around like wild little hyenas without too much fuss. It’s also a great place to have a birthday. One of my favorite taco spots in the city is a taco truck that’s usually in Culver City on Venice just past Hughes avenue towards the beach. I am a big fan of carne asada tacos. For a cool, weird, little birthday spot — I love POP recording studios in Northridge. You can have your own little karaoke party with real music equipment and fun and friendly staff. I celebrated my 40th there. If you’re here on the weekend, can’t go wrong with Smorgasburg LA downtown. And for fun and friendly happy hour cocktails — I’m a fan of Public School in Sherman Oaks. Back before I had kids you could usually find me on a Friday night at The Roger Room, but these days, I’m probably hiking with family, or hitting up Mother’s Beach with the kiddos. During the pandemic I found the beaches up north, Oxnard, Summerland, Ventura a welcome respite from the crowds and fun for the fam

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Definitely, my husband, Carlos Lugo. I’m not sure how I would do half of the things that I do, if we weren’t on the same page about our goals. Having a partner in your life, be it a spouse, a friend, a parent, a cousin — someone who understands what you’re going through is so important. Second to that, I have to say that there are great resources here in LA to support the writing journey that you can access from anywhere. The podcasts, The Screenwriting Life, Act II, Script Apart, and Scriptnotes are my go-to. They give me confidence, support, ideas, and just general good vibes. I love listening to their advice and experiences in choosing this life. I’d also like to shout out my partner on 15 Candles, Tanya Saracho and her executive at Ojala, Christine Davila who are fierce in their commitment to helping WOC reach career milestones and excel at their craft. I wouldn’t be here today without them or without the support of women like them who are always lifting up other women. The women in my showrunner training program for the Writers Guild, also fall in that category.

There are amazing people in this business to learn from. I’m grateful I’ve had an opportunity to learn a little bit from some of the best.

Website: www.gabbyrevillalugo.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabbyrevilla/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabbyrevlugo

Other: www.revekentertainment.com

Image Credits
Joanna Degeneres (headshot), Daniel Garcia (on set Illegally Brown short), Gabby Revilla Lugo (on set F*IT LIST)