Meet Luis Castillo | Digital Creator | Editor | Podcast Producer

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

Hi Luis, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
What’s funny is, I never once had the slightest thought about pursuing a creative career. I went to a university with an undeclared major for two years while I tried to figure out what I wanted to do. After taking a few GE’s and being truly moved by a guest speaker, I was really beginning to consider declaring a child development major to study to become a social worker. It sounded like very intense, heavy work that wouldn’t be the most fun, but I knew I’d make an impact on many lives. But then, my older brother who was a screenwriting major at the same school asked me to be a PA on one of his short film projects and I was like “oh damn. This is dope. Let me shift from helping countless young lives and instead, dedicate my life to making stupid, poop humor videos.” And that’s when I entered the film program and started my journey, which has led me to where I am today. So blame my brother for the lack of lives I’ve helped!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Well, look. I personally think I have one of the most unique “glow-ups” in this industry. I went from literally being comedian Jim Jefferies’ gardener, to being his podcast producer. So that alone, I think, sets me apart from a lot of people. From before I had even considered film school, I was helping my dad in his landscaping business by gardening during the summers. Jim was a client and I remember being in his backyard watering his plants and thinking, “wow. This is Jim Jefferies’ house.” And at that moment, he walks out in nothing but tighty whities smoking a cigarette and says, “oy, mate!” Fast forward a few years and I land a gig when he gets his own talk show on Comedy Central and I ultimately end up producing his podcast. But it doesn’t come easy either. I definitely had long, intense gigs as a PA where I’m making minimum wage and then getting 4 hours of sleep and doing it all over again. I definitely don’t miss 17 hour days for a Chris Brown music video. But you do your job and you take it seriously and you show your work ethic and people are bound to notice and call you back for more work. And when you think there’s nothing to do on set, you offer your help elsewhere and guess what? People notice that too. I went from picking up lunch every day for the office and having no other responsibilities the rest of the day. So I offered my knowledge of tech to other people on the show and I ended up moving up that way. So I guess what I’m saying is, don’t be a lazy ass. Always look for your next move. But also know your lane. Don’t be a vulture.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh, man. I am the WORST Los Angeleno. Los angelian? Los angelican? Whatever. If it were up to me, I’d take you to the local McDonald’s and tell you what the best combination of items are. But I guess if I haaaaaad to try a little bit, I’d say let’s grab some sushi at Irori in Marina del Rey for a unique experience of sitting on the floor while you eat, grab some drinks at Mezcalero in Long Beach at some point to have some tasty drinks with burnt tortilla bits on the rim (I know, but trust me), and have some Al pastor tacos from Leo’s Taco truck when you’re coming out of a late night bender. If you want some amazing craft beer at a brewery, you gotta go to Monkish in Torrance. Normally, I would gatekeep places from my hometown of Inglewood, but we’re getting gentrified anyway so what’s the point? Storm Burger is one of my favorite new burger spots. There’s always a crazy line and that’s with them still not being very well known. And then of course, the spot where I’ve been going since I was a kid, go to LAX tacos for a carne asada torta with some pickled carrots on the side. And I guess if you’re looking for a decent night out at the clerrrrrb, The Reserve is always a fun place to take visitors. Wow. Turns out I’m not a terrible Los angelenican after all. OH! And of course if you wanna catch a fun night of comedy and try something different than the laugh factory, get tickets to Asssscat at UCB theater! You won’t be disappointed.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Honestly, I think all the PAs, Production Coordinators, and Associate Producers who actually care about other people’s success are the people that are to thank here. (Un)fortunately, nepotism is real in the film/tv industry. But also, taking your job seriously and being a genuinely good person gets you a long way too. By the time I graduated film school, my brother recommended me for some Buzzfeed shoots, those coordinators recommended me to associate producers, and the fellow PAs I met on every gig would recommend me whenever they were in a better position. So there are a chain of people who deserve credit when looking at where I am today. So here’s a shoutout to my brother Edgar, my new friend Stuart who brought me into network television, and Brock who remembered being fellow PAs and brought me onto my first full time gig, where I moved up within the show and ultimately led to me producing podcasts for well known comedians. And thanks to Jack and Kelly who always remember to think of me when they wanna do something creative. And an extra special shoutout to my beautiful fiancé, Jenny. Without being too cheesy, she deserves all the recognition for keeping me motivated to strive for more and keep my creative flame going. Her love and encouragement help me want to continue to enjoy what I do. That, and because weddings are expensive. So if you know of any other people looking for video editors or podcast producers, send me their way so I’m able to afford to feed my uncles and aunts at our wedding.

Instagram: @theluiscastillo

Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/in/luisdcastillo

Other: If you wanna see clips of my old podcast that I miss doing, check out @yourenotdownpod on Instagram. Or listen to full episodes wherever you listen to podcasts!