Meet Renee Garcia | Filmmaker & Casting Director

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

Hi Renee, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
It was a childhood dream of mine, when I was eight years old to work in Hollywood after going to Universal Studios with my parents and I wrote my first screenplay at fifteen, titled, “As Time Passes On.” I knew this was a calling from God and my passion for storytelling and filmmaking was born. My childhood dreams became a reality, by booking a role in the original hit franchise, “The Fast and the Furious,” as Vin Diesel’s Street racer friend, as I had personal experience in the street racing culture. Although it was a rewarding experience working as an actress, I ultimately aspired to work behind the camera. This has led to a remarkable journey in my Hollywood career with achievements as an award-winning Director, Producer, Writer, and Casting Director.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have built a successful entertainment career based on my childhood dreams, the zealous nature in my heart for filmmaking, and the drive from God, giving me a sense of purpose, direction, and calling in my life to be a bridgebuilder in Hollywood. What sets me apart from others is that I didn’t graduate college or go to film school, I was determined to utilize my wide range of natural talents, I had to navigate the industry by using my strengths of learning hands-on, risk-taking, being resilient, and resourceful. I had to learn to balance being an independent freelance Casting Director and filmmaker, in this industry overall you’re an entrepreneur, with your own business and brand.

As a filmmaker I enjoyed the creative process, inspiring, mentoring, collaborating, and bringing together all the elements needed to make a script successfully come to life in independent productions. The films I have directed are produced through my independent production company, “Dream 4 Dreams Productions,” the reason for the name is because my dreams have come true and now it’s my mission to help other dreams become reality and the number 4 is my birthday. As a Casting Director, I also enjoy being responsible for acting dreams coming true by owning an independent casting company, “Renee Garcia Casting,” based in Los Angeles. It’s a common practice for a Casting Director to name their casting company after themselves. I enjoy the casting process, having an eye for talent, directing actors in auditions, booking actors, and attaching star names to higher-budgeted films. I’ve had the privilege of working with renowned actors, Danny Trejo, Michael Madsen, Danny Glover, Paul Sorvino, Ron Perlman, Dean Norris, Wayne Brady, Ann Margret, international stars like Anushka Shetty and R. Madhavan, and other recognizable names. I won a Casting Director Award from the Mandy Network, I was honored to be nominated by actors who referred to me as an actors’ cheerleader, complimenting my limitless positive attitude and refreshingly peppy energy.

I’m most proud that I have created award-winning films in which the audience has an emotional connection to the characters and relatable storylines. These monumental accolades are setting the stage to propel me to the next level in my filmmaking and casting director career. I’m most excited about the prospect of making my award-winning short film, “Receding” into a feature film. There is interest from celebrities wanting to be attached to this human-interest movie. “Receding,” is based on the true story of Sophia Nesterova, a girl diagnosed with pediatric Alopecia while going after her dreams to be a cheerleader. “Receding,” took the 2023-2024 film festival circuit by storm and was awarded fifty laurels in different categories, domestically and internationally. I received five awards for Best Female Director including winning a trophy award at the Vesuvius International Film Awards, a prestigious Italian film festival. We also won Best Short Film, Best Inspirational Film, Best Original Screenplay, and two Best Producer awards one from the Cannes Arts Film Fest in France. In May 2024 we won Special Jury Mention, Best Children Short Film of the Year, and Best Child Actress of the Year, and I was nominated for Best Female Director of the Year for the Indie X Film Fest Annual Awards at L.A. Live Regal Theaters in Downtown Los Angeles. Sophia who plays herself won twenty more Best Child Actress awards based on her compelling performance of her own true story. Sophia flew out of the country for the first time to receive her trophy for Best Debut Actress at the Cannes World Film Festival in France and then to Sicily to win another trophy for Best Leading Role at the Paladino d’Oro Sports Film Festival. I’m honored Sophia will always remember me as her first Director who helped by telling her inspiring story and making her dreams come true by transforming her into an award-winning actress. Sophia hopes to reprise her award-winning role, and we hope to be able to share her story with a larger audience in theaters worldwide.

Lessons I’ve learned along the way are never to compare yourself to others, as you have your own designed path and set of goals for your career. Never get too comfortable thinking you know everything about the industry, as it constantly changes. There’s no such thing as mistakes, it’s all learning, you have to be persistent, a risk-taker, and choose faith over fear to advance to the next level. It’s important to be humble, considerate, and genuine, you never know if the person you’re speaking to in any environment could be the next person to give you an opportunity for your career. Choose to inspire others, over fame and fortune, this shouldn’t be the reason for wanting to work in Hollywood, it should only be a perk from enduring the many years it takes to have a successful career. Always follow your heart and never give up on your dreams and I hope my story inspires others, as I’m living the cliche that dreams do come true.

When I look ahead to the future, I don’t see myself just as an award-winning filmmaker making classics but also as a trailblazer reinventing the industry and introducing a “new Hollywood.” The “old Hollywood,” paradigm is shifting and the outdated system that keeps failing Hollywood is collapsing. The proof is the audience’s demand for fresh independent content and authentic talent, and they are breaking away from celebrity culture and high-profile large-scale productions. A “new Hollywood,” would be achieved by building a new entertainment system, an industry where we can truly be free to tell our stories and collaborate in unity instead of competition, without any barriers, hierarchy, gatekeepers, or red tape. It will take innovators to create and build a new sustainable foundation, introducing new technologies, strategies, and ideas for storytelling and filmmaking. This will create more opportunities for filmmakers, crew members, talent, and innovators to finally have a chance to break into the industry and have durability. I have fresh concepts for filmmaking, to be profitable and recapture the audience’s attention by making a memorable interactive experience, available in movie theaters and then streaming from home.

I would like to help break down more barriers by creating more opportunities and opening more doors for the Latino community in Hollywood. I’m a proud member of the NALIP organization (National Association of Latino Independent Producers) a non-profit advocacy organization that promotes the visibility of Latino creators, producers, and talent supporting the advancement of industry professionals with Latino heritage throughout the entertainment industry and headquartered in Los Angeles.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am a rare Los Angeles native, born and raised in southeast Los Angeles, and a fourth-generation Californian of Mexican descent. There is plenty to do in Los Angeles, and you could never be bored here, it’s known for its vibrant culture, food, sightseeing, beaches, entertainment, and nostalgia for Hollywood. Taking the Metro is a great option as the Red Line makes stops at Universal Studios, Hollywood, and Downtown Los Angeles. For a weeklong trip, start at the Universal City Hilton for a delicious breakfast and order the pork belly eggs benedict, the best I’ve ever had, then walking distance to explore Universal CityWalk and Universal Studios. Next, take the Metro to the heart of Hollywood stopping at Ovation Hollywood, a shopping center and entertainment complex. This is where you can see the Hollywood Sign, visit the famous Dolby Theatre, home of the star-studded Academy Awards, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the TCL Chinese Theatre, where my films have screened and won awards there for Los Angeles film festivals. One of my favorite spots is Dave & Buster’s, a fun gaming center for kids and adults and I will also be shooting a scene for my film. Close by there is Lucky Strike where you can bowl or play pool, and across the street from there is the famous El Capitan Theatre, The Magic Castle, Yamashiro, a Japanese and sushi-themed restaurant with a breathtaking skyline view and famous movies have been shot here, “Kill Bill,” and “Memoirs of a Geisha.” One more stop on the metro to Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles, where you can spend the rest of your time enjoying food from different cultures, and skyscraper views while dining at the finest restaurants, shopping in the fashion district, enjoying live entertainment, or dance clubs, and other events that take place. As someone who works in Hollywood, I love sharing the excitement and nostalgia of these iconic places with family and friends who visit me in Los Angeles.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to Adriana Kostetska, I’m deeply grateful for her trust in my abilities for wanting to collaborate. Adriana helped advance my filmmaking career by creating and producing four award-winning short films together. “Immigrant Mother,” in which Adriana plays the lead actress and garnered herself a Best Actress win. The film also stars Cristo Fernandez, from Emmy-winning “Ted Lasso,” and Cristo won Best Supporting Actor at Silicon Beach, a Los Angeles Film Festival at the famous TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. We also won Best International Short Film, Best Crime Short, Best Woman Short, and ten other awards, including I won Best Female Director. Our award-winning film, “Our Broken Family,” which I Directed, won Best Producer, Best Actor, and Best Editing. I inspired Adriana’s dream to be a director, and she made her directorial debut, with “Sweet Struggle,” winning Best Family Drama Short Film. We then Co-Directed, “Unique Beauty” winning Best Drama Short Film and Best Female Director, giving Adriana her first directing award. Our award-winning short film “Receding,” based on a true story about Alopecia in children, was awarded fifty laurels from prestigious film festivals, and with all the success “Receding,” has shown there is enthusiasm to produce a feature film.

I would also like to give a shoutout to Katherine King, we worked together on four award-winning short films. “I’m Gonna Tell God Everything,” is an award-winning Bollywood short film based on a true story, with six million views on YouTube. Katherine wrote the screenplay and had a starring role, and I was the Casting Director and the Assistant Director. We teamed up for “Immigrant Mother,” Katherine wrote the screenplay, and she had a starring role. We reunited again for, “Our Broken Family,” where she co-wrote and produced our award-winning short film. Katherine aspired to be a director and the driving force to collaborate was her confidence in me to help her directing dream become a reality. She entrusted me as a Producer, Casting Director, and Associate Director to mentor her for her directorial debut for the short film screenplay she had written, “The Delicate Cycle.” Katherine was awarded a Best First Time Female Director award and our lead actor, Dean Norris, Jr., in his acting debut, earned him several wins including a platinum award for Best Child Actor. His dad is the infamous Dean Norris from the hit series, “Breaking Bad,” and “Better Call Saul.” I invited Dean Norris to the world premiere, and we were nominated at the Chandler International Film Festival, Dean gladly accepted to support his son and our film. We won Best Drama Short Film and the film festival honored Dean Norris with a Career Icon award, then we celebrated our trophy wins together on the red carpet. “The Delicate Cycle,” is still in the film festival circuit run and being selected in several categories for prominent film festivals and winning trophies. Katherine and I plan to continue to produce more projects together.

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121768

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-garcia-33a0706

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@reneegarciafilmmaker

Other: https://www.recedingmovie.com, https://www.immigrantmotherfilm.com

Image Credits
Photographer: Airic Lewis of Nirvana Studios and Photographer: David Marchand of Marchands Photography & Design