HEB Bailando el CarneSazo

Norteño/Tejano singer/accordionist Michael Salgado gained prominence in the mid-1990s by looking back to the 'norteño' sound influenced by Ramon Ayala, and by subsequently introducing the style to the younger generation. He began climbing the Latin American music charts in 1995 after releasing his single "Cruz de Madera". Salgado's 1996 album "En Concierto" introduced his most successful single, "Sin Ella", which reached the top 20 of the Latin American music charts.

He is the star of HEB CarneSano campaign, this year I'm part of the cast of the TV spot "New Car"

check it out

No importa lo que celebres lo que importa es que lo hagas con un CarneSazo de H-E-B. La campaña presenta divertidas situaciones y al cantante Michael Salgado en un CarneSazo.

Marked

Ya'Ke made his first film at the age of 15, while a student at Sam Houston High School in his native San Antonio, Texas and has yet to look back. His films have received world-wide acclaim, screening at The Cannes International Film Festival, The Pan African Film and Arts festival, The Sedicorto International Film Festival Forli and The Los Angeles Shorts Film Festival, to name a few. Ya'Ke has made a name for himself as a filmmaker with a veracious style of storytelling that takes an unflinching look at issues facing today's society. I had the opportunity to work with him a few years ago in his featured film "Wolf", a small but significant role.

San Antonio named Carmen Tafolla its inaugural poet laureate. To celebrate her original works, the Department for Culture and Creative Development (DCCD) with Three Chord Media has produced a series of seven short films based on Tafolla’s poems. Exodus Films with director Ya'ke Smith and producer Ralph Lopez were selected to produce one of the poems, and I was chosen to narrate it. Such an honor to give voice to such wonderful words.

MARKED is a film inspired by the poem of the same name written by renowned poet Carmen Tafolla. Read by Carla Veliz, the film is a collage of the faces of hispanic women making their "mark" on society. The film features Amanda D. Flores, Lorraine Pulido, Dora Pena, Rachel Reyna, Marta Prada Pelaez, Mary Agnes Rodriguez, Nina Duran, Tina Torres, Laura Saldivar Luna and Lauren Montemayor. Directed by Ya’Ke Smith Produced by Ralph Lopez Director of Photography Yuta Yamaguchi Editor Rod Guajardo Sound Design Ryan Britton Makeup Artist Shawn Demetria Stills Photographer Don Hopkins Production Assistant Alexander Lehman Music: “Reaching Out” by Steven Gutheinz Special Thanks: Arts + Labor Sprocket Productions Produced with Support from: Three Cord Media City of San Antonio, Dept. for Culture & Creative Development

Cartoneo y Nopalitos behind the scenes

I had the privilege to work with an excellent cast and crew and award winner Director of Photography Tom Nador from Laszlo Rain. The story started with me as a young mother, and ended as an older mom, make up artist did very well to accomplish the task. I hope you agree.

Cartoneo y Nopalitos

From the writer and director of La Tragedia de Macario, comes Pablo Véliz's film Cartoneo y Nopalitos.

Carla is one of millions of young Latinas who form the permanent sub-culture of the children of undocumented workers. Growing up in the U.S.--"the other side" in the common parlance of Mexican culture--she is "neither from here nor there," her life enmeshed in an uneasy truce between mutually dependent cultures.  My character in this film is Carla's mother, who came with her husband and 3 young children to the US, thinking they were just visiting. 

Full of fire and hope for her future, Carla aspires to become a physician, inspired by great love for her chronically ill grandfather. Yet after graduation, Carla faces full force the consequences of her legal status.

Carla's story obliquely intersects that of Krupa, an Indian girl escaping a painful personal event. Their very separate experiences occasionally glance off of one another, fully intersecting in a single moment of forgiveness and redemption.

From the writer and director of La Tragedia de Macario, comes Pablo Véliz's latest film Cartoneo y Nopalitos. Carla is one of millions of young Latinas who form the permanent sub-culture of the children of undocumented workers.

El Mar

SAY Sí’s Media Arts Studio is a creative innovative technology based learning program that provides a hands-on focus in filmmaking and digital design. Throughout the year, Say Sí students, along with the help of professional staff and established professionals in the media industry, collaborate and produce short films and documentaries. Students have the opportunity to explore and utilize their talents in all phases of the production, from writing the screenplay, scouting film locations, directing or budgeting, to casting, editing, creating an original musical score or working collaboratively on lighting production. Once the film is produced, the students also work on the accompanying marketing of their work in addition to showcasing their movies’ premieres.

In 2004 "El Mar" was produced, written by Sarah Hinojosa and co directed by Sarah Hinojosa and Lindley Atkinson, the team was lead by Pablo Véliz. I was given the role of "Victoria", a single mother struggling to raise her 3 kids. None of the students where older than 18, all so talented and hard workers, it was a great experience and very inspiring. I'm sure by now they are all doing wonderful in their professions. 

Bravo Say Si!

Flutter

Another super cool production with Director Sam Lerma. This time, my twins Ricardo and Rebekah as well as my husband were part of the cast. We recruited Dr. Ellen Clark, as the grandmother, since she is such an icon of our city. Great way to showcase our beautiful San Antonio. I hope you agree with me.

A father and daughter go on a journey to celebrate and mourn the loss of a family member. Flutter is a short film set on the south side of San Antonio. The film takes place from the King William to Mission Concepcion park using the San Antonio River and the Mission Reach. It was shot for the San Antonio Neighborhood Film Project in 2011. The film went on the screen at the New York International Latino Film Festival, Cine Las Americas, Cinefestival, The Dallas Videofestival, and the San Antonio Film Festival. Directed by Sam Lerma Cinematography by Rod Guajardo Produced by Ralph Lopez Music and Sound by Sam Bayless Starring Hector Machado, Lauren Montemayor, and Carla Veliz

Arte Azuca

Looking back, I have been part of so many cool projects, many of them have given me the opportunity to utilize my voice over talent as well as my art, sharing this with creative people like Chef Rene from Azuca and recording the voice over at New Age Recording now "The Living Room Music and Sound" with my most amazing creative husband Audio Engineer, Richard Veliz. Video and editing by Manuel Rivas. Check it out!

 

Art and Nuevo Latino cuisine come together in this San Antonio, Texas's favorite restaurant/bar.