On this week’s installment of #Friday5, I got the chance to chat with San Antonio filmmaker, writer and actress, Felise Garcia.
She’s a writer, actress, and filmmaker born and raised in San Antonio, who’s been writing since she was about 7 years old! She studied literature and writing at UTSA and earned her Bachelor of Arts in English in 2010. Shortly thereafter, she became interested in learning how to write scripts which caused her to develop an interest in bringing characters to life through acting.
Felise took several screenwriting courses with Gotham Writers Workshop and began training with various acting coaches in San Antonio, Austin, and New York. Film and television productions in Texas are scarce and even more so are parts for female leads. Instead of waiting and hoping for opportunities to come to her, Felise decided to combine her writing, acting, and management skills to create, produce, and star in her web series “The Honey Trapper”.
She completed production on season two this year, and the series has received 39 awards to date and even more nominations throughout the U.S. and internationally. She’s extremely grateful and honored for how well it has been received. She’s excited to be getting the series in front of a wider audience soon and creating more impactful projects in the near future.
What is your greatest accomplishment to date?
I’d say my greatest accomplishment would be that I stopped letting fear prevent me from pursuing what I want to do in life. Because of that one change in mindset, I’ve been able to reap the rewards of many accomplishments over the past few years.
What’s a book you re-read over and over again?
Anne of Green Gables! It’s one of my favorite stories. I love immersing myself in that particular time period, because it was a time when conversation, books, romance, and enjoying nature were of high value. I feel that those things are often overlooked today.
If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?
I’d love to have dinner with Eva Longoria Baston! I admire so much about her. She has accomplished a lot creatively, not only as an actress but also as a producer and director. She uses her platform to educate and shine light on world issues that need to be addressed. She advocates for Latino representation in the entertainment industry. To top it off, she does all of this AND manages to look fabulous! She is goals for sure lol
A place you’ve never been, but is on your bucket list?
Greece. It’s actually on the top of my vision board right now!
Who was the greatest influence/inspiration in your career?
My greatest influence/inspiration always has been and always will be my father. He influenced me to believe I am capable of great things, and the way he lived his life inspired me to not let my potential go to waste in anything I want to pursue.
What’s your greatest joy?
Creating. There are several forms of this that I love such as writing, filmmaking, and acting, but the art itself of creating is what brings me the greatest joy.
Greatest “A HA“moment?
It was when I realized I didn’t need to be given permission or wait for someone to give me an opportunity to start creating my path.
Greatest pet peeve in business?
Oh, that’s an easy one. My peeve is when people don’t read information that is provided and ask questions to answers they would have if they merely took the time to read. As a writer this greatly pains me.
At this stage in your career, what would you consider to be a dream project/opportunity?
I have a passion for writing scripts in the TV series format, so it would be a dream opportunity to grow my productions in a way that will represent both female filmmakers and Latinas on a wider scale in the entertainment industry.
What piece of advice would you give young people just starting out in their career?
I would say whatever it is that you’re aspiring to do whether it’s filmmaking, writing, acting, etc. STICK WITH IT if you truly love it. Even if it takes years to reach your goal, remember that the time will pass anyway, and it will be well spent to continue using that time to develop and sharpen your craft. People that have a story to tell regardless of the medium have an important obligation, and that is to continue bringing magic into this world.
