Awards Daily: What got you interested in being a producer?
Gabriela Gonzalez: I have always loved film in the cinema since I was a kid, and as an adult I wanted to learn about the industry. Maybe I would want to be an actor, maybe I would want to be a director, so I took some classes and I learned no, that’s not for me. But I was really good at getting things together and I like to say as the youngest of seven that I’m very familiar with organized chaos, and that is essentially what it is to be producing, organizing chaos. So that’s what led me in that direction and of course the master’s program at AFI was a huge part of that for me.
AD: So how did you get involved with Sell/Buy/Date?
Gabriela Gonzalez: A friend of mine directed me to the main producers who were looking for someone that had documentary experience as well as traditional film experience, and she was kind enough to recommend me and I got the job.
AD: This quasi documentary/feature format was a unique approach. How did that come about and how did you deal with that as a producer?
Gabriela Gonzalez: It was definitely challenging because, as you said, it’s this quasi format which creates its own unique challenge. But if you know Sarah Jones, she’s this brilliant comic who has all these people inside of her, all of these characters that are truly alive inside of her and it’s really just a part of who she is, you really cannot separate them from her. So due to the documentary exploring Sarah’s experience and her process and her journey of learning more about sex work it’s as if you are just dealing with these other people within Sarah no matter what. So we had to adjust our production to that for sure.
AD: Was the play that the film was based on a different experience? Did you see it?
Gabriela Gonzalez: I have not seen the play. I heard it is amazing. From what I understand I think she incorporated more characters into the play, she has endless characters. (If you have seen her TedTalks you know.) So I believe she Incorporated some of the other ones in the play, but her main ones are the ones that came along for the ride in the movie.
AD: The film takes a look at the sex industry and its place in society. Was this an issue that you were interested in before the film or is this what got you into it?
Gabriela Gonzalez: I would say both. The reason I would say that interests me for a while because it really impacts people of color, women of color, transwomen of color, non-binary people, and those are the kind of subject matter that I am drawn to, whether it is a documentary or a hybrid or a narrative film. But I would say I was fairly ignorant In the subject matter other than what I have read. I have no experience from that world but I did find it very interesting to explore, which is one of the things I do appreciate about the approach Sarah took. She wanted to talk to so many different people on that spectrum and not necessarily come up with “okay this part is bad or this is good,” but rather lead with asking more questions, which hopefully is what it does by the end of the film.
AD: I was wondering while watching it how did Sarah’s opinion change while making the film?
Gabriela Gonzalez: I cannot answer for her personally but from what I observed it seemed that she was constantly open to learning more from different perspectives. You do see that she has a very personal connection considering what occurred with her sister. But Sarah really did come from a place of I think this way but I want to hear from other people and see how that may inform what I believe. I think there were plenty of people on the production that thought they might know about it and were pleasantly surprised to learn and see how it really does impact different communities. We get the perspective of Alex Little, who is a white woman who is doing very well as a sex worker, then we hear the stories of Esperanza Fonseca who as a trans woman has lost friends to this industry, and has had her life threatened. You can’t help but be impacted by people’s perspective while you listen to them being filmed.
AD: You formed Forward Motion Entertainment. How did that idea come about and what has it been like running it?
Gabriela Gonzalez: My producing partner Candy Ibarra, who is an actress, wanted to be more involved in producing and she talked to me a little bit about her frustration as a Latino woman being cast in the same thing over and over, very stereotypical. We just kept discussing how we don’t see ourselves reflected in cinema or television or other content and we decided we should really do something. And we should do something turned into let’s do something. Initially we started with a particular series about four diverse Latino women and that got into the Diversity Program at the Producers Guild. So that was us dipping our toes into working together as creators and from there we decided that that went well, we worked well together, we had the same sensibilities, we were drawn to similar projects where we can amplify the voices of under-represented people. Not just necessarily ourselves as Latino women but anyone you would consider underrepresented, right? People of color, LGBTQ, basically anyone you would consider under-represented because that’s what we are really drawn to as people that purchase and watch content who also want to create content. We formalize it in that way. We have one short film that we just started taking around the festivals, then we have a Latino based horror film set in Alaska that we are currently developing and getting ready to go out and get financing for.
AD: Continuing on the trend of wanting to help under- represented filmmakers and stories, is there a person or story that you are interested in particular that you would love to get out there?
Gabriela Gonzalez: We already have these writers and directors we are working with, but in terms of a particular story I think one of the things I really like about the stories that we are trying to get out there is that it may not necessarily center on their otherness. For example, like the horror film we are developing, yes it happens to be a Latino family but they are not dealing with stereotypically considered Latino issues. We are not going to have them crossing the border, it’s not going to deal with immigration, even the fact that they’re not living in Los Angeles or Miami or New York or Texas. This is going to be a Latino family based in Alaska, so they are Latino but we do not want to make it about their Latinoness. Showing reality that yes, of course that impacts who we are and who our families are, and what we experience but, like everyone else, we experience and go through challenges or unique situations.
AD: So I have a random fan question: did you get a chance to meet Bryan Cranston and, if so, what was he like?
Gabriela Gonzalez: I did not meet him for this production, but I personally met him once at a poker tournament for charity and you can literally think of the nicest human being and that is him. First of all he was playing poker for a cancer charity based here in Sherman Oaks called WeSPARK, which a person close to me that was going through cancer found that the organization really made a difference. So they had this poker tournament where he showed up, played and lost in the first or second round, but he stuck around for pictures and selfies and you just really can’t get any nicer than Bryan Cranston. But I hear Henry Winkler might be the nicest person, so maybe he and Bryan are tied.
AD: My father met Henry Winkler for a little bit and mentioned how nice he was.
Gabriela Gonzalez: That is so funny!
AD: I have no other questions on my end. Is there anything you want to leave our readers with?
Gabriela Gonzalez: No other than, in any way or shape possible that you can advance the concept of underrepresented people, I strongly encourage that. Especially when you watch something you really like and you’re, like, oh, wow these people look different than me– recommend it to your friends. Because you just can’t beat word of mouth. I don’t know about you, but I’m always asking people, what are you watching and what do you like to know, what to watch next. I think that’s one of the best things people can do.
Sell/Buy/Date premiered at the SXSW Film Festival.