Johnny Sanchez(I)

Johnny Sánchez was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. to undocumented Latino parents.

As a kid, Johnny caught the acting bug when he was cast in his elementary school's 'FELIZ NAVIDAD' play (a bilingual speaking experience). His first professional film was OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE opposite Better Midler and Shelley Long, playing 'Puerto Rican Kid', robbing both women.

Johnny attended and graduated from Performing Arts High School (aka LA GUARDIA H.S.) in New York City. He later moved to Los Angeles, California and appeared in several films and TV productions.

Johnny eventually returned to New York City to train with acclaimed acting teacher William Esper. At the same time, he reconnected with his NYC peers and joined the acclaimed LAByrinth Theater Company. Johnny appeared on stage in several of LAByrinth's productions including Paul Calderon's 'DIVINE HORSEMEN', David Zaya's '10-13', Stephen-Adly Guirgis's 'RACE, RELIGION AND POLITICS' and Erin Cressida Wilson's 'TRAIL OF HER INNER THIGH' directed by John Gould-Rubin. Johnny was a member of LAByrinth Theater Company for twelve years, retiring from the company in 2005.

Not seeing the multiple opportunities Johnny yearned for as a Latino actor, he started writing and producing. His first foray into producing was as Co-Producer on the feature film FIND ME GUILTY directed by Sidney Lumet (Academy Award Honoree), starring Vin Diesel and Peter Dinklage. 'Find Me Guilty' was released to high critical acclaim.

On Find Me Guilty, Johnny cut his producing teeth. More significantly, he saw the changes that needed to occur in the industry for BIPOC and Female producers to succeed (especially, if you're working class). One producer on the film called Johnny "spic", and a second producer called him a "Puerto Rican errand boy" (* Johnny is of Colombian descent). Those 2 producers also denied fair compensation to the sole female producer (Rita Branch) and the only two BIPOC producers (Johnny Sanchez and Roger Zamudio - who are both Latino) on the project. Overall, Johnny genuinely enjoyed his experience on the film, and his passion for producing was never thwarted. In fact, it was fueled even more -- he loves producing.

After Find Me Guilty, Johnny teamed up with Rita Branch, Roger Zamudio and Bob Yari once again... and Co-Produced 'EVEN MONEY' starring Academy Award Winners Kim Basinger and Forest Whitaker. Plus, Danny Devito, Ray Liotta, Carla Gugino, Kelsey Grammer and Jay Mohr. Even Money was directed by Mark Rydell (Academy Award Nominee).

Johnny also produced MUSCLE (starring Fiona Graham, Marc Menchaca and Reiko Aylesworth), directed by Heidi Miami Marshall -- and Executive Produced by Frank Oz. Muscle played at over 30 film festivals worldwide and won multiple awards, including: Spirit of Independent Filmmaking Award (Big River Film Festival), Best of Fest (Chick Flicks Film Festival, Dallas), Best Narrative Short Film (Broadway International Film Festival, NYC), Best Actress in a Short Film (Hudson Valley International Film Festival, Upstate NY).

As a writer, Johnny wrote the multi award-winning short film S.P.I.C. (inspired by true events from his youth), which played at over 30 film festivals worldwide. S.P.I.C. garnered over 15 awards, including Best of Fest (Blackbird Film Festival), The Cinema Writing Award (Blackbird Film Fest), Best Female Filmmaker (FOLCS Shorts), Best Ensemble Cast (SoCal Int'l Film Fest), Best Multi-Cultural Film (SPE Media Film), and many more. Johnny also produced S.P.I.C. -- and he plays the role of Emilio (a role inspired by his real life father). Heidi Miami Marshall also directed the film.

Johnny co-wrote and produced 'A through M', a political short film, produced in conjunction with the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women. 'A through M' was directed by Heidi Miami Marshall, played at over 20 film festivals worldwide and won many numerous awards, including: Best Short Script (Intl. Horror & Sci-Fi Film Fest) and Best Dramatic Short. Johnny also appears in the film as the character of Garcia.

While Johnny enjoys protest art, his true passion is uniting people. Bridging different kinds of people, with varied POV's and unrelated lifestyles, is what makes him tick. Johnny endeavors to use storytelling as a tool to entertain, question and ultimately unite. Johnny and Heidi are a husband-wife filmmaking team.

As a writer and producer, Johnny is able to create the stories he believes in. Filmmaking allows him to not only be an artist but to also be a fan and student of storytelling. Producer Bob Yari (Yellowstone, Tulsa King, Crash) has said, "Johnny is a producer who possesses both a logistical and creative eye for filmmaking. He understands the value of both, never sacrificing either."