Laura’s initial endeavor in the realm of Latin-themed content occurred as a freshman in college, when she co-wrote and co-directed a stage play entitled “No More Empty Chairs” – recognized by The National Coalition of Hispanic Health for outstanding advocacy. This character-ensemble provided an upfront and candid glimpse of the challenging issues that modern teenagers are confront with, as well as realistic solutions to face and overcome them.
She later co-wrote and co-produced the award winning film “Harvest of Redemption” which was inspired by the true story about the murder of a migrant farm worker and the unfortunate cover-up by authorities in the 1920’s.
Laura is currently producing and directing the feature documentary “American Orange,” which investigates and unveils the hidden mystery behind the decline and demise of an impoverished Latino border community where over 96% of the population suffers from cancer-related illnesses.
Laura was recently awarded a development grant for “American Orange” from the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture – which is funded by JP Morgan, Southwest Airlines and the Ford Foundation.
She takes pride in being involved in the Latino community and takes a special interest in mentoring Latino youth – as recognized by the Migrant Students College Assistance Program as a motivational speaker. Her Los Angeles based company (Converge Entertainment) was one of the first sponsors of the “Sol Dance Film Festival,” the Latino arm of the Sundance Film Festival, which screens inspiring Latino films. She is a 5-year member of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers , has served as a consultant and panelist for The CineSol Latin Film Festival, and has judged Scenario USA’s “What’s the Real Deal” Screenplay Competition. Scenarios USA is a a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that that uses writing and filmmaking to foster youth leadership, advocacy and self-expression in under-served teens.
She is currently a consultant for various Latino-themed entertainment, advocacy, and marketing companies including the Los Angeles based Hippo Films, LLC and The New School For Metropolitan Studies 501(c)3 – La Nueva Raza News Project in Austin.
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