Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Jessy Terrero

As a young man, Jessy Terrero turned to the arts as a way to escape into his imagination and to build a better world than the one he was seeing outside his window. And as he got older, his passion for storytelling and filmmaking grew—so much so that he founded Cinema Giants (formerly Terrero Films). We caught up with Jessy to learn more about him, the reason behind changing the name of his company, and how he’s pushing for further Latino representation in the industry.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts and storytelling?
Jessy: When I was growing up in the ghettos of New York, there was so much violence in the streets that one doesn’t realize it at the moment. As a child in that environment, you start to develop a creative imagination because you tend to want to create a world better than the one you’re seeing in front of you. I think early on, my mind just started to develop that way where I would create these stories in my mind.

As I grew older, my mother introduced me to a camera. One of the reasons she wanted us to use the camera was to entertain ourselves while her and my father were in between shifts at work with no one home. So staying home with my siblings and playing with the camera was where, unknowingly at the time, I started to develop a love for filmmaking.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jessy: I would say hip-hop has had the biggest influence in my life in general. It was with hip-hop where I started to see people that came from the same places I came from, and I saw them achieve success. The energy around the music drove my ambition and gave me drive and hope.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success throughout your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Jessy: I heard Chris Rock once say, “Life is a bunch of false alarms.” I feel like every time you reach your point of success and people tell you, “This is it! This is going to be your moment!” it doesn’t happen the way you imagined. For me, the work never stops. I just continue going forward.

PC: What’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started your career?
Jessy: I wish I would have understood the business of Hollywood. Someone told me once, “This is not show friends; this is show business.” I wish I would have known that going in.

PC: Tell us about Cinema Giants and how that came to fruition.
Jessy: I was working a lot under my company at the time called Terrero Films. I always dreamt of having a big production company similar to some of the directors I admire like Ridley Scott and Associates. I always thought it was about branding my family’s name, so I decided to start my company with my name in it. But as I moved up the corporate ladder and started working with different brands, I noticed that having the Terrero name put me in a box because people judged my entire company based on who I was. It was upsetting at times when I was able to work with one brand on their Hispanic initiative, but I couldn’t work with the same brand in the general market because they felt I didn’t understand. Even though my company was doing great work, when they looked up and saw the Terrero name and saw me, they felt I didn’t understand the general market, or how I understood it—the “White” market.

So one day, while I was on a hike, I felt that in order to grow my company, I had to take my name off of it and create something that wasn’t pigeonholed by that. Something with no color, no race and just focus on the type of company I always wanted to build. I always felt like the little guy in Hollywood, so I just started saying that I was going to stomp through this town one day like a “cinema giant.” It’s weird to say, but I felt like the minute I took my name off of it, I doubled the amount of work I started doing.

Fortunately, I’m now in a position to empower my people and help elevate Latino representation in the media, especially from a female Latina’s perspective, which was the inspiration behind my new show.

PC: If your children wanted to follow a similar career path, what’s one piece of advice you would give them?
Jessy: I would tell them to do it for the right reasons, not because their father is in the business. I would tell them to make sure that they love it because no matter what, it’s a painful process and it takes a lot of work. The only way you’re going to survive is if you really love what you do and you know exactly the reasons why you’re doing it. If not, you’re going to set yourself up to fail.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Jessy: Ozark.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Jessy: City of God.

PC: Favorite book?
Jessy: Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter by 50.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Jessy: Wicked.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Jessy: Arcade Fire.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Jessy: Depends on what version of the story of my life they want to tell. [laughs] Any amazing actor.

To keep up with Jessy, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Photo Credit: Antwon Maxwell Photography