We were lucky to catch up with Sugey Cruz recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sugey, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
As an independent filmmaker and actress, developing the ability to take risks has been crucial to my career. Early on, I realized that the traditional paths in the film industry were overcrowded and highly competitive. To stand out, I decided to create and star in my own projects, even though it was a considerable risk given the financial and reputational stakes involved.
My first major projects were a documentary called “The United States of Autism” and a short film, “On Turning 16”, that tackled a personal subject. The topic was autism because of the importance of writing about and speaking about experiences that you know.
Taking this risk of speaking about a personal matter paid off. The film were either selected for several international film festivals, which was a turning point in my career or in the case of the documentary-it was seen in over 70 countries and was in Oscar qualification. This experience taught me that embracing risk, when combined with careful planning and collaboration, can lead to breakthrough opportunities. It also helped me develop a personal brand as a creator who isn’t afraid to tackle challenging subjects and push boundaries. This reputation has opened more doors for me in the industry, allowing me to continue creating meaningful and impactful work
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am an actress and filmmaker, whose collaborations have included Universal Pictures, Blinding Edge Films, and Phi Phen Studios. My expertise spans a variety of crucial positions on both film and commercial sets, including acting, serving as a continuity supervisor, all aspects of production, as well as Health and Safety/Covid Compliance.
I began my filmmaking career as a documentary film producer for the Oscar-qualifying film, “The US of Autism”. Other projects of note have included “The Old Way” and “Butcher’s Crossing” starring Nicholas Cage; “Hellbent on Boogie” starring Shiloh Fernandez; “Coup!” starring Peter Saragaard and the Apple TV+ show “Servant” and feature film “Knock at the Cabin” from Director M. Night Shyamalan.
Most recently, I co-founded Roaming Shadow Productions with my creative partner, Greg Poppa. There are several projects coming out under that umbrella including “Transient” (with BMN Films), “Good Mothers” (with Proffittable Productions) and “Cold” which Greg wrote and directed and I did the Spanish translations for and starred in. Currently, we are also developing several other projects within and outside of the world of we created with “Cold”, including a series and Westerns.
Outside of my film work, I engage in philanthropic works particularly involving causes related to Autism and related conditions and I have been learning Western-style horseback riding for the last year.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back on my career, I believe the three qualities that were most impactful in my journey are adaptability, continuous learning, and effective communication.
Adaptability: The ability to adapt to changing environments and unexpected challenges has been crucial. I’ve worked in various roles where the market or the company’s direction shifted dramatically, and being able to pivot and embrace these changes was key to not just surviving but thriving. For those early in their careers, I recommend placing yourself in diverse projects and roles. The more varied your experiences, the more adaptable you become.
Perseverance: Throughout my career, from starting from almost nothing to moving up into leadership roles, perseverance has been my guiding principle. There were numerous occasions when projects failed or did not meet expectations. It would have been easy to feel defeated, but by staying committed and persistent, I learned from each failure and eventually succeeded. For those just starting out, my advice is to view each setback as a stepping stone. Cultivate resilience by setting long-term goals and breaking them down into manageable tasks. When faced with failure, instead of getting discouraged, analyze what went wrong and how you can improve.
Continuous Learning: No matter the stage of your career, the learning never stops. I’ve found that keeping up with industry trends, new technologies, and skill development has opened up new opportunities and made me a valuable asset to my teams. For newcomers, I advise setting personal learning goals each year. Whether it’s attending workshops, taking online courses, or reading extensively, make learning a consistent part of your career. I still take acting classes. I have taken courses with Sundance and through Big Apple Film Festival and Yellowbrick’s program with NYU Tisch. NEVER STOP LEARNING!
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I am the daughter of Dominican immigrants to this country. My father was a “Super” of the building we lived in and my mom a housewife who dedicated herself to making sure my sister and I had everything we needed educationally. I was the first person in my immediate family to go to College and as a child, with Spanish being my first language, I had many challenges with school, Many times classes did not come easy to me and I had to work twice as hard as my peers.
At the time, I don’t think I necessarily appreciated just how “hard” my parents were on me with making me work on my studies and sitting with me and making me work harder. I didn’t appreciate them getting me tutors and making me skip recess to take extra sessions to advance in classes where I was struggling. However, I do now. What they taught me was hard work and persistence and fighting for what you want in life. They wanted me to achieve things they never could and they put their dreams into us-their children.
Resilience, persistence, hard work, tenacity… whatever you want to call it-these were the lessons I learned from my parents. Even to this day my dad, who has been retired over a decade, has a routine he carries so that he feels useful in his elder years. He prides himself on ‘feeling 18’ in his 80s. I can only hope to have that same will power at that age.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://roamingshadowproductions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miss_sugey_cruz/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sugey-cruz-36414613/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RoamingShadowProductions
- Other: https://seedandspark.com/fund/cold-1#story
Image Credits
The two images in where I am wearing a black jumpsuit were taken by Chris Cole from Dynamic Motion Pictures; The US of Autism poster is from that film which I was the producer of; Everything else is reserved by Roaming Shadow Productions for the film “Cold.” The Poster for “Cold” was designed by graphic artist, Sophia Cantu.
