Meet Hugo Mejia

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hugo Mejia . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hugo , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

By putting myself in uncomfortable situations. Growing up I was terrified of public speaking. In middle school, I remember we had to give a presentation on career day and the night before I panicked just thinking about everyone looking at me. I vividly remember how fast my heart was pounding. I couldn’t sleep that night. The next day I volunteered to go first to get it over with and man you could hear it in my voice how nervous I was. Like it was bad.

I remember after all the presentations were done, the teacher told the class something along the lines of “if you volunteer to go first you need to be confident to set the tone for everyone else.” Basically alluding that I missed the mark.

Anyways, fast forward to high school I auditioned for a play for the extra credit (but really it was because I wanted to perform even if I couldn’t admit it).

During rehearsals, I started getting more comfortable with the lines and that helped so much come opening night. I mean yeah I was still very nervous to perform in front of friends, family, and a bunch of strangers. But, the act of repetition and putting myself in that uncomfortable environment helped me to grow a little more confident.

In high school after doing several plays, I remember opening up to a few people about wanting to become an actor. And I was laughed at and told that I “didn’t look like an actor.” And at that time I was insecure and struggling with bad acne so I let those comments sink in. Then I put acting in the back of my mind and instead focused on studying TV, Film, and New Media at San Diego State University (SDSU).

Initially, college was intimidating. I grew up in Dinuba, CA a small town where mostly everyone looked like me. At first I felt like a fish out of water at SDSU until I joined a student club. The Hispanic Business Student Association. I eventually became president of the club which boosted my confidence with public speaking. Every week I gave presentations to our members or was at mixers, networking events, and socials.

Eventually, speaking to strangers one on one or in front of many people just naturally got easier. And that led to an internship where I hosted this public access bilingual show in San Diego. What helped with my nerves was doing the prep work necessary to host and interview guests while being filmed.

After graduating college, I got an internship with the Television Academy Foundation in script writing and PA work where I learned more about the production process behind the camera.

And at that point my self-esteem improved a lot to where I decided to try background acting for TV shows. And that led to speaking roles in films and other projects and now acting is what I do for a living.

The nerves before and while performing are always there but the more I do it, the easier it is to navigate. So I guess what developed my confidence overall was rehearsing a lot, being as prepared as possible, and rolling with the punches if things don’t go as planned.

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?

Both of my parents are deaf. So I am what many in the deaf community would call a CODA (child of deaf adults). I grew up learning ASL, Mexican Sign-Language, Spanish, and English. I am the youngest of four siblings and was raised in a working class Mexican-American family in central California (Dinuba).

As a kid, I remember always reenacting scenes from movies. And in high school my oldest brother gave me a camcorder which I used to make these funny little videos with my friends. I knew at the core I wanted to be an actor but I was shy and lacked confidence. Then in high school I auditioned to be a background character in a play. But the drama teacher was like “actually I want you to read for another role.” That role was for the prince’s royal squire in Cinderella. I still laugh about that.

Then after doing several plays in high school, I went on to study TV, Film, and New Media at San Diego State University telling everyone I wanted to be a director/writer. But deep down I knew I wanted to act and write.

After graduating college, I got an internship in Los Angeles with the Television Academy Foundation in scriptwriting and PA work. After the internship I developed a newfound sense of confidence and decided to go for it and pursue acting.

With acting, you get to immerse yourself in different worlds and I especially love performing in stories that are personal to the writers and directors. Films that carry weight and significance. I love being in projects that have great writing, complex characters, and a passionate team.

I have some exciting projects coming out that I can’t wait to share with everyone. I also want to focus on developing my own content and incorporate my acting, writing, and upbringing of being a trilingual son of deaf parents.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Definitely staying disciplined, resilient, and creative.

Discipline:
I think it’s easy to get motivated for something, you see that at the beginning of every year, people are motivated to attain their new year’s resolutions but most stop after the motivation fades. It’s the discipline that carries you once the motivation ends. Discipline turns a want into a need.

Let’s say you want to workout and eat healthy. A good start is not seeing working out and eating healthy as tedious but rather something you just do because it’s a necessity. Like brushing your teeth.

Start small and make gradual changes along your journey. So in this instance, instead of working out every day and completely cutting out junk food from the get-go. Workout 2-3 times a week and eat healthy 2-3 times a week. Then as you make progress, you start taking it to the next level. Instead of having cheat days, have a cheat meal here and there. Moderation is key, We’re human.

Eventually, the more you work at it mindfully, it’ll become habitual where you don’t even think about it too hard. You just do it, Like brushing your teeth.

Resilience:
Life tests you constantly. There have been times in my acting journey where I seriously considered just tapping out. Whether it was after being swindled, taken advantage of, or feeling like I didn’t belong in that space. What helped me in those negative situations was self-reflecting on my choices and learning from it. Finding ways to re-center myself and become more knowledgeable about the entertainment industry while reminding myself of what I bring to the table. Talking to loved ones and praying has helped keep me grounded too. Being relentless in working hard towards your craft is powerful.

Creative:
I have been told by casting directors that for some of their casting calls, they get a couple thousand submissions per role. So imagine sorting through not just hundreds but thousands of headshots, reels, cover letters, and resumes for one role. Of course this varies per project. But on average I think many casting directors know within the first 15 seconds or so whether an actor is right for the part. So in your audition you have to think of creative ways to stand out in the best way possible. Think outside the box. Do something interesting with your character that makes sense within the context of that scene but is also memorable.

Find things in the character to help you connect to the situation and their voice and maybe draw from your experiences. There’s so many ways to do it, and that’s the fun in it. Get creative with it.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Yes! I love connecting with directors, producers, actors, and all other creatives in the entertainment industry. Particularly people who are genuine, creative, hardworking, and passionate about what they do.

Currently, I have written scripts that I am looking to get funding for with the right team. Genres range from comedy, drama, fantasy, horror, and dramedies.

I’m also happy to help others who are starting out and need advice on their journeys.

You can connect with me here:
https://instagram.com/itshugomejia
http://imdb.me/Hugo-Mejia
[email protected]

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/itshugomejia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugo-mejia-3b174084?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Other: http://imdb.me/Hugo-Mejia

Image Credits

David B. Lowe , Aimee Bringas, Mark Carmona, Yemi Kuku, Alex Ramirez