Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lizbeth Luz Sanchez Cazares. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Lizbeth Luz, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I get my confidence and self-esteem from my upbringing.
In a nutshell, I grew up a suburban second generation Latina with a beauty obsessed older sister and traditionally Mexican parents. As the youngest, I really loved learning at school and needed to be stimulated all the time so I joined my first extracurricular by the 3rd grade. Needless to say, with only being two grades apart we had a very competitive household and kept mi Madre pretty busy. Mi Pa spent a lot of time working but never failed to shower my sister and I with words of affection and a warm embrace whenever possible, just like mi Ma did as well. Somehow both of my parents were able to work full time, smile and welcome those around them during turbulent times, and being able to watch that resilience unfold has been really inspiring.
It takes a great deal of confidence to work in the TV & Film industry, working among the best of the best artists, having to pivot quickly and efficiently at a moments notice while remaining calm… it’s tough. My mentor once told me, “Be like a duck. Smooth sailing on top of the surface but waddling like wild underneath the surface.” I live by that quote now, and thank God I have plenty of life experience to help me with that.
I am grateful each day for the opportunities I’ve been given, It’s hard not to be here today with a smile on face as I continue to work. After all, my parents both made huge sacrifices to get here, turn in their green cards and become U.S Citizens. I owe it to mis papas, and every minority to keep reaching for the stars because I’ve seen it is certainly possible.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
First and foremost, I am a story teller. Then, I am a filmmaker. Not every story, can tell a story, and that’s what I’m here – to help you tell your story and then we will get to the visuals.
There is nothing like being taken out of your reality and being put into a world you haven’t experienced yet. I got a first glance at this early on as a child when I discovered my love for novels. Since I can remember, I’ve had a book in my hand. I was the first in my Pre-K class to be able to read, my ESL teacher even made me read out loud to the class and questioned why I even needed ESL in the first place (I finally got out middle of 2nd grade). Chapter books were my vice, yet money was tight as a kid so getting a paperback or hardcover was a long fight with my mom at Target but eventually I collected enough Junie B. Jones and Magic Tree House novels to satisfy my soul. Whenever I wasn’t able to concentrate on my books, I’d catch a novela on the TV with my mom or we’d all go to the local dollar movie.
I was always an honors student and was able to achieve an Associates degree during my High School education, so when it came to choosing a Major it felt like I had no time to decide. I never knew what I wanted to be growing up, I just knew I had to love the job that I chose and that I wanted to help people, too. At some point I thought becoming a Psychologist was the way to go until the very last moment when I chose Broadcast Media as my Bachelors Degree.
I already had 4 years of production experience under my belt since I was able to participate in the Television Magnet at my High School, so it made sense. With the Program being primarily Broadcast News based, story-telling in a concise way was already engraved in me. I was elected Historian for the Marching Band Jr Yr, won a bronze medal for a short film my partner and I made during the Skills USA District Competition Sr Yr; yet despite signs of having a talent for media, my main concern was the uncertainty of where this path could lead me and being a first generation student only made things more difficult.
While I had advisors and my family to an extent to support me, my saving grace truly as I got my career started goes to my partner of over 11 years. Having met back at age 14, going into TV Production together at our High School and choosing the same major coincidentally during College ended up being the biggest blessing in disguise; you just never expect your first love to follow you and support you and just understand what needs to be done at any given time. Young love is not easy, but it has been rewarding in every which way.
With all that being said, I have been honored with being able to work on a variety of Primetime content such as Netflix’s Documentary Special with Jake Paul & Mike Tyson, Emmy Award winning TV Show “Top Chef” with host Padma Lakshmi, as well as Paramount+ “Special OPs: Lioness” starring Zoe Saldaña.
My Hispanic upbringing and passion for all things television, film and music gives me the ability to organize most projects. A couple projects I’ve produced include “Bad B*tch” (Directed & written by Trenton McKay Judson; to be distributed by Buffalo 8), Line Produce “SWAY” a country music video by Dallas local Kameron Ross, among other Texas Proof of Concepts and short films.
While camera is my main passion, I have also taken on a few leadership positions in the AD Department – such as Key Set PA for Prelude Films 2023 “SMOKE” Short Film (Writers; Lizette Barrera, Joshua Gallas. DoP; Andrew Czap) and the 2024 Medieval Times Commercial Shoot (Prelude Films), and additional Set PA day player for “Bass Reeves”, “Landman”, and “Lioness” by Paramount+.
My camera work spans back to shooting Varsity Football Games in High School, with most recently working as a Live Camera Operator for FloSports events, Narrative Focus Puller and 2nd Assistant Camera for indie films, and Digital Utility for Union Shows.
One of my most recent passion projects I had the honor of being part of as a 1st Assistant Camera was “Another Day”, a short that premiered at Dallas International Film Festival Shorts for the Mental Health block in August 2024 (Director; Grace Kim. Director of Photography; Karissa Leicht).
The office changes daily in this industry, you never know what the elements are going to bring you regardless of copious amounts of planning, but the adrenaline of it all is so addicting. As a budding filmmaker, getting a budget can be difficult but having to figure out how we can still achieve a certain vision is all apart of the filmmaking process, as long as it’s safe of course.
Anyone’s who’s in for the ride understands it is not for everyone, so usually you are surrounded by lots of passionate and professional individuals who want to give you a great end product. Once you find your tribe, those relationships will last a lifetime and bring in the most creative ideas yet, it’s just a matter of time. You have to keep believing in yourself, keep working even on the slow days, keep that creativity flowing and all the pieces will fall into place before you know it, that’s how I’ve gotten this far.
I definitely want to tell my own stories cinematically some day, but I’m not putting any pressure on that currently. Big ideas require big budgets, and somehow, someway we will get there in due time.
There is a new thing in the works for 2025 that I do not want to give too many details out yet, so stay tuned for that. It will be worth the wait! I can not wait to share it!
No matter what role I choose to play in this ever evolving industry, I do know that I want to help all kinds of people bring their stories to life, and if we’re able to give back to the community in a resourceful way, that would be the ultimate dream.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I believe my courage, resilience, and empathy is what’s been most impactful on my journey.
Just taking the leap into my industry was a risk. I had rent to pay in Dallas and suddenly I’m being asked to work for 3 months in Houston on an Emmy Winning TV Show “Top Chef”. Had I not had the courage to pack up and move with the savings that I had, go from motel to hotel to airbnb – I would not be here today and have an army of Houstonian friends I can always reach out to. I have to give a huge shout out to my partner of 11 years and my mom for supporting me so heavily during this time as well. Even though that was my first PA gig, it was definitely top 3 best experience on set and set the tone for how a production should run and treat their crew.
I had to move back to Dallas after the show, even traveled a bit for work to keep my feet wet after that 3 month run. I quickly learned that not all productions are the same, and it would take some thick skin and asking a lot of questions to get through some of them. My resilience came into play pretty early on into my freelance career, especially as I started taking on higher positions and leadership type roles. Once you are working for the man, they expect you to be the man, and with being 23 at the time, growing up differently than the majority in the room, what I thought I knew and did not know….. it was a very tough pill to swallow. Do y’all remember the entire Pandemic we went through? Sheesh.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and in the end the expertise you gain from those difficult situations makes you a better leader and filmmaker. There is always going to be a bump in the road no matter where you go, but how you approach it and get through it is what matters the most. We are all only human, mistakes will happen, but the real ones who believe in you will understand.
Even when I’m bat to bat with a difficult situation, I use my empathy to make sense of it all. Maybe sometimes I shouldn’t give that person the benefit of the doubt, but regardless I will continue to see them or hear their name and it’s in my best interest mentally and emotionally to wish them well.
In the film world, we are all just a bunch of grown up kids wanting to create movie magic, with so many different ways across multiple generations of talent- the art can get chaotic very quickly. It definitely takes a strong willed and understanding individual to bring a project to fruition.
Just kill them with kindness, and you’ll survive.
A big news flash going onto sets as well was that what you learn in college is not even close to what is really going on behind the scenes. I was quick to adapt and accept this information however there is still a lot of useful skills you gain in school that are useful, just use your overall knowledge to your advantage, and be prepared to be schooled by a seasoned professional.
It’s all about learning, growing, and adapting in this creative industry. If you can’t pivot at a moments notice, then good luck dealing with that as the rest of the crew is already setting up the next scene!
Don’t be afraid to make that sacrifice and leap into what you really want to do. Use your support system, make use of your resources and go for what you want because it is out there waiting for you.
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?
I love collaborating with others, it brings the best creative ideas. I am open to any project that promotes authentic storytelling, across all genres. I am all for scripted content and documentaries, but am willing to create other types of formats as well. Overall, I want to highlight stories for any and all people, with a primary focus on minority representation. So much of todays media does not accurately portray people of color, using stereotypes and News propaganda to paint a certain image of these communities- I would love to have a community where we flood the streaming services and other Entertainment platforms with content to show the World who we all truly are.
If you’d like to connect with me….
Here’s my Instagram:
@liz.productions (production work)
@cine.liz (camera work)
@lizbethluz (personal)
Email inquiries:
[email protected]
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liz.productions?igsh=NDltOGtmMG1oeTVr&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070306170133
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizbeth-sanchez-cazares-28ba03198?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
Image Credits
Personal Photo
Lizbeth Luz Sanchez Cazares “Golden Hour” Photo by Bren Zavala, business partner and close friend. October 2024.
Additional Photos
Lizbeth Luz Sanchez Cazares “Dallas Girl” Photo by Bren Zavala, business partner and close friend. October 2024.
Adrian Pineda, boyfriend of 11 years. September 2024 at a close friends wedding.
Lizbeth Luz Sanchez Cazares on the A Camera Slate for “Special Ops: Lioness” taken by Ashley Morales, Digital Utility. September 2024.
Crew of “It’s Always Raining Somewhere” written by Bryan Fernandez, starring Bryan Fernandez. Director, Christian Kramer. Director of Photography, Stephen Farino. Producer and 1st Assistant Director, Lizbeth Luz SC. June 2024.
Lizette Barrera, Director, Writer, Producer, Mentor. “SMOKE” by Prelude Films at Dallas International Film Festival Premiere, co-written by Joshua Gallas & Lizette Barrera, Directed by Joshua Gallas. May 2024.
Trenton McKay Judson, Director & Writer of “Bad B*tch”, also plays Colt. Eduardo Cardoso, plays Jace in “Bad B*tch”. June 2023 Oak Cliff Film Festival Box Office.
Luz Maria Sanchez, Mother. Leslie Luz Sanchez, older sister. Oak Cliff Film Festival for “Search & Destroy!” Premiere, Directed by Alexander Rosales. June 2023.
Karissa Leicht, Director of Photography & Lizbeth Luz SC, 1st Assistant Camera on lunch during the shoot for the short film “Another Day”. December 2023.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
