Writer-Director Richard Valencia on Uplifting Voices of the Unheard

Born in San Francisco, Richard Valencia is a first-generation Filipino American writer-director. After working in the music industry, he co-founded a film production studio in 2018 called Burned Negative, focused on bringing diverse voices to the forefront of the entertainment industry. Much of his work from the past year has been centered on developing his first narrative feature.

Richard’s work has been cultivated by a need to uplift voices of the underrepresented. He shares that having diverse conversations in front of and behind the camera offers valuable insight to the worlds other people live in.

In our latest episode of Long Story Short, Richard talks to us about working with local artists, his admiration for grounded characters, and indie filmmakers turned Hollywood stars. 

For more about Richard, and work he discusses in the video, visit these links: 

• Audrey Mika
• Elujay
• Short Term 12 [Destin Daniel Cretton]
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings [Destin Daniel Cretton]
• Fruitvale Station [Ryan Coogler]
• Drake Doremus

Video edit by Carly Angeloni.