John Solis
(Director / Producer)
Raised in the ultraconservative bubble of Orange County, John Solis fell enamored with film through a lavish gift from his low-income mom: a beta player with two horror movies, A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Exorcist. Within minutes, he was fascinated by all there was to see: the sets, the costumes, the story. He knew that film, in whatever role he could partake in, was his natural calling. At the age of fifteen, his parents become involved in the Mexican entertainment industry as producers, and, in turn, he became a child actor in low-budget Spanish-speaking action films. By twenty one, he had headlined over fifty films and became a household name in the action genre of the Mexican screen.
But, with the twists and turns of life, shadowed by an unspoken trauma that changed his course of existence, John took a break from the industry just to lead himself to a similar, but more creative pathway years later: directing. Putting himself through Los Angeles Film School as a way to further learn the ropes, going from in front of the camera to behind, he knew his don was to create, to humanize, to storytell. And, it was destiny to find himself as Director and Producer of Speaking Out, a documentary that has overcome trauma in exchange for beauty, compassion, and healing.
To this day, John continues living in Los Angeles, right next to the Academy Museum, with his trusty one-eyed dog named Bice. He’s always on the hunt for a long-gone beta player and his next film project.