You’re from Puerto Rico but have a spent a significant amount of time stateside. Upstate New York, LA, and now Texas. What’s it like going back to PR?
I’ve lived in upstate New York, Massachusetts, Los Angeles, and now Texas, but Puerto Rico has always been home.
A lot has changed since the day my wife and I boarded a plane with our three dogs and left the island to pursue a career in film and television in Hollywood. Since then, Puerto Rico has endured bankruptcy, Hurricane Maria, a series of earthquakes, and even a political uprising that peacefully removed a sitting governor. The population has been declining and aging. It is fair to say the island has faced an incredibly difficult stretch since around 2006.
The ongoing issues with the power grid are not abstract to me. They directly affect my parents and close friends who still live there. Every time I go back, I feel both the weight of everything the island has endured and the quiet strength of the people who never left.
And then something shifted.
Bad Bunny happened. The residency happened. The Super Bowl halftime show happened. With it came a renewed sense of pride, resilience, and cultural confidence. It feels like a hopeful new chapter has opened, like the island caught a new wind. Bad Bunny, in many ways, has been the tip of the spear for that optimism, a global reminder of who we are and what we carry.
Going back now feels layered. There is grief for what has been lost and frustration at what still needs fixing, but there is also a deep and undeniable pride. Puerto Rico has always been resilient. Now that resilience feels louder.
Since college I’ve admired how much you do on your own. It seemed like each project you added new things to your skill set, way more so than other people. What have you recently picked up, either out of necessity or curiosity?
First of all, thank you for saying that. You and I came up together in Ithaca, and those years really shaped our styles. We’ve always had that same instinct. We have visions that need to get out into the world. We’ve always been creators. Makers are going to make.
For me, learning the technical side has always been directly connected to that urge. The more tools I understand, the easier it is to translate what’s in my head into something real. The more I can do myself, the less I have to rely on others to execute the vision. That independence has always mattered to me.
At the same time, I love collaborating with people who also know what it means to wear multiple hats. That is why I chose this profession. It allows me to be very geeky and technical with gear, gadgets, and software, while also leaning into the social side of storytelling. I love talking to people, earning their trust, and helping them share their story with the world.
Let’s change things up, what’s your most irrational fear?
My only real fear, rational or not, is sharks. Not just sharks in open water, but sharks in my nightmares too. Jaws absolutely messed me up when I was about five years old.
I love the beach, but I do not go too deep into the ocean. Logically, I know the odds are low. Emotionally, five-year-old me is still convinced something is circling below.
You made a wonderful documentary about Puerto Rico called “The Last Colony.” Hard to believe it was like 14 years ago, but that’s a decent amount of time. Have your thoughts on the status of PR as a commonwealth vs. state changed?
I made the film because I needed to understand the status question for myself. It was personal before it was political. I love being Puerto Rican, and I love having American citizenship. Those two truths live in me at the same time, and they are not always easy to reconcile.
My feelings remain torn. For some people, this issue feels very black and white. Statehood or independence. Simple. But for many of us, it is layered. It is history, economics, culture, identity, and family all wrapped together.
When Ricky Martin sang directly to the camera in Spanish at the Super Bowl and urged us not to let Puerto Rico become what happened to Hawaii, that moment hit something deep in me. It was a reminder that Puerto Rican identity is not for sale. It is not just about money or political status. It is about who we are and what we refuse to lose.
I do not pretend to have a definitive answer. What I know is that whatever path Puerto Rico chooses, it has to protect the soul of the island. That part is non-negotiable.
You’re a dad, what’s something unexpected since having a kid that you never saw coming?
We bond over everything, but video games are their own special bond. There is something about sitting side by side, sharing that world, that just feels different. It is our thing.
Where he lives
Austin, Texas by way of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Profession
Filmmaker, video producer, storyteller.
Hot drink
coffee with cream and sugar.
Comfort content
A guitar in my hands or a controller nearby.
Juan has a website