Based out of Los Angeles, California, Chicano Hollywood is a platform that promotes and advocates for Chicanos and Latinos in all walks of the entertainment industry. Founded by Johnny Murillo, Chicano Hollywood has been groundbreaking and has gained a large following on social media since its inception and has gained a large interest from Latino creatives from all over including writers, directors, actors, producers, and more. In recent years, the platform has been crucial in providing networking and work-related opportunities for Latinos in entertainment which is something that our community and culture essentially needs. Originally from San Jose, California, Founder Johnny Murillo grew up navigating life on the streets without his dad and was raised by a single Chicana mom, “My mom’s side is from Mexicali and my dad’s side is from Zacatecas,” Murillo said. Adding, “I didn’t know my dad that well which is very common in our community as he took to the bottle. On my mom’s side they migrated all over to the U.S. as back then you could just cross back and forth and it wasn’t a big deal. My grandfather had finally chosen to settle in San Jose and worked in the cherry orchards. He became established there, so I was raised there before it became Silicon Valley.”
As Murillo grew up, he became well involved in the lowrider community along with his brothers who became cholos. Growing up around his stepfather he was exposed to lowriders and cars of that nature, “We all had lowriders, it was just in our blood, and my stepdad would fix up cars. We learned a lot from him,” said Murillo. While growing up, Murillo also witnessed his stepfather walk the street life which he eventually succumbed to, “A lot of Mexicanos and Chicanos get caught up in the higher levels of crime. He was a lowrider, and we all were, but he was killed in ‘76 from gang violence. This was all in the ’70s, and we had drive by’s at my house often,” Murillo said.
Later on in life, Murillo eventually became a pastor and preached for about 23 years. In 2009 he decided to relocate to Hollywood changing the course of his life and career as he explains, “I didn’t have the desire to necessarily move. I just felt this calling, and it was a crazy stretch because I didn’t know anything about this industry which is a different ballgame but the skills I have from managing people I was able to transfer to managing production.”
In 2021, Murillo trademarked the “Chicano Hollywood,” name and began to create a strong presence on social media by first sharing the work of other Chicano and Latinos involved in entertainment. Soon the platform’s social media on Instagram grew to 12,000 followers which helped the platform further its cause. Murillo recalls, “I remember I started seeing all the comments like, ‘Why don’t we have more Chicano A-listers? And why don’t we have more Chicano sitcoms? You know we’re the largest of all the Latinos and so we should have more, you know?’ I started seeing all that and I’m like, ‘Wow, what a trip so I just started to continue to build it.” In 2021, a mixer was held and the likes of Actor and Comedian Paul Rodriguez were in attendance establishing even more so the influence and significance of the platform.
Currently, Murillo is involved in many aspects of the entertainment industry and helps advocate for Latino stories and causes. “Now that I’m in production, I’m training a lot of producers and filmmakers, and creating opportunities for them to get their voice out there,” he said. Murillo also wants Chicanos to own their narrative which he feels has been whitewashed in Hollywood with certain stories pertaining to Latinos, “So what I saw with our stories, we’re making short films and stuff and all we could do is stick them on YouTube. I know guys that made full-blown movies, but no one would pick them up and they’re just on YouTube,” he explained. Due to this, Murillo with the help of others launched Chicano Hollywood TV which is a platform to help creatives showcase their work. “The whole platform is designed to put our stuff on there because I wanted them to get it off of YouTube and I tell filmmakers that look it’s still growing you’re not going to make any money off this but let’s get it off of YouTube so that you can tell your future investors about that your content is on a streaming app rather than just YouTube,,” Murillo explained.
Coming up shortly, Chicano Hollywood is also hosting their “Elevate” conference in Los Angeles on September 13th and 14th at The Montalban Theatre (named after Mexican Actor Ricardo Montalban) which will feature Latinos from all over the entertainment industry who will speak on panels and provide insight into their experiences. “We’re pretty stacked right now and it’s pretty exciting. Last year we had Edward James Olmos, Louis Guzman, and Emilio Rivera,” Murillo said. Adding “It’s going to be fun, so the best thing that people can expect is to be inspired and to network and to figure out how to get to the next level. People, if you want to be elevated in 2025, you have to prepare in 2024 as preparation leads to elevation. So, the whole conference is about learning how to get prepared so that you can take it up a notch.”
Expect two days filled with amazing networking opportunities and to learn from some of the greatest and most talented Latinos in the entertainment industry. Tickets are currently on sale.
Follow Chicano Hollywood on Instagram here.
Purchase tickets to “Elevate” here.
