14 Facts About Moctesuma Esparza

Moctesuma Esparza was born on March 12,1949 and is an American producer, entertainment executive, entrepreneur and community activist.

Moctesuma Esparza founded film distribution and production company Maya Entertainment in 2007.

Moctesuma Esparza has produced over twenty films, several of them for television, and has won over 200 awards.

Moctesuma Esparza was born and raised in East Los Angeles, California.

Moctesuma Esparza wrote a proposal, made the curriculum, and created the first multicultural film program in the United States.

Moctesuma Esparza was one of the organizers of the 1968 Chicano Blowouts, a series of youth-led protests inspired by educator Sal Castro in which Mexican-Americans demanded equal educational opportunities.

Moctesuma Esparza filmed a speech given by Reies Lopez Tijerina at UCLA, as well as the 1970 Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War.

Moctesuma Esparza helped organize Chicano student conferences and the Media Urban Crisis Committee, which analyzed the effects of media on minority communities and recommended that members of those communities attend film school.

Moctesuma Esparza was a producer and writer for the documentary unit of NBC in Los Angeles.

Moctesuma Esparza filmed a production of the Chicano comedy troupe Culture Clash, A Bowl of Beings.

In 2005, Moctesuma Esparza opened the first multiplex in the Maya Cinemas chain, a 14-screen theater in Salinas, California.

In 2007, Moctesuma Esparza resigned from the board of trustees of the California State University system.

Moctesuma Esparza received the 1994 Professional Achievement Award from the UCLA Alumni Association.

In 2008, Moctesuma Esparza was selected as one of the 50 "Most Powerful and Influential Latinos" by The Imagen Foundation.