Conversations with Shelby Alvarez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Alvarez.

Hi Shelby, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
In 2016, I moved to Los Angeles after my spiritual retreat in Peru with the plant medicine, ayahuasca. The visions I saw led me to moving to Los Angeles to learn about the film industry. I began doing background acting as a way to see where I fit best in the industry. I spent 3 years in Los Angeles and in that time I had the opportunity to work as a temp at Lionsgate and at Participant Media as an Executive Assistant. I later moved back to New York City where I became the 2nd Assistant Director on a TV Pilot. That same year, I Produced the first season of Powerhouse Outlet Media’s podcast, which is now available on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, and more. Britt Banks, who’s a creative genius and someone I look up to in the film industry, contacted me and asked me to Produce In Living Horror and here we are! In Living Horror will be shot in Atlanta in December 2021. In Living Horror is a Black-horror anthology series based on an anonymous grimoire. It’s pretty much a mix between the movie Hereditary and the tv show American Horror Story. We are super excited to be shooting this project in Atlanta because we get to hire local talent and crew. We are elated and grateful to be in a position to bless others.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No road is smooth, but I believe it’s all about perspective. If I continued to look at all the bumps in the road, I would have had a very difficult time focusing on the final destination. Moving to Los Angeles was the first time I could say I became an adult. I was out of my parent’s home searching for myself and learning to depend on myself. The biggest struggle for me was trying to survive in LA. I had no idea how challenging it was to survive in such a cutthroat city, even as a New Yorker. There were moments where I would be paying for a room to live just to find out that we were getting evicted. The people I thought I could trust only used me and this honestly helped me to become a better person because I knew I couldn’t be who they were or who they were pretending to be. In 2016, I had no idea what I know now in terms of money and mindset. I was working as a bartender, clothing store, doing background acting, and driving Lyft & Uber just to get by. I felt like I was only working to pay off bills and that was when I had a wake-up call. As difficult as it was for me to leave LA, I knew the city would still be there whenever I decided to come back. I thought when I left LA I would be leaving the film industry, but the film industry continued to follow me and I am so grateful for that.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
For a very long time, I had no idea what my purpose was. It feels like I’ve worked every job known to man, but what I’ve recently realized is that every single job I’ve had has allowed me to do what I do best, which is control the chaos and bring amazing people together. The thing that sets me apart from most is the fact I can get the things done that nobody else wants to do. I am highly organized and no job is too small for me. I believe this is why people continue to call me for help, whether it’s for website design, producing, event coordination, or even starting your own business. My desire to see the big picture and get the job done without excuses is something I am most proud of.

What’s next?
I have so many plans for the future, but I can only focus on two goals at a time. My future self is for sure a Producer for a black-owned network. I see my business Hello Shelby, LLC growing into a big business that I can step away from, but still have full ownership in. I also see myself starting a Peru Healing Retreat where I take a group of 10 to Peru to experience the ayahuasca plant at least once a year. My goal is for people to find themselves by learning how to love themselves.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.helloshelbyalvarez.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inlivinghorrortv/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/inlivinghorror?lang=bg
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/shelbyupgrades/

Image Credits:
Sylonce Media