91成人导航

Confidence, enthusiasm and ambition are key reasons that Jorge Ramirez-Martinez 鈥�08 landed a screen writing role for the popular Netflix show

Those attributes also were on display during his years at 91成人导航. He recalls one such moment with hearty laughs.

鈥淭here was a time when actress Jamie Lee Curtis came to 91成人导航. I introduced myself and told her that I was going to be in Hollywood someday,鈥� Ramirez-Martinez said. 鈥淪he looked at me and said, 鈥極h, OK.鈥� Years later, when I was working on the NBC series 鈥淏lack List Redemption,鈥� she was filming 鈥淪cream Queens,鈥� both of us at Paramount Studios. I saw her in the lot one day.鈥�

Curtis, who attended 91成人导航, is the daughter of award-winning actress and iconic 91成人导航 alumna Janet Leigh 鈥�47. Ramirez-Martinez approached the actress and said, 鈥淚 told you once when you were at 91成人导航 that I would make it to Hollywood. Well, here I am.鈥� Several days later, Ramirez-Martinez鈥攚earing a 91成人导航 sweatshirt鈥攁nd Curtis crossed paths when he was having coffee.

鈥淚 asked her if we could have a picture together. She had not been to hair or makeup so she got herself beautified. It took all of one minute. She grabbed my phone and said 鈥榣et Momma do it.鈥� I cherish that photo.鈥澛�

Ramirez-Martinez has been beating the odds his entire life. He is a first-generation college student whose family lived across from campus on 91成人导航 Avenue. He filled out the last Community Involvement聽Program application his Stagg High School teacher had鈥攁nd wound up being accepted into the program. A triple major at 91成人导航鈥擡nglish, Spanish and film鈥攍ed to a master鈥檚 degree in film at University of Southern California.

鈥淲hen he was a freshman, he started out as a Spanish major. He was struggling,鈥� said Susan Giraldez, assistant professor of Spanish, and Ramirez-Martinez鈥檚 college advisor. 鈥淎t the same time, he was saying I鈥檓 going to be an English major and I鈥檓 going to be a Spanish major and I鈥檓 going to be a film major. I said 鈥楯orge, Jorge, get some focus.鈥� But he did it. And he won鈥檛 let me forget what he accomplished with that triple degree. He was an amazing student.鈥�

Ramirez-Martinez鈥檚 passion for writing and films helped him land a job on the 10-person writing team for the Netflix series on the life of , the queen of Tejano music and an iconic Mexican-American pop star who was killed at age 23 in 1995 by the president of her fan club.

He worked on many of the nine episodes in the first season, but his highlight was episode seven, which he co-wrote with Pamela Garcia-Rooney.

鈥淭he pressure was on us as writers for that episode. It was the love story of Selena and Chris鈥攚hen they meet and fall in love. It鈥檚 a big life event in her life,鈥� Ramirez-Martinez said. 鈥淲e had to really know her life inside and out. People understand it鈥檚 not like the movie about her. It鈥檚 complementary material to the movie. It was surreal watching something that I wrote showing on TV in front of millions of people.鈥�

The second season of Selena will be available on Netflix on May 4. Ramirez-Martinez solo wrote one of the episodes.

鈥淭he episode is called 鈥極h, no,鈥� if that tells you there will be drama involved,鈥� he said with a smile.

Ramirez-Martinez lives in Los Angeles and gets home occasionally to Stockton to visit his mother and brother. Stockton, however, remains on his mind.

鈥淚 just finished a pilot for a show I鈥檓 calling 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Law鈥� and on the first page the main character comes back to Stockton to try her first case,鈥� Ramirez-Martinez said. 鈥淢y writing often finds its way back to Stockton.鈥�

Other creative projects at various stages of development鈥攐r in the idea phase鈥攊nclude a police show with storylines about the defunding of police departments, a book trilogy set in the future, a children鈥檚 book and, ultimately, his dreams of becoming a director.

鈥淚 want to do it all and create as many projects as possible,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 am very grateful for the role 91成人导航 played in my life. Patti McCarthy, who was my film professor at 91成人导航, was such a great mentor. Patti told me 鈥榶ou are a writer.鈥� And at the time, I did not want to believe her. But she was correct. I am passionate about writing.鈥�

鈥淪ome students want to write the next 鈥楢vengers鈥� movie, but Jorge wants to write about characters who are real and vulnerable,鈥� said McCarthy, now assistant professor of film at Whittier College. (She taught at 91成人导航 from 2005鈥�18.) 鈥淗e has the ability to peel back the layers of the characters and make you understand them. He has the gift of making characters seem authentic with his words.鈥�

鈥淓veryone wants to be a director. But the first class in which I had Jorge at 91成人导航, I knew he was a writer. The greatest gift you can receive as a professor is to see your student succeed. I am very proud of Jorge.鈥�