Ana Lydia Monaco

Ana Lydia is a Mexican-American filmmaker who writes, directs, and produces heartfelt character-driven stories that highlight people rising above the ashes of adversity and injustice.

Too American to be Mexican and too Mexican to be American, Ana Lydia straddles being "White Latina" and "Brown Latina," while being both Mexican and American, in her personal life and career.

A native Angeleno by way of the San Fernando Valley, she spent her childhood summers traveling in Mexico until her family decided to stay in Guadalajara-for five years. It was in the patio of her maternal great-grandmother's home where she wrote and directed her first play when she was seven years old.

After finishing middle school and high school in the San Fernando Valley, Ana Lydia attended the Fashion Institute of Design in Merchandising (F.I.D.M.). After graduation, Ana Lydia used a Sony Camcorder to document a heightened reality of every-day life in the 'burbs inspired by the Y.A. films of the era.

Working in the fashion industry, Ana Lydia managed various mid-range retail stores and quickly climbed the ranks. A pivotal moment for Ana Lydia's career came when she volunteered at a celebrity fashion show and A.I.D.s fundraiser. Her bilingualism and ability to communicate effectively with media pushed her towards a career in entertainment, fashion & lifestyle P.R.

For over ten years, Ana Lydia worked with Nike, Target, Disney Resorts, and several other Fortune 500 brands. In 2006, she opened her own firm, where she also worked with Disney, A.B.C., Disney Resorts, Macy's, and other well-known lifestyle brands. To date, audiences can see Ana Lydia's experiential campaigns.

After more than 200 branded visual projects, five Lifestyle Bloggers Conferences, various freelance writing projects, and many industry awards, including a Congressional Award, she realized that the only way to make a difference with the representation of LatinX and people of color in media was to write, direct and produce the stories she didn't see on the screen.

She applied and attended the top-ranked and number one design school in the world, Art Center College of Design (A.C.C.D.). She graduated top of her class and with distinction with a degree in Film Studies, focused on Screenwriting and Directing, and a minor in DesignMatters, in 2018. That same year, Ana Lydia's photographs were selected for the countries largest Frida Kahlo juried exhibit.

Her scripts placed at key industry fellowships, including the coveted WIF/Go 90 Top 25 Screenwriting Fellowship and clinching the finalist round at the Oaxaca Film Fest in 2019. Since then, Ana Lydia's films have received various awards, including an Audience Award at PIFF-LA, and her award-winning dramatic short MEETING BROWN placed in over ten film festivals. MEETING BROWN is available to stream on SHORTS TV and V.O.D.

The short documentary CONVERSATIONS IN COLOR...ISMS can be seen at U.S. college campuses. The Molina Documentary, in honor of the first Latino Gallery at The Smithsonian, premiered at the American History Museum in Washington, D.C., in 2018. The "Molina Family" documentary is now part of the Smithsonian official film collection.

Married and a mom to furbaby Princess Maya Candice Monaco, Ana Lydia is an Aquarius and INFJ. When she's not immersed in the L.A. art community, she's experimenting in the kitchen or sharing random musings with her 20,000 friends on Twitter.

Represented by J.G.C. Management, Ana Lydia, can also be reached by email.