MOCTESUMA ESPARZA

Moctesuma Esparza, an award-winning filmmaker, producer, entertainment executive and entrepreneur, is well known for his contributions to the movie industry and commitment to creating opportunities for Latinos in entertainment.  As a partner in the highly successful Esparza-Katz Productions with Robert Katz, he has worked with stars such as Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, Andy Garcia, Jimmy Smits, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall and Halle Berry.

In 2007, Esparza founded Maya Entertainment, a vertically integrated production, acquisition and distribution company. It was the only Latino owned and managed production/distribution/exhibition entity in the United States, dedicated to the growing U.S. Latino market.

Esparza’s latest film “Walkout” for HBO, tells the true story of the Chicano student uprising in East Los Angeles in 1968, where dramatic walkouts were staged at high schools to protest academic prejudice and dire school conditions. Other films produced by Esparza include: “Price of Glory” (2000), “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge”(1999), “Selma, Lord, Selma” (1998), “Selena” (1997),  “The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca” (1997),“The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” (1994) and "The Milagro Beanfield War" (1988) among others. In addition to producing films, he has established a chain of movie theatre mega-plexes -- Maya Cinemas, which offers first-run Hollywood movies in underserved urban and rural areas.

CAROLYN CALDERA DEFANTI

Carolyn began her career as an agent in training at television packaging agency Camden Artists, then joined Susan Smith and Associates. After two years, Carolyn moved to Walt Disney Studios as an Assistant to the Director of Development.  Carolyn then worked as Director of Development with television and film producer Tony Ganz, where she focused on tracking and developing commercial material.

Carolyn moved on to work with prolific Latino Producer Moctesuma Esparza and Robert Katz at Esparza/Katz Productions, where she was promoted as Director of Development within 6 months of working there.  She eventually became VP of Creative Affairs & Production.  She was the Production Executive on all of the TNT Films, Gettysburg (1992), Teddy Roosevelt and The Roughriders, Cisco Kid (1994), Avenging Angel (1995), The Dorothy Dandridge Story, etc.   She went on to Co- Produce a few films with Esparza/Katz, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca and Selena.  She spent ten years at Esparza/Katz Prods.

Carolyn Caldera and Jean-Luc De Fanti teamed up in 1999 to form Caldera/De Fanti Entertainment a management and production company with an eye to further advance multicultural participation in Film/Television and Music.  After successfully helping building careers for many Latino writers/actors and international directors she took some time off to produce a film in Europe with French Director Mathias Ledoux, "Three Blind Mice”