Aaron Lee Lopez is not waiting for Hollywood to come calling. He has created his own film production company and is not looking to Hollywood to “Greenlight” his film career. He consistently produces/directs or writes at least two low budget films a year. So far this year one of his films Teenage Girl: Valerie’s Holiday has released; and the trailer for his latest film Teenage Vampire, which premieres on October 24 2020, just dropped a few days ago.

Lopez began his filmmaking career after receiving his BA from South West Texas  State University. He began working in the film business  as a production assistant onTV shows and movies like Grindhouse, The Hangover, and Parenthood, and others. Since then, Aaron has spent most of his time in San Antonio, Texas growing the film industry and mining the audience for his films.

Although Lopez has produced a variety of low budget films, from comedy to drama to horror, Lopez’s Mutt Productions has found its sweet spot producing films for an audience of elementary kids, middle school kids and high school kids. It has proved to be a winning formula, so much so that when you look at his IMDB page you would think you were looking a one of Hollywood’s top director/producer’s page with a listing of twelve (12) different projects all in different stages of production.

Casting is also a signature of Lopez’s type of filmmaking. He chooses put Latinos in the lead roles, adding when possible some recognizable names from Hollywood. When asked why, he simple says, “I feel that Latinos need more representation in film especially doing roles that are not just stereotypical.”

In his upcoming film, Teenage Vampire the cast includes Claire Tablizo, Jaeden Riley Juarez, Gabby Garcia, Tres Allison,  Mick Buck, and Cynthia Fray. Latinos are also well represented behind the camera with Lopez, Stephen Allen Gutierrez, R. Scott Leisk, and Paul Matthew Lopez the same four producers behind the 2019  San Antonio Film Festival Audience Award Winner Teenage Girl: Valerie’s Holiday. Teenage Vampire was executive producer Kurt Wipfli and directed by Aaron Lee Lopez and written by him and his brother Paul Matthew Lopez.

Lopez directed Teenage Vampire, a story that revolves around Chase (Tablizo) and her best friend Pam (Juarez) who decide to join the cheerleading squad to become the cool kids in school. Chase, who has a crush on Sean (Buck) has been invited to join the cheer team and has been invited to a house party where she is forced to drink from a chalice as an initiation into the cheer group.  In the morning she finds out that she has become half vampire and begins to grow teeth.  Chase’s brother Dean (Allison) becomes concerned and starts to investigate the situation. Sin (Garcia) is the head of  the Vampires; while Dean joins forces with Sean and tries to save Chase and Pam and others as they fight to escape the Vampire’s doom.  

Lopez also wrote/produced and directed Teenage Girl: First Wheels whose cast included Claire Tablizo, Jaeden Riley Juarez, Lexi Villareal and Corey Feldman and Teenage Girl: Valerie’s Holiday which stars Valeria Jauregui, Jesse Borrego, Dallin McKay,  Paulina Chavez (Feliz NaviDAD, The Expanding World of Ashely Garcia), Montana Leann, Sandra Nori, and Paul Matthew Lopez.

To get his film out to audiences, Lopez works with a sales rep and he told that he takes a direct approach for getting his films to theaters; he usually just goes straight to the local theaters and works out a distribution deal with them because he believe there is an audience for them.  “These films have a market because not many people are doing this John Hughes style 80’s type of movies anymore,” he explained. “And that’s what I do best, is try and recreate that nostalgic feeling that I used to have as a kid when I went to the theater.” 

Lopez was also as a writer/producer of the feature film The Margarita Man (2019) which starred Anthony  Guajardo, Renessa Sanders, Sean Koetting, Jesse Borrego, Valeria Jauregui, Pepe Serna, Barry  Corbin, Paul Matthew Lopez and Danny Trejo. Like many Hollywood directors, Lopez likes to work with the same actors casting them over several of his films.

While Hollywood is grappling with diversity and how to “get it right” when it comes to the inclusion of Latinos in front of, and behind the camera, Lopez has been doing it “right” in San Antonio, TX.

Teenage Vampire will be having its world premiere at City Base Cinema in San Antonio TX, on October 24,  2020 and will have a limited theatrical run.  

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