HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – It didn’t happen often, but the few times it did changed the course of David Ramon’s life.  

“Going to the movies was a rarity since I was low-income, in east L.A. Going to the movies came few and far between but my parents always asked, ‘what did you learn?’ I always tried to reiterate the lesson I took away from the movie,” Ramon said.

MORE ENTERTAINMENT STORIES:

In learning lessons from his favorite movies, he learned perhaps the biggest lesson of all – his life calling.

Star Wars, Jurassic Park, ET that my parents showed me at an early age. It was more about imagination, Ramon he said

He wanted to be a director, to tell some little-known of stories of the community he grew up in, highlighting pockets of L.A. But getting there was harder than he even knew.

“I began to experience the difficulty of being a minority and not knowing another in the industry and finding a way to get in,” Ramon said.

Then Ramon applied for and got accepted into Evolve. Mayor Eric Garcetti and various filmmakers launched the Evolve Entertainment Fund to create more diversity in the entertainment industry, internships and eventually jobs for people of color and those with low income.  

“For Mayor Garcetti to take a chance on young creators in east L.A., I had the feeling it would be an amazing opportunity,” Ramon said.

While a part of Evolve, Ramon interned at IMAX Entertainment. He then got hired by one of Evolve’s partners: Altered LA, where he now serves as the executive assistant to the founder, Marcos Cline. He is learning the business side of the entertainment industry by helping his boss read through scripts for potential films.

All the while his desk of course adorned with collectibles from his favorites. Quiet cheerleaders as he is breaking into the biz, quiet reminders of how far he’s come.

Like he finally isn’t looking at Hollywood from the outside.