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Fighting with Autism: Jorge Gutierrez visits Spec Labs!

“Thanks, autism!” is a key takeaway excerpted directly from superstar animator Jorge Gutierrez‘s (Maya and the Three, The Book of Life) educationally-focused one-man show at Victory Theatre Center in Burbank, California on September 26, 2024. The audience, comprised of audibly appreciative neurodivergent performing and visual artists from local adult day program Spectrum Laboratory could not get enough of Gutierrez’s uplifting, autobiographical 450-slide presentation, animation career retrospective, and overall morale boost. In fact, the excitement carried on beyond the proscenium and into voluminous attendee social media posts in the following days. In fact, we - Autism in Entertainment - created this film to mark a most auspicious occasion that continues to perform!

  • Jorge Gutierrez
    Writer
    The Book of Life, Maya and the Three
  • Judi Uttal
    Producer
    Let It Out! Neurodivergent Comedy at the Laugh Factory
  • Marlene Sharp
    Producer
    Sonic Boom, Mongly Syndrome: K-Pop Odd Couple
  • Jason Weissbrod
    Producer
    House of Masks, Girls Don't Wear Dresses
  • Garth Herberg
    Producer
    House of Masks, Girls Don't Wear Dresses
  • Paul Hemstreet
    Producer
    Autism in Entertainment Presents Spectrum Spotlight: Dani Bowman
  • Cathy McAuley
    Special Thanks
    Night Court
  • Jorge Gutierrez
    Key Cast
  • Jason Weissbrod
    Key Cast
  • Josh Copelan
    Camera
    Let It Out: Neurodivergent Comedy at the Laugh Factory
  • Paul Hemstreet
    Director
  • Julian Grajczak
    Editor
    Autism in Entertainment Presents Spectrum Spotlight: Dani Bowman
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Educational, Comedy, Non-fiction
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 22 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Autism in Entertainment
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Paul Hemstreet

Paul Hemstreet is an award-winning independent producer. He currently heads Video Production for Autism in Entertainment, a non-profit dedicated to creating job opportunities for Neurodivergent talent in Entertainment. Paul also mentors neurodivergent individuals in video production and editing, and is a producer of documentaries, theatre productions and live entertainment. During his tenure at Warner Bros as SVP Creative Content, he produced special features for films and TV series released on disc and digital, including the Harry Potter films, the DC Universe, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and the great Warner Classics. He earned his MFA in the Directing for Theatre and Film at CalArts, after working in Marketing at Theatre de la Jeune Lune in Minneapolis, and graduating from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. He resides in the LA area with his wife, Jeudi Cornejo Brealey, and twin adult kids, who happen to be on the Autism Spectrum.
See https://www.paulhemstreetproducer.com/

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Director Statement

Jorge Gutierrez gave such an authentic, fun, heartfelt, hilarious and entertaining presentation about how Autism is his Superpower to the Spec Labs  neurodivergent community that night -- he had that audience in his hand from the moment he started, to the very end.  My goal with our Autism in Entertainment production team was to pull one of his bigger gems out of a huge pile of the many that he shared, to capture the heart of the discussion, and to show not only the positive effect he had on everyone there, but also the impact he has been making in the entertainment community beyond.