Gary Cruz is an Actor, Filmmaker, Director, Producer, and Stage Technician.
Gary was born in Brooklyn to parents who had migrated to the mainland in the late 30’s.
He was 12 when his father “hit the numbers” and took the whole family back to Puerto Rico for three years, giving Gary the opportunity to absorb the language and culture before returning to live in New York City. The Lower East Side was a tough place for a teen during those years but the lure of gangs was overpowered by the lure of acting and poetry. Leaving Seward Park High School to join Teatro Quatro, a Spanish speaking theater company based out of MFY (Mobilization for Youth) took Gary all over the mainland US and to Spain, Portugal and Cuba. Back in NYC Gary obtained his GED diploma and spent the next few years apprenticing under and performing with the famed poet / playwright Tato Laviera at the Henry Street Playhouse. In 1986 he returned to PR for ten years. This is where he met William Rosario, a fellow telephone company lineman (even poets have to work!) and a creative partnership was born. In addition to acting, writing and directing documentary films Gary works at Hostos Community College Center for Arts and Culture as a stage Technician 

William Rosario- Poet, Producer, Filmmaker and more.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, William Rosario discovered his passion for writing at a young age. Writing poetry and short stories, later transformed into screenplays. In 2010 along with actor Gary Cruz, William started Yagrumo Productions. Their first project, the short film "Oh Happy Day" was selected in several film festivals across the U.S. and Internationally, winning second place at the Johnstown Film Festival in 2012. Since then he has written "El Tumbe", the web series "OBE", "What Lies Beyond" with Ernesto Matos, and Directed his latest short film "Machista", as well as the documentary "Last One Standing".

https://www.yagrumoproductions.com/
In addition to the award-winning films listed above, Yagrumo Productions has produced two of the most important documentaries which tell the story of life in Loisaida: “Last One Standing”, the life of Adelina Fargas and her eponymously named restaurant Casa Adela, which has been feeding the stomachs and souls of our community for almost half a century. And the forthcoming (currently in post-production) of “You Deal, You Kill”, the life and work of photographer Marlis Momber, who has been documenting the struggles and successes of our community since 1975, creating one of the largest urban archives of the East Village / Loisaida neighborhood.