Marissa Herrera, a native Angeleno always knew being an artist was her future, as reflected in her feature interview on the PBS documentary, Art & the Mind: “I was born to dance . . . my calling is to create.” Marissa strives to use her creative work to empower individuals into sharing their stories and foster the next generation of creative visionaries. As a visionary and leader in the arts and community, Marissa strives to create work that connects us all. Marissa has been featured in a cover story of the NY Times, Vanity Fair, and Voyage L.A. in recognition for her leadership in creating content that reflects the American Latino experience and the value of representation, equity, diversity, and inclusion across all media and artistic platforms. She was also recognized by the Ford Motor Company in their 2016 national campaign “Unstoppable: Latina on the Move, received the 2020 “Grace It Forward,” artist recognition by the Princess Grace Foundation and will be speaking at the “Latinas in Hollywood, 2020” event in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. In 2016, Marissa launched De Mi Alma Productions to share the stories of the American Latino experience by creating and producing original content for stage, TV, and film. She is the creator/executive producer of Two Feet In, an original series that is an official selection for the Omni Cultural TV Fest which led to a distribution deal for the pilot episode with SHORTSTV in both U.S. and international markets including 7 Latin American countries on DIRECTV. She was a lead producer/content creator for TWEEN TV digital. Her short film My L.A. was a finalist in the New Filmmakers LA: On Location What’s your L.A.? film project, and as the assistant director for the award-winning short film Me, Myself & Them, starring R&B sensation Tank. Marissa is an active member of NALIP and the National Hispanic Media Coalition Action Committee, and was a featured director for the 2018 Latino Industry Scene Showcase. Marissa is also a leader in Arts Education. She is the 2018 recipient of the Jubilee Foundation Fellowship Award and is the Co-Founder/Artistic Director of 4C LAB, “providing opportunities for young creative visionaries to share their stories through artistic expression.” Marissa was also the Associate Producer of The Rosenthal Theater and Director of the Repertory Dance Company at Inner-City Arts. With her ability to create for diverse audiences, over two decades of experience working with youth in arts education and the entertainment industry, Marissa firmly believes her best work is still to come.