Artist Spotlight: AJ Calomay and John Castro - Film Extraordinaires

John Castro and AJ Calomay with Multimedia Correspondent Joe Gravina

This duo of film artists have produced works about Pilipino Americans that have successfully gone into the mainstream.  If you're old school (a teen/college student of the early 2000's), you may remember writer John Castro's movie about Pilipino American life, The Debut.  If you've see Lumpia, Speed Racer, or Queen of the Damned, you've seen AJ Calomay's work.

AJ Calomay, Producer and Editor
AJ has held a diverse list of production positions.  He mainly focuses on producing and visual effects editing. His work spans from being the Co-Producer of Lumpia to visual effects production of The Core to digital assets management of Speed Racer.  He currently runs Xylophone Films, a Los Angeles-based production and editing company.

John Castro, Film Writer
Writer John Castro's film debut was for one the first movies showcasing the lives of Pilipino American youth, well..."The Debut." Much of the movie was influenced by his short film, "Diary of a Gangsta Sucka". 

All aspiring Pil-Am film writers/producers/directors need check out their interview:

AJ Calomay [IMDB]
John Castro [IMDB]
Xylophone Films