Tonantzin Esparza

In this role, Tonantzin leads a team providing all aspects of film acquisition including tracking, negotiation, and final selection. A big believer in the power of Latinos on stage and on the big screen, Tonantzin has and continues to support the many voices of Latinos in the Arts today.

Tonantzin is a versatile entertainment executive well beyond her years and has been with Maya since its beginnings. One of the original members of its team, Tonantzin got her start in development and production with the company and was an associate producer in HBO’S Walkout. In acquisitions, Tonantzin has contributed much to the rapid success of the company, snatching up some of its most noteworthy releases such as Sleepdealer, Bajo la Sal, The Ministers and The Line.

Tonantzin is also an accomplished actress and nailed a leading role in the HBO feature film “Walkout” for which she received the ALMA award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She made her professional stage debut in the Latino Theater Company’s award winning play Dementia directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela, which won the GLADD Award and was nominated for an Ovation Award for Best Cast Ensemble. Her performance in Dementia caught the attention of producer and comic George Lopez who wrote her a recurring guest starring role as Marisol the “I know, huh!” girl on his hit ABC TV sitcom The George Lopez Show.

Tonantzin is also a co-founding member of The Latino Theater Company’s Laboratory at the Los Angeles Theater Center. The Lab wrote an original play entitled Melancholia and later toured the piece at the Edinburgh International Theater Festival in Scotland, where they were nominated for an Amnesty International Award.

Additionally, Tonantzin sits on the Board of the Los Angeles Academy for Arts & Enterprise, an arts charter school in downtown founded by her father Moctesuma Esparza.

Tonantzin was born and raised in Los Angeles. She earned her B.A Summa Cum Laude in Theater at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television with a double major in Chicana/o Studies.