Hawthorne-raised director Nathan Torres, 19, is already building a lane for himself in LA’s film scene with his production company Ladybug Productions — motto: small wings, big stories. He started making movies with his siblings on an iPod touch and knew by 14 that filmmaking was the path. Nathan’s proudest short, Close to You, moved audiences so deeply at its premiere that the reaction alone confirmed he was doing what he was meant to do — even after he quit a job to finish it. Now he’s developing his next film, The Dirty, inspired by The Wrestler, while pushing to change the narrative for creatives coming out of Hawthorne and for Mexican-American storytellers in film. His creative process isn’t linear (ADHD brains, we see you), but his mission is clear: Tell stories that last longer than he does, and show other young creatives from his community that they belong behind the camera too.

Follow Nathan on Instagram at @garag3tor