Meet Trailblazer Pita Juarez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pita Juarez.

Pita, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started my career in mainstream media while I was in Journalism School at Arizona State University. I was in a rush to get hands-on experience. I like to think I interned at every station in Phoenix. Working in corporate media teaches you a lot of valuable lessons, like meeting deadlines with no time in advanced and thinking fast because anything can happen on a live shoot. My favorite memory of working in TV news is the high intensity in the newsrooms right before the 5 pm newscast. Going live is something that made my hands sweat each time even though I had already done it five times that week. The adrenaline was so much fun, it was like riding a roller coaster each time.

When working in media, your opinion as a reporter is to be left out of the piece, that’s journalism 101, as a journalist you are there to inform and not influence bias on the story. I, on the other hand, wanted to say more, as someone who was also an immigrant in a border state like Arizona, it became harder to only give readers/viewers snippets of very complex issues, such as immigration and other topics that would soon affect my life as well. So, like many journalists, I decided to freelance and find outlets that would let me go beyond the headline. Ten years ago there wasn’t as many VICE, AJ + type of outlets like we are fortunate to have now, there was only a handful, and to those folks, thank you, we needed you back then and I’m happy you took a risk and are seeing the success now. Looking back, I’m grateful I took the leap of faith so early on in my journalism career, it was risky because there was no going back. But I’m glad I’m moving forward, telling the stories I want to tell, the way they deserve to be told, raw, authentic and unapologetic. As a storyteller, I would love for every story to have a happy ending, but some are painful, some teach us things we didn’t even know about ourselves and some leaving you guessing for what’s next. That’s where I’m at now in my own story, looking for the next adventure, my next story.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For me, the road has been trial and error. Try everything, ask questions, learn as much as you can and if you don’t like it move on. Why be somewhere where you aren’t happy? That can be applied to many things in life. I love what I do, but I wouldn’t be where I’m at if I didn’t try new things that were challenging. Seek mentors in your field and out of your field. I have both.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’m fascinated by people, the older I get the more curious I become about peoples stories. My passion for both people and story have taken my career into adventuresome paths. I’ve done virtual reality for NYT at a Trump rally in Arizona to traveling the country meeting environmental justice organizers fighting for clean air and clean water. I sincerely care about the people I meet and how I can help elevate their voices. Right now, I’m happy to see the beautiful support of our documentary, You Racist, Sexist, Bigot. has had locally, nationally and internationally. The documentary focuses on first-hand stories of discrimination, told by the very same people who have experienced it. I’m very proud of the film and the 20 plus writers and contributors that were apart of it. The film has taken me and my co-director, Matty Steinkamp into a breathtaking tour of film festivals, college campus’s, screenings and most importantly one of a kind partnerships. You can find more https://youracistsexistbigot.com/.

So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well positioned for?
I like to say, thank a woman today, we never know the doors she’s open for other women. Women are ready for everything, just let us lead. Pay us our worth and stop second-guessing us.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://mangoskiesproductions.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pitajs/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/pitaJ

Image Credit:
Matty Steinkamp

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