Rising Stars: Meet David Quiroz Jr.

Today, we’d like to introduce you to David Quiroz Jr.

Hi David, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been a writer my whole life, with a fascination for the macabre since childhood.

When I was a kid, I would write horror stories that freaked my classmates out (which resulted in a few meetings between my parents and the nuns at the Catholic school I attended).

In college, I majored in film studies and moved to Hollywood after graduation to make a go at a filmmaking career. I was an assistant on some big productions before moving back to Phoenix to make independent films. I made a few shot-on-video horror films you’ve probably never seen before, so I decided to focus on my writing.

I went back to school and got a Master’s degree in screenwriting. I began teaching screenwriting for the Maricopa Community College District and Grand Canyon University and had a few features get optioned and win some awards. One of my TV pilot scripts, called Red Riding Hoods, was converted into a fiction podcast series by Violet Hour Media.

I had an opportunity to adapt one of my earliest screenplays to a comic book format and jumped at the opportunity. The resulting project, Night of the Chihuahuas, has finished its first five-issue story arc and has had an incredible response at comic cons and fan fests around the country. Working in the comic book medium has been incredibly rewarding, and the community is one of the most supportive ones I’ve ever been a part of.

I’ve had a few more comic book stories I wrote get picked up for other publishers, and I have two stories in the upcoming anthology based on the Tremors film series.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I was teaching film courses, I would always tell my students that if there was anything else they could see themselves doing, they should pursue that instead of filmmaking.

It was meant as a joke but also to reiterate that making it in the entertainment industry requires 100% dedication because it is one of the most difficult industries to break into – especially if you don’t have any connections already. I’ve had so many projects fall apart because of competing egos in preproduction or funding falling through. There were a few that I thought would change my life, and for whatever reason, they never came to fruition.

Getting a project into production is almost like getting a rocket into orbit: it takes numerous talented individuals working together, all while navigating elements beyond their control, to nail a limited window of opportunity. For every comic book, film, or podcast I’ve produced, there have been dozens of productions that died in development.

It’s hard not to take it personally sometimes, but ultimately, you come to learn that there are so many factors that go into a project that have nothing to do with your talent or work ethic. Many great projects have died on the proverbial vine, and many exceptional artists have walked away from the industry because the failures are just too difficult to overcome.

There were many, many times when I wished I had a passion for anything besides storytelling so I could do something else with my life, but no matter how difficult it’s been, I could never see myself doing anything else.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a horror writer from Arizona with numerous credits in film, comics, and podcasts. I’m the creator of the independent comic book series Night of the Chihuahuas, a horror-comedy about chihuahuas getting hold of a serum that gives them strength to back up their vicious attitudes.

I specialize in writing horror stories about flawed heroes confronting their worst fears. The project I’m most proud of is a feature-length screenplay I wrote called Dagon, which is an adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft story set during WWII.

It’s the most personal project I’ve written; I was inspired to write the screenplay by my grandfather’s experiences in WWII as a Mexican-American soldier who spoke Spanish as his first language and was discriminated against by his fellow soldiers during his service in the Pacific campaign. The screenplay was on the Blood List for best-unproduced horror screenplay. It will likely never be produced, given the budget it would require to get made, but it’s gotten me a lot of meetings and received great feedback from everyone who’s read it.

My work focuses on blue-collar characters and utilizes my experiences growing up mixed race in the suburban Southwestern U.S. With few exceptions. I try to set everything I write in the state of Arizona as it’s my home. I use my work to explore common themes from an uncommon perspective, and the creatures or malevolent entities at play usually take a back seat to the ill intent of the humans involved.

How do you define success?
Success is different for everyone, but for me, success is in knowing my work has made an impression on someone. Writing comic books has allowed me to travel to conventions and shows around the country, and there is no feeling like seeing people react to your work with a laugh or a smile.

Even if they don’t buy a book, knowing that what you created made someone happy – if only for a moment – during these trying times feels like a win.

Pricing:

• A Cover Issue – $10
• Variant covers – $15
• Prints – $10
• Shirts – $25

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/davidquirozjr
• Instagram: @davidquirozjr
• Twitter: @eldavidquirozjr

Image Credits
David Quiroz, Jr.