Johnny Marilla

Johnny Marilla (also known as Johnny Murillo) embodies the quintessential Chicano success story, transitioning from the pulpits of Sacramento to the production lots of Hollywood, where he now champions representation for English-speaking Latinos in entertainment. Raised in San Jose, California, by a single Chicana mother from Mexicali—while his father's side hails from Zacatecas—Marilla navigated a challenging youth marked by street life, lowriders, and tragedy. His stepfather, a car enthusiast, was killed in 1976 amid gang violence during the turbulent 1970s drive-bys that plagued his neighborhood. These experiences forged resilience in a young man who could have easily succumbed to higher levels of crime common in Chicano communities. Instead, Marilla found purpose in faith, serving as Senior Pastor at Christian Worship Center in Sacramento from 2003 to 2008, overseeing a $500K budget, community outreach, and leadership development. Earlier roles included Intern-Staff Pastor at New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu and District Youth Director for the Assemblies of God across the Rocky Mountain region. After 23 years in ministry, a divine calling in 2009 propelled him to Hollywood, despite zero industry knowledge. Leveraging pastoral skills in people management, he dove into production, starting with social media management and evolving into full-scale producing. By 2013, he was handling production and development at Martillo Pictures and Calanda Films, creating music videos, commercials, documentaries, and new media. In 2015, he founded The Fourth Man Productions in Costa Mesa, CA, producing indie features like 'American Mijo,' web series such as 'What's Good In Your Hood' and 'Mom's Movie Review,' and festival winners like 'Regionrat.' His crowning achievement came in 2021 with Chicano Hollywood, a groundbreaking platform and media company dedicated to the 40-50 million English-speaking Chicanos. With the motto 'If a Chicano is in it, on it, or wrote it, we will promote it,' it networks creators, streams content via Chicano Hollywood TV, hosts the annual Elevate conference (featuring stars like Edward James Olmos), and the Chicano Hollywood Film Festival. From preaching sermons to producing stories 'by us, for us,' Marilla breaks barriers, training producers, empowering voices, and ensuring Chicano narratives aren't whitewashed. His journey proves preparation leads to elevation, inspiring a movement rooted in faith, family, friends, and frijoles. [Latinitas Magazine](https://latinitasmagazine.org/founder-of-chicano-hollywood-johnny-murillo-discusses-emerging-platform-upcoming-elevate-conference-in-la/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnymurillo), [Chicano Hollywood](https://chicanohollywood.com).