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Draft:Blake Vaz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blake Vaz
Born
El Paso, Texas, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, producer, director, writer
Years active2010–present
Known forBlood Stains, L.U.N.A., Il Colore della Notte

Blake Vaz is an American filmmaker, director, writer, and producer. He is an Emmy Award winner and the founder of Valagardo Productions.[1] Vaz is best known for his independent horror shorts Blood Stains (2018), L.U.N.A. (2022), and Il Colore della Notte (2025), which have screened at international film festivals and received numerous awards.[2] In addition to narrative work, he has directed branded content for companies including Lexus, Hyundai, ESPN Deportes, and Dos Equis.[3][4]

Early life

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Vaz was born in El Paso, Texas and raised in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.[5] He began his career in music and media before moving into filmmaking. He later founded Valagardo Productions, focusing on horror cinema and multicultural storytelling.[6]

Career

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Independent film

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Vaz's short film Blood Stains (2018) screened at the New York Latino Film Festival presented by HBO in Times Square,[7] the El Paso Film Festival,[8] the Panamanian International Film Festival in Los Angeles,[9] Fixion Fest in Chile,[10] and Animal Film Fest in Morelia, Mexico.[11] The film won awards including a Gold REMI at WorldFest-Houston (Fantasy/Horror)[12] and Best Shorts – Latin/Hispanic.[13]

L.U.N.A. (2022) premiered at the El Paso Film Festival[14] and was later selected for the National Hispanic Media Coalition's Official Latino Film Festival.[15] It screened at Panic Fest,[16] the San Diego Latino Film Festival,[17] and Shorts México.[18] The film received positive reviews from UK Film Review (4/5),[19] GBHBL (8/10),[20] The Independent Critic,[21] and HorrorBuzz.[22] It won Best Horror Short at the Official Latino Film Festival and Best Director at the Giallo International Film Festival in Paris.[23]

Vaz's film Il Colore della Notte (2025) won the Gold REMI Award for Best Screenplay – Short Film at the 57th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.[24] HorrorBuzz described the film as a "12-minute anthology short" influenced by Italian horror cinema, directed and written by Vaz, who also co-composed the score.[25]

Other works include Matches (2021), which was selected for the Tokyo International Short Film Festival.[26]

Branded content

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Vaz has directed and produced branded projects for multinational companies. He was Director of Digital Production for the Lexus series Party Tonight Live Version, produced under Walton Isaacson.[27] He directed the web series RPM: Reengineering Popular Music for Lexus,[28] and Hyundai Highways, profiled in *Adweek.[29] Vaz was Los Ángeles Production lead on ESPN Deportes' "Es Lo Nuestro" campaign that premiered during Super Bowl LV,[30] and produced the MITS × Dos Equis campaign covered by Remezcla.[31] He was also credited as Content Creator for Hyundai's TikTok campaign Elantra N: Unwrapped, a finalist at the 15th Annual Shorty Awards.[32]

Music videos

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Vaz has directed or produced several music videos, including Wait (2020) by Mexican Dubwiser,[33] La Gota Gorda (2020) by Suenatron featuring Ulises Lozano and Mexican Dubwiser,[34] and Ya No Se Trata de Ti (2018) by Francisca Valenzuela.[35]

Television

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Vaz was a producer on two Emmy-winning seasons of the music series Té Para Tres con Pili Montilla, and directed one episode.[36]

Awards

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  • 2018: Gold REMI Award, WorldFest-Houston, Fantasy/Horror (Blood Stains)
  • 2018: Best Shorts Latin/Hispanic Winner (Blood Stains)
  • 2022: Best Director – Giallo International Film Festival (L.U.N.A.)
  • 2023: Best Shorts Winner (L.U.N.A.)
  • 2024: Gold REMI – Screenplay, Short Film (Il Colore della Notte)

References

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  1. ^ Ricardo López Juárez (August 3, 2019). "Pacto con el diablo: Blake Vaz se compromete a hacer terror de calidad". La Opinión (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  2. ^ Brisa Frías (September 3, 2022). "Conquistan juarenses con su terror". Diario.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  3. ^ Mónica Marie Zorrilla (July 1, 2020). "Hyundai's Web Series Celebrates Zero-Emissions Road Trips in the COVID-19 Era". Adweek. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  4. ^ ESPN Press Room Staff (February 8, 2021). "ESPN Deportes Debuts New Brand Campaign During Super Bowl LV". ESPN Press Room. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  5. ^ Tokyo Short Film Fest (December 7, 2022). "Blake Vaz Talks About Filmmaking and Short Film 'Matches'". Tokyo Short Film Fest. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  6. ^ ShoutoutLA (January 22, 2021). "Meet Blake Vaz: Producer & Director – Owner, Valagardo Productions". ShoutoutLA. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  7. ^ Reel360 (July 26, 2019). "Blake Vaz's 'Blood Stains' to screen at HBO's NYLFF". Reel360. Retrieved 2025-09-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ El Paso Museum of Art (September 14, 2018). "El Paso Film Festival – Shorts 2: Blood Stains (Blake Vaz)". El Paso Museum of Art. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  9. ^ Embassy of Panama (October 27, 2018). "PANAFEST — Panamanian International Film Festival in Los Angeles, California". Embassy of Panama. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  10. ^ FixionFest (2018). "Fixion5 Festival Program – Blood Stains". FixionFest. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  11. ^ Animal Film Fest (October 4, 2019). "Animal Film Fest 2019 – Programa 2019: Blood Stains by Blake Vaz". Animal Film Fest. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  12. ^ Ricardo López Juárez (August 3, 2019). "Pacto con el diablo: Blake Vaz se compromete a hacer terror de calidad". La Opinión (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  13. ^ Best Shorts (September 2018). "Winners September 2018". Best Shorts Short Film Festival. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  14. ^ El Paso Film Festival (October 15, 2022). "L.U.N.A. – 2022 El Paso Film Festival". El Paso Film Festival. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  15. ^ Matt Grobar (October 7, 2021). "National Hispanic Media Coalition Official Latino Film Festival Lineup". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  16. ^ Downright Creepy (April 2022). "Panic Fest 2022 Lineup". Downright Creepy. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  17. ^ Matthew Manosh (March 22, 2022). "Horror Short Films Presented at the Latino Film Festival". East County Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  18. ^ Brisa Frías (September 3, 2022). "Conquistan juarenses con su terror". Diario.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  19. ^ Amber Jackson (January 25, 2022). "L.U.N.A. Review". UK Film Review. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  20. ^ Carl Fisher (May 2, 2022). "Horror Short Review: L.U.N.A. (2022)". Games, Brraaains & a Head-Banging Life. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  21. ^ Richard Propes (May 2022). "L.U.N.A.: an Effective and Suspenseful Short". The Independent Critic. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  22. ^ Miranda Riddle (November 5, 2021). "L.U.N.A - Where Interconnectivity Goes Wrong". HorrorBuzz. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  23. ^ Brisa Frías (September 3, 2022). "Conquistan juarenses con su terror". Diario.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  24. ^ WorldFest-Houston (April 19, 2024). "57th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival Winners List 2024" (PDF). WorldFest-Houston. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  25. ^ HorrorBuzz Staff (April 4, 2025). "Il Colore della Notte – HorrorBuzz". HorrorBuzz. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  26. ^ Tokyo Short Film Fest (December 7, 2022). "Blake Vaz Talks About Filmmaking and Short Film 'Matches'". Tokyo Short Film Fest. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  27. ^ ReelChicago (November 30, 2016). "Lexus Party Tonight Live Version Music Series". ReelChicago. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  28. ^ IndieRocks! (October 16, 2020). "Entrevista con Mexican Dubwiser". IndieRocks! (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  29. ^ Mónica Marie Zorrilla (July 1, 2020). "Hyundai's Web Series Celebrates Zero-Emissions Road Trips in the COVID-19 Era". Adweek. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  30. ^ ESPN Press Room Staff (February 8, 2021). "ESPN Deportes Debuts New Brand Campaign During Super Bowl LV". ESPN Press Room. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  31. ^ Remezcla (2019). "MITS & Dos Equis Partner Up". Remezcla. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  32. ^ Shorty Awards (2023). "ELANTRA N Unwrapped...Ap-peeling to the Masses – Shorty Awards Finalist". Shorty Awards. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  33. ^ IndieRocks! (October 16, 2020). "Entrevista con Mexican Dubwiser". IndieRocks! (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  34. ^ Shoots.video (2020). "Suenatron – La Gota Gorda (official video) Produced, Directed and Edited by Blake Vaz". Shoots.video. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  35. ^ Francisca Valenzuela Official Channel (2018). "Ya No Se Trata de Ti – Video Credits". YouTube. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  36. ^ Ricardo López Juárez (August 3, 2019). "Pacto con el diablo: Blake Vaz se compromete a hacer terror de calidad". La Opinión (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-09-15.
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