S1: This episode features mentions of drug use and explicit language. Listener discretion is advised.
S2: It is no surprise to anyone that in this day and age , it is a challenge to be an artist , much more so to be a self-sustaining artist.
S1: And perhaps the biggest feat of all to truly become a household name.
S2: Especially doing it all by yourself.
S1: That's why finding someone who vibes with you in your work , and who can collaborate with you to create something special is like striking gold.
S2: Whether it's music , a movie , a dance choreography , or.
S1: A comic book.
S3: And funny thing is , is that I hadn't made comics. I was starting to make comics. I was learning to make comics. But that Grant we had just we had just published. We had just published Starseeds.
S1: Today we want to tell you about two friends.
S2: Two compadres.
S4: If you will.
S1: Giancarlo Ruiz and Charles Glauber , two of Tijuana's most prolific artists.
S2: Charles is a respected illustrator and comic book artist , best known for work featured in prominent publications like rolling Stone and The New York Times , and for collaborations with major brands such as Sony , PlayStation , American Airlines , and Miller Lite.
S1: Giancarlo , an independent filmmaker , writer and actor , has earned international recognition for his short films screened at prestigious international film festivals such as Con Havana and LA Film Festivals. His recent roles include Netflix's Tijuana and Amazon Prime's El Rey de la Fiesta.
S3: Carlo was the the money behind the first publication , my First Comic , which was not Star Citizen. Crystal said. The crystal sigil was , yeah , yeah , I basically published that. I , I bankrolled it for sure.
S1: They put together a graphic novel titled The Fracture , a series about a dystopian post-apocalyptic reality set in the archipelago of neo Tijuana after fracturing from the mainland.
S2: A graphic novel that tells the adventures of a taquito turned monster hunter named MacBook Pro in a dystopian future in Tijuana that is overrun by mutated creatures. But really tell you about how the fracture came about. We have also got to talk about the friendship that brought it to life.
S5: Because he was we were already working on other stuff , and he was talking about this , talking about this. And I was like , dude , let's just do it like , let's let's just do it. This could be the beginning of something. So that so that little thing created as well , like all these avenues for him for like all his books , all his like graphic novels , all his. So that kind of like when he when I think when Charles kind of made peace with the idea of comics that are comics also is art. Right. That and that he was like , that's what he always wanted to do. I think that's the moment that for him as well , things connected and open up in a different way because he was just doing like fine , fine art , you know , it was just paintings and things like that.
S1: Their friendship spans approximately 20 years , dating back to their early days as young artists striving to establish themselves in the Tijuana San Diego border region.
S5: But he had this idea , and once he , like , did the first one , then from there , like , he just I think he just started flourishing. He's just like , oh , and more ideas because it was possible. And and for him , it was a moment of truth where he's like , yeah , I'm actually a comic artist making fun of it.
S1: That aha moment that Giancarlo is referring to where things just click , which shaped the course of their friendship and to some extent , the way they approach art.
S2: A moment that would culminate in their first graphic novel together.
S5: Because he thinks when he draws , that's how he thinks when he's drawing. So when he's drawing , all his ideas are coming out and he puts it all like that. So it's very. So in that sense , it's very interesting to see like this sort of like marriage of his , of. Of that moment , I guess. And what happens and how things have like a , there's like a trigger and there's also like a not I don't want to say a fracture , but there's really like a stamp right in someone's life. There's moments of that's it's this moment. This was the moment where this changed or this shifted. We all have that in our lives. There's not every day , maybe , but there's moments in our life that really mark us deeply. And that's the fracture. Right ? But. Right. So here we are.
S6: So here we are. After.
S5: After.
S6: What , ten years , more than ten years , 15 years , and we still have one issue.
S5: And we still have this. Hey , hey , it's better than zero. It's printed.
S1: If this is your first time tuning in , you're in for a treat as you'll get to experience something we've been working on with fresh ears and eyes. Yes.
S2: If you have already been following us , we are doing things a bit differently than we normally do. We are premiering port of entry shorts , a new way to tell these cross-border stories. Video.
S1: Video. So we have two for you , one featuring Charles and another Giancarlo , which will be available to see along with this episode.
S2: So pay attention. You will be queued to see them as we tell you their story.
S1:
S2:
S1: And making it with your compadre.
S2: You are listening to Giancarlo and Charles , compadres in art. Stay tuned.
S1: From KPBS. This is Port of Entry.
S2: Where we tell Crossborder stories that connect us.
S1: I'm Alan Lilienthal.
S2: And I'm Natalia Gonzalez. If you paid attention late last year , we did a thing.
S7: A sort of port of entry.
S8: We had.
S2: We hosted our very first live event.
S1: The event was part of the World Design Experience , a signature program of World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024. And if you checked out our episode from last April called Design Comes to Town. The World Design Capital designation was an opportunity of a lifetime to shape the future of our mega region through the power of design.
S2: As a result , a series of exhibitions in San Diego and Tijuana were put together to flex the region's design , muscle.
S1: Talks , art shows , interactive installations , workshops.
S2: And our live event was part of the lineup. And not to pat ourselves on the back , but we killed it.
S1: We had a packed house , an engaged audience , killer guests , the competitors themselves , Giancarlo Ruiz and Charles Globis. They were there to talk about their latest collaboration , The Fracture , the post-apocalyptic new Tijuana graphic novel we told you about. And because there's such a charismatic and entertaining pair to rip off each other , we invited them to talk about their comic and lead a live reading.
S2: Okay , so a little narrative interlude. Adrian. The beat please.
S1: In the days leading up to and after the World Design Capital Live event , we got to hang out with Giancarlo and Charles to chat about their upbringing , the struggles of making it as an artist in the Tijuana San Diego region , and the beauty and challenges of finding someone you connect with to collaborate. So this is your cue to pause this podcast and go ahead and watch John Carlos dance and Charles's dream. And when you're done , come back to this time stamp.
S2: You can find the link to these videos in the description of the episode.
S1: Go right now while we go on break. Welcome back. Now that you've checked out our first two shorts , a bit more background on both Charles and Giancarlo. Charles grew up in Rosarito , a town south of Tijuana mostly known for its spring break activities , while Giancarlo grew up in Tijuana , the coastal neighborhood just south of the border.
S2: Both are now in their early to mid 50s. Giancarlo is artistic journey began similarly to Charles with painting , but he felt the pull of theater in his teen years and now gravitates toward mixed media projects. On the other hand , Charles stuck solely with illustration.
S1: Now they're both established working artists reaching the prime of their careers.
S2: And to get a sense of each of their work. They invited us to check out their exhibitions.
S1: First up. Charles. Helio. We met Charles last December at Tijuana's Casa de la Cultura for his exhibit in Spanish for Presidio. The venue is located in the Altamira neighborhood. It's a huge 1930s Victorian style school that now serves as a state sponsored cultural hub for different activities.
S2: Charles exhibition featured a set of paintings that he was working on. In the short video you watched earlier.
S1:
S2:
S1: Hola.
S6: Hola. Buenas noches. Uh , hemos cambiado hemos espacio de esta en el theater. Tenemos aqui a la galleria. Una cosa.
S1: As the event was getting started , we joined a small group of people in the theater. After a few minutes of waiting for more visitors to arrive , Charles asked us to move down the hall to the room where his paintings were displayed. His paintings and illustrations varied in size and shape , but his style remained the same. They were hanging on the four walls of the spacious room. And just in case you haven't checked out the video shorts we put together and are still wondering what Charles's art looks like. Well , let me help you. Well , there's an extremely palpable , psychedelic and ethereal feel to it all , as if the paintings are alive and moving. It blends elements of surrealism , mythology , and comic book aesthetics. The typical bold linework , intricate colored details , and mix of geometric and organic forms are present in all of the paintings. You can see the recurrent themes of mysticism , alchemy , and cosmic narratives through vibrant , dreamlike , cryptic imagery and storytelling.
S2: Is this hard to picture ? Well , think of looking through a kaleidoscope while high on acid and trying to make up the figures you see.
S1: Don't do acid. We don't. We don't condone. We don't. We don't do. Drugs.
S2: Drugs. Yeah.
S1: No , don't.
S2: Public media. Yeah. Don't don't do drugs. Please drink water. Tequila.
S6: Tequila. Is is es la. La palabra Q utiliza mi habla el habla a todos Los escrito.
S1: The exhibit displayed a series of symbols or sigils , those that he was working on during the short video that you gotta go see. For Charles , sigils are a way of transforming the world through symbols. Our ideas , our language , our non-verbal speech are rudimentary symbols or sigils and are our most accessible ways of transforming reality. For instance , when you say thank you or I love you and how that impacts the mood of a listener.
S6: I'll say the las Cuevas expression verbal se transforma la realidad , entonces siendo Como la primera tecnologia ? No.
S1: A transformer is Charles's attempt to lay a sort of instruction guide on how to make a wish or manifest your desires , how to focus them through images and amplify them through the potency of your intention and your level of craft and skill. Charles explained to us , is a kind of Large Hadron Collider , but for ideas , smashing your intentions and desires in a canvas or paper or words or song.
S2: Damn , that sounded cool. Man , I wish I was there. Hey , but what about Giancarlo ? Did you go and check out his art too ? Because it sounds like Charles is your favorite.
S9:
S1: Giancarlo. Quiero mucho. Yes , I did actually get to see one of his screenings and I love them both , but fun fact I've actually known Giancarlo since I was like 17. He was a guest teacher at this film program I was doing at the Media Arts Center. So we go way back. And.
S2: And.
S1: I mean nothing. I just wanted to share. Geez. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. I mean , okay , can we continue with the story ? Yeah.
S1: I won't share it with you. Anything ever again ? Hmm. A few months after Charles exhibit , we went to see a film at the San Diego Film Festival starring none other than Giancarlo. There with our producer , Julio , was Charles and Charles's partner to show support. Big tub of popcorn and all. The movie is called Solo or Broken Borders in English. Written and directed by Rodrigo Alvares Flores. It screened in Mission Valleys AMC as part of the 2025 San Diego Latino Film Festival lineup.
S2: Broken borders portrays a family's breakdown through the eyes of a struggling single mother. Her crime involved older son and her younger son facing rejection after coming out as gay.
S1: In it , Giancarlo plays a supporting role as Antonio , a middle aged man who hires the protagonist. A single mother played by Angela Screws , to take care of his aging father. Giancarlo had met and worked with Angeles three decades ago.
S5: I was like , I met her there and we used to hang out down there and I hadn't seen her in 30 years. So 30 years later , I get to act with her in the film. You know what I'm saying ? I started as a PA 30 years later.
S2: We made our way to the theater , to our seats , and the film started. Gabriela.
S10: Gabriela. And now to try on real. I have.
S2: Finally appeared on the screen. Charles couldn't contain his giggling. Giancarlo s character constantly tries to seduce the protagonist , but in a creepy , awkward way.
S1: Yeah , the scene was pretty cringey.
S2: Mind you , it was a great performance. Giancarlo really made the character feel cringey and awkward , and Charles would just find any moment to have a laugh at Giancarlo expense.
S1: When the movie ended and the credits rolled , we asked Charles to give us his thoughts about the movie.
S11: And the young actors. The actors did really well too , and I think Giancarlo , uh , finally had , like , a role where he could be , uh , where he could be not. I'm not going to say himself , but no , most of the other roles , he's like , really over the top , right ? So this is he was not over the top and really straight forward. I think he did a really good job. I really liked it. I really liked how he acted.
S6:
S12: A very old man.
S11: A privileged man , yeah.
S2: As Charles , Giancarlo and other festival goers made their way to the reception hall , we said our goodbyes.
S1: When the day of our World Design Capital event came , everyone looked excited and enthusiastic to witness a Port of Entry podcast episode Come Together Alive. The audience were a mix of coworkers , family , friends and longtime fans.
S2: Catering and refreshments were served while a video of moments behind the scenes played on loop in the background of KPBS Community Engagement Center. Giancarlo and Charles were manning a station where they sold copies of their work and signed autographs. Then it was time to move everyone to the studio.
S1: After everyone was ferried into the studio and found their seats , the show was ready to run. A quick check with Adrian and Lisa , our director of Audio Operations , for the thumbs up and tape started rolling. The on air sign was turned on. Then Julio very nervously took it away.
S7: Port of entry.
S8: We have a.
S7: Afternoon full of delights and cool things for you.
S2: I just the main screen displayed our logo and would eventually show the script with Spanish translation for our Spanish speaking guests. Diana maki , KPBS general manager , opened with welcome Remarks.
S13: And in order to do this , we need to look at everyone who lives and works in the San Diego region. And that includes our border community. It undeniably.
S1: And then we were ready to rock and roll.
S7: All right , folks , are you ready for the show ? Oh , I'm ready for the show. There we go. That's one in here , folks.
S2: Julio got to the run of the show and the housekeeping rules.
S1: You could tell he was very nervous , but still held his composure. He did great. You did great , Julio. Aside from the occasional stutter or Spanish English short circuit , which happens to the best of us. Yes.
S14: Yes.
S7: Hey , it was my. First.
S5: First.
S7: Time emceeing anything , so give me. Give me some slack.
S1: Yeah , I'll cut it. You did. Great.
S14: Great. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. You did.
S2: After a deep. Breath.
S4: Breath.
S2: And a signal to cue the intrepid , Julio asked the crowd to help him welcome us.
S7: Help me out. Ready ? Okay. Next slide. Please help me in welcoming the port of entry. Host Alan and Natalie Gonzalez.
S1: We did our little quinceanera choreographed dance and the crowd went wild.
S2: After a bit of back and forth and some reflections , it was time to introduce the special guests of the show.
S7: All right. Thank you very much , Natalie. Alan. So , without further ado , are you all ready to continue ? If you can , please help me welcome our guests , Giancarlo Ruiz and Charlie Roberts , to the stage. Wow.
S14: Wow.
S1: Charles and Giancarlo made their way to the stage , and. They were greeted with rapturous applause by the audience. Giancarlo was sporting a knitted glabella , while Charlie had his signature glasses coupled with a Bruce Lee T-shirt.
S2: Then Julio gave the signal to dim the lights and the signal to roll the videos.
S7: Then the lights. Please roll the videos.
S1:
S7:
S1: Oh , right. Right , right. Forgot. The lights were dimmed and the intros were being shown. The audience was drawn to the screen.
S2: After the video shorts were screened. Julio asked for the lights.
S15: I need the lights , please.
S1: We gauged our guests to see their reaction.
S16: Are you.
S7: All right ? So.
S17:
S7:
S11: Crier.
S6: Crier. That's my daughters. They laugh at me every time we see a movie.
S7: Oh , man , we gotta cry. I didn't , I didn't expect that.
S6: I'm down a little bit. I'm a I'm a tier maker.
S7:
S1: I had never seen.
S17: It , though. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. Okay.
S17: Okay.
S1: I remember doing we. That was the interview we did with them. Yes.
S17: Yes.
S1: That was a wild experience to see how you.
S17: Put it together.
S7: Maybe.
S2: Maybe. Maybe. Port of entry. Should go audiovisual.
S7: Uh , baby , I don't know what you think about that.
S1: Then we continued with the live reading of the script , with a little help from our guests.
S2:
S16:
S1: Flabbergasted.
S7: Flabbergasted. Make our job easier. Pretty.
S16: Pretty.
S2: I guess Charlie was left. Flabbergasted.
S1: Flabbergasted.
S2: With his video capsule , while Giancarlo felt very.
S4: Touched with his.
S1: You wanna do it again ? Yeah.
S2: Let's do it again. Charlie was left flabbergasted with his video capsule , while Giancarlo was felt very touched with his.
S1: The graphic novel was displayed , and our producer , Julio asked Charlie if he could do us the honor.
S2: Charlie , read the context of the fracture.
S6: The fracture is a comic series about a dystopian , post apocalyptic reality set in Tijuana after a failed government experiment that causes the San Andreas Fault to split from the mainland , creating its own land known as Babel Sanctuary. These experiments have caused mutations in Babel Sanctuary , and one man known as burrow must battle these mutants to stop the epidemic virus from spreading to the mainland. A story about redemption , resilience , loss , and faith in a time of lost dreams and hopes.
S1: Then it came time to do the live reading of the comic.
S4: Giancarlo took it away.
S18: My every waking moment is always an abrupt one. I gasp , I can't breathe , I got cottonmouth , I'm thirsty , I'm sweaty. I'm a bit confused to say the least. I can't remember my dreams. Just my nightmares. Sometimes I have nightmares of Roman empires with dusty old gold laying in the corners of every church and state.
S1: If you'd like to check out the full live reading , check out the Port of Entry live episode that dropped with this one.
S7: Thank you very much , Giancarlo.
S16: All right. Are you an actor ? Yeah.
S2: Once we were done with the live reading , we asked what exactly inspired them to set the story in the Tijuana border region. Charles and Giancarlo had contrasting answers about setting the story in Tijuana.
S5: It's historical.
S2: Giancarlo confessed that he had always been hesitant to use Tijuana as a setting , as he feels that the city has been maligned in the media.
S1: In such a way that any fictional portrayal is almost forced to adopt a certain connotation that reinforces the violent , lawless gringo backyard. Even though he feels the city has changed for the better over the years.
S5: I can attest to that. And people , friends that are from here , from San Diego , from Los Angeles , that come to Tijuana , sometimes they're surprised at what the city is , you know , because I think , um , like any part , it depends where you're hanging out , right ? You can get in trouble for sure. But , you know , Tijuana has changed a lot over the years. But I think that was it. I think I didn't I didn't I didn't want that to be.
S6: I always wanted it to be in Tijuana. Yeah.
S5: Yeah. You know , I know.
S2: Charles felt that by renaming the city.
S1: As the city would be part of the fictional geographical break apart from the mainland.
S2: It could derive some new meaning.
S6: But after , you know , a couple of years ago , it's like , well , let's not name it Tijuana. But what if we name the archipelago near Tijuana ? And that doesn't put , does it ? Put it in a place , but it makes the whole place a place that makes sense. And I think , uh. Yeah , it finally agreed. Yeah.
S5: Yeah. It becomes like a like a real fiction of the fiction. So then we can actually play with the with the story itself , and we don't have to , uh , we don't have to , you know , take from facts or from anything that's real or that we think it's real or stereotypes. We just create a new myth of Taiwan.
S2: Charles left us with this thought about Taiwan and the symbiotic relationship between the city and San Diego.
S6: It's also a place where everything blooms , right ? An example would be , uh , San Diego would not bloom if Taiwan was not there. Because when I would cross in the mornings to to to go to school , because I studied at San Diego City College , I would take the trolley and it was just not me. It was thousands of people crossing the border to make the city work , to make this city function. So I think I always , always saw that as a metaphor. And I'm not going to say it because it's but a different this is more politically correct metaphor that it's a blooming into the city , that it would make it it would make it work. So to me , Tijuana was more that's how I see it more more on that kind of part than what the media sells. Yeah.
S2: Due to time constraints , we couldn't get through all of our questions during the live event , so we agreed to follow up with the pair the next month. Before we go into that port of entry. We'll be back after a short break. You are listening to Port of Entry.
S1: As we had agreed to a month prior , we met at Charles's home in Tijuana to follow up on how the fracture came about.
S7: Help yourselves. We got some savory.
S1: Our producer , Julio , brought some pandas to stimulate their way down memory lane.
S2: Giancarlo immediately recognized where it was from Denise.
S10: Hey , Polymelia. Yeah.
S7: Yeah.
S5:
S10: De.
S5: De.
S1: Charles pulled out the Italian cafeteria , signaling that the Mexican Tire's sewing circle was ready to begin. His living room resembled an exhibit hall filled with comic book memorabilia , posters and some of his past creations. The space was flanked by an extensive library featuring mythology , classic literature , and comics by diverse artists from Hayao Miyazaki and Jack Kirby to Kentaro Miura. But the Sewing Circle couldn't get revived enough without the now ritualistic roasting of our producer Julio , who failed to call the Italian cafeteria by its proper Italian name.
S5:
S10:
S6: Okay.
S10: Okay. It's a Moca.
S5: It's called a. Moca.
S10: Moca.
S1: Yeah , they were breaking his balls a little bit , dude.
S7: All of production. Adrian wrote the WhatsApp messages to have them see what I'm talking about. Julio.
S6: Julio. Okay. Siempre Sala , you see Julio. Puesto investigar encontrado en internet. Tanto sala. Launch Silencio. Tanto una vez es mayor.
S10: Vamos otra vez a cambiar Los horario. Porque el Julio Valencia vienen delicioso. Pork , Porque le encanta cambiar las Vegas. Todo el tiempo.
S2:
S7: I don't. Know.
S16: Know.
S2: Whether you exclude women from a place of. Work.
S1: Work. I'm looking at the WhatsApp group right now. I wasn't the admin , it's Giancarlo.
S2: Hey , Giancarlo , do you hate women ? Yeah.
S16:
S2: We're kidding. Wait , no you don't.
S19: I just saw one too many. Uh.
S2: Uh.
S1: Anyways , as the strong espresso and pandas were stimulating their memories. And Charles took it away with the circularity of producing art.
S2: When Giancarlo made a suggestion that would eventually make our producers life miserable in putting this episode together. Yeah.
S6: Yeah. We're.
S5: We're.
S1: Feeling the need to dull the sharpness of their coffee , the pair decided to roll up some of California's finest. Charles stepped into the kitchen and returned moments later with a box of teabags and assorted cannabis accoutrement. Finally settled at the table again , they resumed reminiscing about the first time they met , which was through a mutual acquaintance who neither of them speaks to anymore.
S5: Yeah , and Sal was there , and I just , you know. Yeah.
S6: Yeah. You were like a diva.
S5: No , I wasn't a diva. I just couldn't get too close because I was very , uh , jealous of his friends. He's very like. So I couldn't get close to Charles because he was like , right ? So I had to wait for a moment for him , and I had to , like , talk without him. And then we were like , okay , we're connected. So.
S6: It all depends how , uh , how damaged you want to get.
S5: Well , not to damage , but that's.
S6: Well , not to damage , but you get more. Okay. That's , uh , that's that's the.
S5: That's opposite.
S7: My guy. Yeah.
S6: Yeah.
S12: All right. You'll just see.
S6: Giancarlo walking around his underwear , like , in a couple of minutes.
S2: Wait wait wait wait. They smoked weed in front of you. And you guys. You guys didn't.
S1:
S19:
S7:
S2: Yeah , yeah , whatever it was.
S1: I mean , maybe in the past I would have. But I'm a new man now , and I had to focus and get to my other 9 to 5 job. And , you know , it kind of gives me squirrel brain. Yeah.
S7: Yeah. It gave both Giancarlo and Charles Squirrel one for sure.
S1: Um , you could see in Julio's face that he dreaded going down this road. He tried to give the conversation some guardrails to focus. But.
S19: But.
S5: And then he's.
S7: Like , brief as possible.
S6: We only.
S5: Have 20 minutes. Guys.
S7: Guys. He has to leave in the hour.
S1: There was some pushback. You could say we were there to work , but they were there to have a good time , as they should. And it wouldn't be complete without Charles or Giancarlo letting the characters that live inside their heads Take a peek.
S20: USMC marine , your head. 223. 399. Number five.
S1: We came around to ask them about how their friendship flourished and how it led to the creation of the fracture.
S6: I think it came out of friendship. I think that's what we're doing right now is what we would do. Right. So the the weekend would come , and I think Giancarlo was working at UCSD as a video technician , audio medium. Media.
S10: Media.
S5: Specialist for the UCSD Visual Arts Graduate program.
S6: So and I was a , uh , adjunct professor at San Diego City College teaching illustration.
S1: They were both in their early 30s , and the story of how they met is something akin to meeting a star brother. Well , a fellow twisted star. Brother.
S7: Brother.
S5: At some point had kind of seen each other , and we knew about each other , and we'd been in shows. Together.
S10: Together.
S5: As well , but we have never really had. We talked to the. Parties.
S6: Parties. When.
S5: When.
S6: We talked about Jodorowsky and my love for Roski and his love of David Lynch and how , uh , you know , they're both really they're poetic. They're there , they're poets.
S5: I did , I did , I.
S6: Did it , and there I met , uh , my neighbor. Yeah. And her brother , the butcher , uh , and we we we we talked. It was , you know , it wasn't weird. It's not that weird. It's a normal. Party.
S5: Party.
S16:
S2: Their friendship flourished. Many , many attempts to put plans together came about.
S1: They would bounce ideas off each other , work on ideas for scripts together , exhibit their paintings together , or just party excessively.
S2: At one point , they would see each other almost every day. Because Giancarlo moved three houses down from where Charles was living , and that really peaked their involvement with each other. Even though Charles had family to take care of.
S5: CC cc. Exactly. Exactly.
S1: So by the time.
S21: You got to the factory , you guys had already kind of established.
S1: A rhythm between the two of you.
S5: Oh , yeah. But see. Yeah. Yeah. It was like.
S6: We were neighbors. Yeah. He was.
S5: Three houses.
S6: Down the road. Yeah.
S5: Yeah.
S1: We were the neighbor.
S6: Huh ? I was a married man. Right. I was the dad.
S2: By the way , Pimpernel is their word for collaborating , bouncing off ideas and trying to put stuff together.
S1: Even at impertinent times.
S6: Around the weekends where he's partying. Not with me , but partying. Partying in Tijuana. Uh , he. After he started partying , he would call me. Hey , dude , are you working ? Are you up ? I usually around that time I worked late. and he would come into my house really fucked up.
S1:
S7: I don't know.
S5: I don't know what this guy's talking about. Really ? I don't know who this guy is.
S2: By the time the fractures started to come about , they had a solid understanding of each other. And when they started to really get in the moment.
S1: When we really needed to get on tape , how the fracture came about. All right , guys , all right. All right. Can both of you describe the process of collaborating on the novel ? Like , how did you guys come to align your visions , your different visions , and your different ideas about about.
S22:
S1: Okay.
S22: Okay. Yeah.
S7:
S19: Okay.
S22: Okay. Sorry. Sorry , sorry.
S6:
S2:
S1: As the high wore off. The memories started coming together bits at a time and they got in the zone.
S5: And they took. When I went to Cannes , I took that project , Circus Medusa , because that's the script that I had been writing and that's what I went to pitch. So when I came back from from France , I wanted to do something like.
S2: Giancarlo hit a stride of focus.
S1: He remembered an unsuccessful stint in the Cannes Film Festival. He pitched a script that he was working on called Circus Medusa that no one picked up , and when he came back , he wanted to shake off the rejection funk. With Charles help.
S5: It was , I came back and I wanted to do something and I didn't like. I couldn't sell anything , remember ? So I wanted to do something and I wanted to do a quick , a quick , like a quick movie that was going to be like , like horror. And I was going to take one character. It was going to be a spin off from one of my shorts , disease. The character who was the hero who wears a donkey mask , but I was going to do it , was going to be like a slasher film , right ? Because I said , fuck it , I'll do something quick , something I can just fucking see. And I had the story , right ? And then Charles goes , why don't we ? Why don't we do it ? Because I love that character. Yeah. He's like. Yeah.
S6: Yeah. Yeah.
S5: Yeah. Come on. That's me.
S23: I'm like bro bro.
S6:
S5: No , I don't think so. I know where it's at. Really ? It exists.
S2: Charles suggested turning the Circus Medusa script into a graphic novel.
S1: Giancarlo was not a big fan of the idea.
S5: To turn Medusa in a graphic novel. I said , no , I don't want to do it with Medusa.
S6: We did though. We did it. We did it a shot. No.
S5: No. Yeah , we before , because that's what we did before I went , when I went to France , because I took that. So we did a sequence , right. You drew a sequence.
S6: We got to publish that.
S5: That'd be cool.
S6: That would be really done in the past. Can be something we can sell right now. We can create a moment to share.
S22: They have a graphic novel.
S5: It's not a no no no no.
S22: No no no no no. You already have another , another.
S5: Uh , well , there's a , I mean , yeah , I mean.
S6: I think that's that's our first , uh , um , sequential narrative.
S5: CC cc exactly , exactly.
S1: He gave Charles the option of illustrating originally a character who was a taquito that would butcher corpses in a zombie slasher flick Giancarlo produced in 2006 , in which that character had a couple of cameos.
S2: From there , they decided to explore the character , and from there the Pimpernel hit maximum level.
S1: But Giancarlo wanted to go deep.
S5: You know what ? I'm not just going to do it about macabre , you know ? I'm not going to let me go deep. Let let me think about a really cool narrative that we can do because production value in a sense. I mean , it's going to be you , right ? It's going to be more of the imagery. But if I want to do like an action scene , he can illustrate it beautifully. Right. So I was like , well , let me dream then let me try to write something , you know , epic. And that was like , um , inspired by by what he was doing that I was I was like , all right , let me let me see how we can marry ideas.
S2: From that point. Mark became the protagonist of their story , and The Fracture pretty much wrote and illustrated itself.
S1: Their synergy was in overdrive , bouncing ideas off each other , building ideas on top of those ideas with a lot of that excessive partying in between.
S5: To begin with , this is not my medium , right ? So we talk about even like like you showed me like framing. This is how we can do this. Do that. Um , he'll interpret it and then I'll be like , well , or and sometimes I'll be like , maybe this could work like this or something , but.
S1: One moment Charles would come up with a mockup and that would set Giancarlo into a writing frenzy. Or it would be the other way around.
S2: Something that Giancarlo would write would light up Charles's imagination , and he would open a window in that world. They had entered a synchronized feel , one recording idea said the other , and the other pushing it back.
S1: Like cracked up manic ping pong players.
S5: Obviously , when he'll draw something and maybe there's something there that he'll be like , oh , what did we do this , for example ? I remember the name of La Taqueria La Verdad. That was your idea , remember ? So it was the idea of that the truth right behind it.
S7: Is it something that he wrote in the panel or that you saw ? No.
S5: No , that that he like basically he wrote it , I wrote it. Okay. But it the name.
S7: So you fill in the details.
S6: I would suggest details or like I it's not my story , but it's my world or it's me interpreting his world narratively. But then it's like it needs this , this , it needs that.
S1: He started ruffling around and found some sketches and loose prints are there.
S6:
S7:
S22: That you.
S7: See filled in that then give you like sort of feedback that give you more ideas ? Yeah of course. Give an example of that.
S6: So are you asking us are we in a feedback loop. Yeah.
S5: Yeah.
S6: Feedback loop. Feedback loop. Yeah yeah yeah.
S5: It's it has.
S6: To be. Reciprocal.
S5: Reciprocal.
S6: There has to be a feeling of repression. Right ? Right. Right. Push and pull.
S2: He brought a sketchbook with the bundle of blueprints to the table and handed them to Julio. It was the project Bible.
S1: The collection of original handprints , storyboards , sketches , mockups and hand panels of the fracture. Julio's eyes peeled , completely impressed by the intricate detail of Charles's work.
S2: After Julio was done skimming through the collection , he passed it down to Giancarlo. Giancarlo face lit up. He couldn't contain his excitement , the excitement of someone who knew he had something special in his hands. Um.
S5: Um. Right. Now it's good. It's too bad. Away. Come on bro. Come on bro.
S6: Come on. Bro.
S5: Bro. What's up ? Let's ask my mom. Wait , wait some other way. So obviously , you know little details. And then we'll like , we'll we'll talk about it as well. It becomes something. So I was. Like.
S22: Like.
S1: What started as an intent to brush off a rejection. Funk became a web series with weekly additions that eventually was distilled into The fracture volume one.
S2: As they say , one door closes and another one opens.
S5: I think it's I don't remember the last time in a sense that we've really , uh , figured it out , you know what I mean ? It's still sort of like , uh , seeing. No , entonces but everything's here. We're just everything's here Basically.
S6: We're trying to figure out how to make money with it.
S5: Yeah , how to make money. We're gonna make money for sure. The fracture is. It's a thing. It's a thing. That story is unique , my boy.
S24: The hunger.
S2: Was there. The art was there. The only thing missing was the money. Which led us to wonder.
S1: How did they deal with that challenge throughout their careers ? Before the fracture.
S6: I took classes at San Diego City College , and it would help us get by. But it was a struggle as my , um , my art career and my illustration career would ebb and flow up and down. So teaching was like the the mainstay. And then.
S2: Charles would manage his time between being a single father to two daughters after splitting with the mother of his kids , working part time as a teacher in UCSD , and illustrating in his free time.
S1: Until a shift in tide.
S6: I remember we were in LA and we were all we. There was a show in L.A. at the consulate in Los Angeles , in Los Angeles. And , uh , we all all stayed in one room. So I was sleeping on the floor. And then I woke up , and that morning they gave the results for the , uh , uh , this grant called , uh , system from , uh , and had opened the first , uh , category the first year , opened the category of , uh , graphic narrative , uh , sequential art. And I was the first recipient. So from struggling , right , I immediately went into , uh , stability. And , uh , it was an opportunity for me to dive deep to do what I wanted to do , which was to make comics.
S2: From then on , more clients started hiring him.
S1: One of whom he brought Giancarlo on board for , as he's also an experienced mixed media artist.
S6: Client found me on the internet for this job. For , uh , Jose Cuervo , it's called , uh , right year Cinco. So it was like this huge idea from this huge advertising company , McCann in New York , which is like the legendary advertising company. And the idea was people would tweet what Cinco Mayo was , and I would paint it in a large mural. And then people whose tweets were selected to be part of that mural would get sent their art to them. They invested like it was , I don't know , a couple of it was like it was a lot of money. Yeah. So I brought in Carlo to to be my right hand man. Uh , and we worked on it , and , uh , the client sucked so much that it killed the project. Uh , they were so afraid about so many things outside. Things of that. The company's Companies lawyers kind of killed the project and it never really blew up as I expected. And then , you know , another client found me and then started working , doing advertising illustration for for Miller Lite and generating ideas for branding and whatnot. And that was that went on for a couple of years.
S1: That was 13 years ago. Since then , Charles has achieved professional stability. His illustration work makes up 100% of his income.
S2: On the other hand , Giancarlo , financial stability still depends on other non acting gigs.
S5: Well I mean I think it's always been a challenge because I when my background , my background is theater , it's film. So in that world when you start usually you don't get paid. It's mostly it's you know , you want to get the credit , you want to get the opportunity. And also a lot of , you know , directors and they'll obviously they'll sell it to you that , hey , you know , this is a great opportunity , you know ? Don't you shouldn't worry about money or this or that. So all my life , since I can remember , even the stuff that I produced , everything has been with my own money. I've never sort of , like , asked for scholarships. I never , I mean , I've , I've applied for grants. I've never won them. So I'm not one to just stop doing things. So I've always had like a job , some type of job , some type part time , something that will , you know , generate me the necessary income. And then all the.
S16: Other times.
S2: The reality is that in John Carlos Field , only a slim minority of artists can completely leave from their acting gigs. That's why he does other things to supplement his income.
S5: Um , so I think the struggle for me is like real. It's daily because it's because it's auditions getting rejected from auditions. Um , so it's you have to have , like , a mental prowess. You have to really be strong. And sometimes it's it's difficult to think if you want to keep going because you're not where you think you were going to be , or you're not getting what you think that you should be getting , or because there's still still up to this day , even though I've already , you know , have a big resume and have a sort of like a career in the background still to this day to get paid. It's a struggle. And to get paid what I'm I'm supposed to be paid the royalties ? No. Everything. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's always the struggle. The money is is there , I guess , but I don't think about it. I try not to think about it and just. I just create and , you know , if I can sell something more than now that I've been , you know , doing more of , you know , drawings and mixed media and stuff , you know , which is a way for me to still be creative. Um , you know , it's it's still a hustle.
S1: Even though Giancarlo faces some struggles , he still finds time to help others who are in the same boat. He hopes at the time he invests in his own work.
S2: And in supporting others.
S1: We'll pay off down the road.
S5: Somebody just reached out recently. I like the script. It's a short film. It's a young director. I just met him. I spoke with him. He's Brazilian. I really liked him. I liked his ideas. And I said , yeah , I'll do it. And you know , I'm not going to charge. It's , you know , just free , sort of like in a sense of giving back. Because I also believe that in my industry you have to give back. You have to turn around and see who's coming up , and you have to sort of invest in that as well. At some point.
S2: Nevertheless , he keeps doubling down. They both keep doubling down with themselves and each other.
S5: The question here is if you know you're not going to make money , if you know that it's not going to be a stable thing , why do you keep doing it ? Why ? I think it's because you believe in what you have. You believe in yourself , and you love what you do , and you double down on yourself. And this is you have your dice and you and you throw it. Can you keep throwing it ? You keep throwing even though you know that you might not become , you know , a millionaire. You might not. You still do it because it's in you. It's a gift that you have. All this right here , right that you see around here. All these paintings by Charles. You know , all this stuff. It's not just just. It didn't just happen , you know , just not it just it just. You know what I mean ? It just appear out of nowhere. Just and and and and and he still does it.
S1: Charles does it. Giancarlo says because it matters. Because it gives him purpose. Because the art deserves to be created. And Giancarlo is willing to fund that because the art deserves to be seen , even if the money is coming out of his own pocket. Right.
S5: Right. Does it matter ? And he. And he goes from painting. He goes to , like , narrative. He goes to , you know , from to illustration. Graphic design. You know , he still does it because that's also like the only thing he knows in the sense that for him , makes him happy , makes him feel accomplished. And that's how I feel as well with myself. It makes me happy. It makes me feel accomplished , even though it might not accomplishment or whatever. Whatever that be has its own different kind of like levels or standards. I still think it's , hey , you know , like the fracture for me , that that was an accomplishment. And it's it makes me happy to see it , that it's there. Right. It's like , okay , it's there. My time invested is there , time and space is there and it's printed money. Right ? That's what we always say. Printed money. We just got to know what bank we'd like to deposit this printed money.
S2: Our time with Charles and Giancarlo made us realize something. Their dynamic often resembles that of siblings. They can be abrasive at times as they break each other's balls , but the deep care for each other is obvious in how they look at each other when the other is talking and how that terror permeates into the work they do together.
S1: That's the magic , the holy grail of collaboration , so to speak. Finding someone to work with that can read you like a book. The fracture would not have been born if it wasn't for that love and patience they have for each other.
S5: I mean , in today's standards , in the sense of collaboration. Well , our collaboration started from the day we met. You know that that day that we met and we , you know , had a long conversation , like a ten hour at that party till the morning , just you and I outside in this , like , terrace and everybody's like , inside. And we were just out there , you know , just smoking cigarettes and drinking beer and talking all night.
S6: All night. Smoking weed ? Yeah.
S22:
S5: All night till in the morning. And I said , fuck , I love this guy , you know. And I think you said , yeah , me too.
S2: They're compadres or bromance. Pushed them both through their darkest of times.
S1: And sailed them through tempestuous.
S2: Seas and hopefully to more Bountiful shores.
S1: Compadres , a ship we can all sail on. Wow.
S7: Wow. I wish we had that.
S25: Well , I mean , we mean not to have that.
S2: Yeah , we're best friends.
S26: Roll the credits.
S2: This episode of Port of Entry was written and produced by Julio Cesar Ortiz Franco.
S1: Adrian Villalobos technical producer and sound designer.
S2: This episode was edited by Emma Gonzalez Lima Brandao.
S1: Lisa morrissette is director of audio programming and operations.
S2: This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting , a private corporation funded by the American people. Yo soy Natalie Gonzalez.
S1: Nos vemos. Pronto.
S22: Pronto.
