Something About Myself...
"Well, I was introduced to the world of acting when I was plopped in front of a television set by my parents when they went to work. Watching TV became my constant babysitter. After all I've seen, I decided to pursue priesthood.
During my service as a choirboy and alter boy, I met my favorite actor Steve McQueen. The legendary actor was shooting "The Hunter" near my parochial school in Chicago. This profound meeting ignited my interest to pursue the arts. But, I decided to pursue medicine instead after witnessing the rooftop jump stunts the actor was doing.
It was until studying at the University that my counselor advised me that I'd take some elective courses to complete the units required to transfer to medical school. So, I decided to take an acting class.
The rest ... is going according to plan."
~ Edwin
During my service as a choirboy and alter boy, I met my favorite actor Steve McQueen. The legendary actor was shooting "The Hunter" near my parochial school in Chicago. This profound meeting ignited my interest to pursue the arts. But, I decided to pursue medicine instead after witnessing the rooftop jump stunts the actor was doing.
It was until studying at the University that my counselor advised me that I'd take some elective courses to complete the units required to transfer to medical school. So, I decided to take an acting class.
The rest ... is going according to plan."
~ Edwin
The Chicago-born, Los Angeles-raised Edwin A. Santos is both an award winning film producer and a nominated actor. He has trained at Weist-Barron-Hill and long form improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB)..
Edwin produced five feature length films, two short films, one documentary short film, a number of behind-the-scenes DVD featurettes and original web content including the feature films SOAP GIRL (Best Feature Film, Asian American Category, Big Bear Lake International Film Festival 2002), MAD COWGIRL (Best Feature Film, Silver Lake Film Festival 2006) and, as an actor, the short film LOVE HURTS (nominated for Best Supporting Actor & Best Cast, 3rd Fall Festival 2011). He was a production executive for SAMURAI COP 2: DEADLY VENGEANCE (2015) which was theatrically released across the U.S. and Europe to sold out crowds at independent chain movie theaters (Laemmle, Landmark and Alamo Drafthouse) and niche midnight theaters. He also created and produced the sketch comedy A GETTING LAID GETAWAY (2015) for Funny Or Die.
Edwin has performed and written sketches for No Shame Theater LA, the Los Angeles Chapter of the University of Iowa's No Shame Theatre at the Powerhouse Theatre from 2006 to 2009, for Go Sketch Yourself, the Comedy Music Circus and the Sketch Holiday Theme Party Show at iO West in 2013, Not Too Shabby at UCB Franklin in 2013 as well as for B.Y.O.S. Sketch Open Mic and the Smut's Dirty Little Secret show at UCB Sunset in 2015. He voiced supporting characters on radio plays of The Room and When Harry Met Sally on the podcast show, Super Awkward FunCast.
Edwin also finds time to give back to the community. In 2008, he was the line producer as well as videographer and lighting technician for the online new media weekly episodic web series, Flipped Switch. It featured interviews with John Cho, Apl.de.ap, Mark Dacascos, Michelle Krusiec, James Saito, Bobby Lee, DJ Shy, Christine "Happyslip" Gambito, Lynn Chen, Stephen Chow, Neil Patrick Harris, Xu Jiao, Quentin Tarantino, Alice Braga, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, Randy Couture, etc. as well as sketch comedy vignettes with a cast of in-house Filipino and Asian American talent in between.
In 2015, Edwin provided a discussion and networking outlet for young actors to avoid the pitfalls of the entertainment industry while shining a spotlight on Filipino American talent in Hollywood today when he founded the annual Filipino Hollywood Actors Panel. His guest panelists have included Eugene Cordero, Billy DaMota (casting director), Vincent Rodriguez III, Tess Paras, Janet Tscha (agent), Nico Santos, Dea Vise (casting director), Manny Jacinto, Angela Relucio, Phil Brock (manager), Aina Dumlao, Tamlyn Tomita, Jason Rogel, Karina Walters (casting director), etc. - special guest panelists who represent the craft of acting across the board. His 8th Filipino Hollywood Actors Panel will announce in mid-2021.
And, in 2020, he joined the Artists, Creatives & Business Podcast as host and producer. He has since interviewed Janet Nepales (Golden Globe Awards), Grace Moss (Head, Talent Development & Inclusion at NBC Entertainment), Ramona Diaz (documentary filmmaker of A Thousand Cuts, Motherland), PJ Raval (documentary filmmaker of Call Her Ganda), Princess Punzalan (Yellow Rose), among many others.
Edwin worked in social media marketing while producing feature films for Cinema Epoch, a U.S based film distribution and production company specializing in international cinema thru Entertainment One (eOne) from 2005 to 2019. He worked with Rob Schrab on a Blu-ray featurette for the 2014 release of Samurai Cop. And, attended the 2007 Cannes International Film Festival and the annual American Film Market. He also worked behind-the-scenes at E! Entertainment, Comcast Entertainment Group, Crest Digital and Mark Massari Productions’ Real Stories of the Highway Patrol.
Edwin was an active member in FilAm Creative from 2015 to 2018 when he joined its Leadership Team. He provided video coverage for various FAC events. Provided opportunities for content producers to collaborate and created original non-fiction programming (i.e. FilAm Creations: BTS) for the FAC Networks channel on YouTube. Wrote the FAC In Focus one-on-one interview series and Op-Eds about Filipinos in Hollywood for the official FAC blogsite. Posted/promoted content that resulted to an increase of new followers and new subscribers for FAC’s social media sites. And, he was the liason of events with the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and Asian AF's Filipino AF show at UCB Sunset.
Edwin was an active member with the Film Selection Committee as well as the Program Curator of the Filmmakers, Actors and Screenwriters Panels at the Los Angeles Philippine International Film Festival in 2017, the Alliance for Women in Media from 1992 to 1996 and from 2010 to 2011. He was a member with the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (SMPTE) from 1993 to 1997. And, he was an active member with Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) from 1998 to 1999. He is currently a Board Member with the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Hollywood since 2017.
With a Bachelor-In-Arts Degree in Radio, Television & Film from California-State University, Northridge along with his continuing passion for the creative and visual arts, Edwin is also an honorary recipient of the Catherine Clymer Scholarship Award from the Alliance for Women in Media, an honorary recipient of the Educational Equity Award for Outstanding Service presented by the School of Cinema & Television Arts of California-State University, Northridge and he is listed on the Honor Roll of Giving (2007-2009) for the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media and Communication of California-State University, Northridge. In 2018, he was recognized by the Long Beach Acting & Film Association's Independent Community Arts Award.
LITTLE KNOWN FACT:
Edwin is a 5th generation direct descendant of Marcela Mariño Agoncillo, the principle seamstress who sewed the first Philippine Flag, in accordance with General Emilio Aguinaldo’s design which later became the Official Flag of the Philippines.
Edwin produced five feature length films, two short films, one documentary short film, a number of behind-the-scenes DVD featurettes and original web content including the feature films SOAP GIRL (Best Feature Film, Asian American Category, Big Bear Lake International Film Festival 2002), MAD COWGIRL (Best Feature Film, Silver Lake Film Festival 2006) and, as an actor, the short film LOVE HURTS (nominated for Best Supporting Actor & Best Cast, 3rd Fall Festival 2011). He was a production executive for SAMURAI COP 2: DEADLY VENGEANCE (2015) which was theatrically released across the U.S. and Europe to sold out crowds at independent chain movie theaters (Laemmle, Landmark and Alamo Drafthouse) and niche midnight theaters. He also created and produced the sketch comedy A GETTING LAID GETAWAY (2015) for Funny Or Die.
Edwin has performed and written sketches for No Shame Theater LA, the Los Angeles Chapter of the University of Iowa's No Shame Theatre at the Powerhouse Theatre from 2006 to 2009, for Go Sketch Yourself, the Comedy Music Circus and the Sketch Holiday Theme Party Show at iO West in 2013, Not Too Shabby at UCB Franklin in 2013 as well as for B.Y.O.S. Sketch Open Mic and the Smut's Dirty Little Secret show at UCB Sunset in 2015. He voiced supporting characters on radio plays of The Room and When Harry Met Sally on the podcast show, Super Awkward FunCast.
Edwin also finds time to give back to the community. In 2008, he was the line producer as well as videographer and lighting technician for the online new media weekly episodic web series, Flipped Switch. It featured interviews with John Cho, Apl.de.ap, Mark Dacascos, Michelle Krusiec, James Saito, Bobby Lee, DJ Shy, Christine "Happyslip" Gambito, Lynn Chen, Stephen Chow, Neil Patrick Harris, Xu Jiao, Quentin Tarantino, Alice Braga, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, Randy Couture, etc. as well as sketch comedy vignettes with a cast of in-house Filipino and Asian American talent in between.
In 2015, Edwin provided a discussion and networking outlet for young actors to avoid the pitfalls of the entertainment industry while shining a spotlight on Filipino American talent in Hollywood today when he founded the annual Filipino Hollywood Actors Panel. His guest panelists have included Eugene Cordero, Billy DaMota (casting director), Vincent Rodriguez III, Tess Paras, Janet Tscha (agent), Nico Santos, Dea Vise (casting director), Manny Jacinto, Angela Relucio, Phil Brock (manager), Aina Dumlao, Tamlyn Tomita, Jason Rogel, Karina Walters (casting director), etc. - special guest panelists who represent the craft of acting across the board. His 8th Filipino Hollywood Actors Panel will announce in mid-2021.
And, in 2020, he joined the Artists, Creatives & Business Podcast as host and producer. He has since interviewed Janet Nepales (Golden Globe Awards), Grace Moss (Head, Talent Development & Inclusion at NBC Entertainment), Ramona Diaz (documentary filmmaker of A Thousand Cuts, Motherland), PJ Raval (documentary filmmaker of Call Her Ganda), Princess Punzalan (Yellow Rose), among many others.
Edwin worked in social media marketing while producing feature films for Cinema Epoch, a U.S based film distribution and production company specializing in international cinema thru Entertainment One (eOne) from 2005 to 2019. He worked with Rob Schrab on a Blu-ray featurette for the 2014 release of Samurai Cop. And, attended the 2007 Cannes International Film Festival and the annual American Film Market. He also worked behind-the-scenes at E! Entertainment, Comcast Entertainment Group, Crest Digital and Mark Massari Productions’ Real Stories of the Highway Patrol.
Edwin was an active member in FilAm Creative from 2015 to 2018 when he joined its Leadership Team. He provided video coverage for various FAC events. Provided opportunities for content producers to collaborate and created original non-fiction programming (i.e. FilAm Creations: BTS) for the FAC Networks channel on YouTube. Wrote the FAC In Focus one-on-one interview series and Op-Eds about Filipinos in Hollywood for the official FAC blogsite. Posted/promoted content that resulted to an increase of new followers and new subscribers for FAC’s social media sites. And, he was the liason of events with the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and Asian AF's Filipino AF show at UCB Sunset.
Edwin was an active member with the Film Selection Committee as well as the Program Curator of the Filmmakers, Actors and Screenwriters Panels at the Los Angeles Philippine International Film Festival in 2017, the Alliance for Women in Media from 1992 to 1996 and from 2010 to 2011. He was a member with the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (SMPTE) from 1993 to 1997. And, he was an active member with Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) from 1998 to 1999. He is currently a Board Member with the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Hollywood since 2017.
With a Bachelor-In-Arts Degree in Radio, Television & Film from California-State University, Northridge along with his continuing passion for the creative and visual arts, Edwin is also an honorary recipient of the Catherine Clymer Scholarship Award from the Alliance for Women in Media, an honorary recipient of the Educational Equity Award for Outstanding Service presented by the School of Cinema & Television Arts of California-State University, Northridge and he is listed on the Honor Roll of Giving (2007-2009) for the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media and Communication of California-State University, Northridge. In 2018, he was recognized by the Long Beach Acting & Film Association's Independent Community Arts Award.
LITTLE KNOWN FACT:
Edwin is a 5th generation direct descendant of Marcela Mariño Agoncillo, the principle seamstress who sewed the first Philippine Flag, in accordance with General Emilio Aguinaldo’s design which later became the Official Flag of the Philippines.
