Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Pabon
Hi Joshua, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hello, thank you for having me. Like I told Mark Wright, I need to figure out how to explain what I am professionally speaking. It’s hard to describe something like “chasing the dream” or a goal you’ve never stopped working to accomplish. But along the way, during my journey trying to master this Dream, I gave up, not once but many times, and today, I’m so blessed to say I never gave up, and by doing so, I just accomplished a personal accomplishment. I’d love to give a little of my backstory; I hope my story can inspire someone struggling to chase their dreams when the Universe seems relentless to get in the way and remind people dreams don’t always have to be glamorous.
So Hi, I’m Joshua Pabon, a Los Angeles kid who survived the 1994 Northridge earthquake; my family relocated to gorgeous Miami Beach, FL, where I attended South Point, Nautilus, and went to Miami Beach Senior High (Hi-Tide Pride). Then, in 2011, I left home and returned to Los Angeles at twenty-three. I had no goal, vision, or money, and somehow, that led me to spend the last twelve years trying to find where my puzzle piece fits in the vast world of Hollywood. It’s been a road filled with a few ups and many downs. Luckily, I had a best friend in fellow Miami Actor Alex Livinalli; you might know him best for his role as “Attuma” in Marvel’s “Wakanda Forever” (the big blue guy with the horns). Alex began his acting career in 2006, I believe; back in 06, I had no idea what “Chasing the dream” meant, but being a teenage kid working at the Local “Regal Cinema on South Beach,” I would watch countless movies. Without realizing it, I was watching human people called actors “Living out their dream.” So, Alex moved to Los Angeles after being a part of over 40 student films across South Florida. At that time, my young ego felt like a big fish in a small pond, and a year later, I followed his footsteps and made the journey out West.
Why not? How hard could it be…?
Moving to Los Angeles was the scariest, most awesome, but terrifying, yet the best decision of my Life. Man, was this the wake-up call I needed? Being a 20’s something PUNK fish, I quickly learned how big the ocean was. I took any job that would have me, even those day jobs that suck the Life from your soul, but we do them anyways because “If you don’t work, you die.” Work hard, earn your paycheck, and pay your bills; that’s all the wisdom my parents had for me when I went out West. At the time, I thought I had no choice but to accept working at “Starbucks” was my Life now, until one day… One day, my boss Tracy changed the trajectory of my Life when she saw a company posting for a Starbucks Commercial using actual baristas and told me, “This is perfect for you; you should check it out.” A few weeks later, I landed the lead role and got my first taste of becoming an Actor. I left Starbucks and began working full-time as a Background actor. Bouncing from TV show to TV show to make a living is hard, but when I held that printed pass granting me access to work at major studios like Warner Brothers, Paramount, and Universal, it blew my mind. At one point, Grey’s Anatomy was my day job (seasons 13-17), playing an orderly in the Greys Memorial Hospital.
But somewhere along the way, that feeling I had growing up in Miami never left that feeling of wanting more…
Wanting to BE MORE.
Meanwhile, Alex began getting higher-profile supporting roles on TV shows such as “Chicago PD” and “Queen of the South.” But no matter how big he got, not in terms of celebrity (he hates that part of the business), but as a high-profile actor, Alex would always check on me to see how I was doing. You know, I’m not a fan of taking drugs (I always have horrible side effects), so my struggles with mental health (ADHD, Anxiety, Chronic Depression) send me on waves of ups and downs, and sometimes I find myself getting STUCK. Alex would always call to remind me what I was capable of and to ensure I was reminded of my untapped potential. Can you imagine that…? A guy killing it on the big screen, kicking butt on shows like freaking “OZARK,” is reminding me of my potential. “I can’t let Alex down,” I would tell myself, and somehow I could fight through it, get myself “unstuck,” and keep it moving.
Somewhere between all this, I fell in love with low-key screenplays without knowing what they were.
Since working at Regal, I always did this weird thing: I watched films like “The Notebook” and “No Country for Old Men,” I would then go out and read the books after to use my imagination to see how they wrote the movie. Then Alex told me that’s what a screenplay was. Of course, I knew that as I ran to this fantastic bookstore in downtown LA called “The Last Bookstore” and bought a dozen used screenplay books… After a few long years and many bad short scripts, I found a way to channel my highly emotional and empathetic flaws. When my Grey Spells hit (aka my Depressions spells), I would camp out at home for a few days and use the hyper-focus side effect of my ADHD to write and write and write. It was so hard creating worlds and complex people in my head and bringing them to Life on paper until one day, I wrote “THE END” for the first on a 114-page screenplay called “Words in Every Step.” I let Shanice (my BBF/former creative partner) read it first, and when she gave the green light, I sent it to Alex. I felt so nervous waiting a week for him to find the time to read it. Then I got the call; Alex read it and once again reminded me of my potential, only this time he said, “YOU ARE NOT JUST A WRITER…” “YOU SHOULD BE MAKING FILMS.”
“Shut up, dude, you’re talking crazy.” was my go-to response; you can’t have all these chemical imbalances and NOT have insecurities. Come on now. Finally, after ten years of riding the waves of Hollywood and letting the waves take me down the road of acting, working background, production crew, Art Department, Production Assistant, etc. After being talked out of quitting the business over a million times, I finally found what my PUZZLE PIECE IN HOLLYWOOD WAS…
I’m Joshua Pabon, Screenwriter.
Then, in 2021, Life came down like a ton of bricks; my family living in North Miami Beach got evicted from their home during the COVID-19 fiasco. I dropped my Life in Los Angeles and flew home to help. A decision I struggle with making to this day. We bounced from hotel to hotel for five months because my family had zero emergency money to survive. It was my Mom, Dad, their five cats, and my younger Sister, who already had her struggles as a person on the spectrum. My dad continued to work at Saks to cover the hotel fees and would have to come home to a new address, hotel, and Airbnb. Three days here, one day there. Let’s camp out at the local North Shore park for 8 hours until it was time to check in someplace new. It was the worst experience of my Life; it took an insane mental toll on my family, and they all snapped, myself included.
I’m thankful we had our health, but during COVID, times were scary. However, during this time, Alex would somehow find out where we were staying and who dropped off the hugest pizzas, and he helped us move boxes and furniture. By Christmas 2021, my family was able to land a new apartment, and I finally got a chance to return home to Los Angeles, but having holes in my wallet and spirit, Alex once again came through for me and spent his miles to send me home. It was incredible. I would take a bullet for this man.
November 11th, 2022, Marvel’s Black Panther “Wakanda Forever” was released, and I got to witness my best friend, ALEX LIVINALLI, on the big screen as a Marvel Character: Attuma. Alex was no longer a man chasing his dreams or a man living the Dream, but being there since day one, I have witnessed firsthand how much hard work goes into “chasing your dreams.” Watching him on the big screen that night, I cried; I was so happy. I told you I’m highly emotional, and that’s okay. Those tears of joy add a little salt to my now soggy popcorn.
That joy was short-lived when I got the news my father was diagnosed with Multiple Melanoma Cancer, and I was devastated. Once you google something like that, it gutted me to my core, and once again, I was hit with a sense of hopelessness. I thought, “How can this happen to my family so soon? We barely survived 2021!” I was broken and broke. I couldn’t do a single thing to help. Neither Alex nor anyone could, not even Superman, save my family from this crisis. Soon after the news came out, I found out people at my dad’s job rallied together and raised over ten thousand in a “GoFundMe,” which helped my family pay the rent while my dad did his Chemotherapy. I was so thankful, but being unable to do it myself left me feeling worthless. Like clockwork, Alex found a way to call me when I needed to be “unstuck” and presented me with a great idea. “LET’S WRITE A MOVIE?” He thought we could ride the momentum of “Black Panther Wakanda Forever” and use it as leverage to pitch a screenplay for me to sell and for him to star in.
You already know – this is way easier said than done.
As a first-time screenwriter, he warned me that I wouldn’t make millions, but I could at least make enough to help my family with bills and keep them above water. That very second, a million ideas started spinning in my head, and I was like, yes, yes, yes, let’s do everything now fast, fast, money, money, money. I was a creative mess until the day he sent me a NY-TIMES article that changed everything. This article gave this crazy guy (me) a sense of direction and narrowed my focus, and BOOM, it all hit me. It was like opening a closet after shoving everything in it, and it all came tumbling out.
So, in early 2023, WE started writing “DOWN THE LION,” starring Alex Livinalli, a feature film with the lead character explicitly designed for Alex to play. Trust me; it’s not easy painting yourself in a corner like this; Alex and I butted heads for months until, one day, it was solely left up to me to write the script solo. There was no bad blood; we had different visions, so I suggested, “Let me write something from beginning to end, and later, we can see if it works.” Let me figure this out; I can do this, I promise. For the first time, I wanted to put all the weight on my shoulders and accomplish the impossible, so I started writing “Down The Lion.” My single mindset was to write something good enough to interest an Oscar winner like Benicio Del Toro.
Once again, Life had other plans to shake things up in early 2023, and the ACTOR’S/WRITERS STRIKES began. WTF! I was out of work for months and thought finishing the script would save me, but the pressure got to me, and I fumbled the ball. Setting my goals too high, I failed to create a good enough ending, and I froze; I had a severe case of writer’s block, and mentally, it took a toll on me, and I was consumed by the pressure all around me, and my ego crumbled. I was drinking so much, not in an angry way, but I was coping with it all a little too much, and I gained so much weight, 75 pounds of stress, to be exact. “Could things get any worse,” I thought; oh yeah, my landlord called in May 2023 and said, “Im selling the house you’re renting. You have a 30-day notice.
“Hollywood stopped working, and I was on the verge of homelessness, so that’s when I gave in. In the Summer of 2023, I officially tapped out, and I called my Mom and let her know I was done “Chasing the Dream.” I asked her what I should do because Life was making zero sense, and she said, “Come Home.”
In the summer of 2023, I officially quit Los Angeles. I hustled the best I could and found a way to move me and my cats to Miami, FL, safely. Oh yeah, I’m also proud of “Cat Dad.” Sorry, but I like dogs, too, lol. Being back home after 14 years has been a humbling experience. Nothing is the same; the friends I had growing up are now older with kids and families, and I’m like this single dude with no kids, fresh off his trip to the moon. But I kept my promise of quitting the business and got a service industry gig at the former Yard House on Lincoln Road. Yay. I’m not going to lie; I could have been a better sport, but I wouldn’t say I liked working for tips and dealing with kitchen people; no offense, but it’s like having two rival gangs trying to work together to bring smiles with food; it was wild.
Then, one day, I got a call from a producer friend from NYC asking me to work as a Production Assistant gig on a music video shooting here in Miami. I swallowed my pride, and I said, “NO.” He said, “Okay, cool, maybe we can grab lunch.” I was ghosted 100%. But I understood. Soon after, my decision ate at me for a little while. What if this was my last connection to my former Life, and I missed the train? It was heartbreaking.
Thank you for reading this far before I end with the best part of my story, proving why the Universe is so beautiful. This last part of my story is genuine and happened a few weeks ago.
September 1st, 2024, Yard House on South Beach is permanently closed. After ten years, it closed down, and once again, I was out of work. On September 2nd, the next day, that same producer called me and asked if I could work on September 5th. This time, my answer was, “HELL YEAH!” Stone Cold Style. And I had the incredible pleasure of working on my first Miami music video just over a year after quitting the business. I felt like the opposite of Al Pacino in the “Godfather,” and I was more than excited to be pulled back into the business. So I worked the gig, and after a 16-hour day in Doral, FL, I was about to catch an expensive Uber when that Producer friend asked if I wanted a ride back to Miami.
Now, this all sounds boring and basic, with no action. I assure you my scripts are way more exciting. Speaking of writing, that’s precisely our conversation on our forty-minute drive. “Have you written anything lately?” Not knowing of anything going on in my Life, things I just shared openly with you all, this gentleman who works with the Ed Sheeran and the Bad Bunnys of the world remembered my love for writing, and I looked at him and said, “No. I tried writing something for my friend Alex a year ago, but Life happened, and it didn’t work out.” He didn’t judge or question my choice to quit the game.
Instead, my friend’s name sounded familiar. “Alex…? The guy that just worked with my boy Eif?” At this point, the Universe EXPLODED in my head when I realized my best friend Alex had recently just worked on a TV show called “Black Mafia Family” directed by his best friend (famous Director). I sat back in my seat and couldn’t believe how small the world was… So we arrived at our destination, and before I got out of the car, he stopped me and told me, “Hey, write something. Whatever it is, I’ll read it.” I responded like a dummy, “Are you sure?” He looked at me, said, “Just write something.” and drove off.
The morning at four AM, I texted Alex and told him I was blowing the dust off “Down The Lion” and was going to write our movie from scratch. On October 6th, 2024, I wrote my two favorite words, “The End,” on the script: thirty-two days and 143 pages of nonstop madness and needless days of writing. I generated so much new detailed information that I’m in the process of developing the story into a possible series for Netflix. I have enough material for ten episodes – 60 minutes each.
Mind you, this personal sense of accomplishment was still all too fresh when I received a surprising email from Voyage MIA Editor Mark Wright (on October 7th, 2024) asking about my career and business. This was THE VERY DAY! You have no idea how amazing the feeling is to create something in silence and then have someone pop up interested in what you do. I tell people all the time being a screenwriter sucks in a way. You can train and finish the most challenging triathlon of your Life, and by the time you finish, you will find yourself all alone, with no audience, no fans to witness your accomplishment, and no person to hand you a little metal. Then, no matter how proud you are of the script you just created, you can’t pass it around like a mix tape, either. It only exists to you.
It’s incredible what kindness and positive motivation can do for a person.
“Write something, and I’ll read it.” These words will forever change my Life. Not because this script is excellent or because I can make money from it one day, but because those kind words caused a spark of hope that became an atomic bomb of creative energy, the energy I used to write the most extraordinary script of my Life. A script that, once Alex reads it, will fulfill a promise made; he will know how much love I have for him as a human being and as a brother and how much faith I have in his abilities as an actor that I created the most epic situations and character dynamics that will for sure push him to his creative limits, which I know is exactly the real “Dream he’s been Chasing.”
“Down The Lion” went from a forgotten idea with no true identity and no future to a finished screenplay created from love, sparked by hope, and Powered by passion. I can’t wait to share it” with the world. It’s so cool, I promise.
Thank you for your valuable time; I hope this was worth the read and that my energy is felt because I’m still full of electricity.
Anyways, thanks again for reading.
“THE END”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In 2021, my family living in North Miami Beach got evicted from their home during the COVID-19 fiasco. I dropped my entire life and flew back to Miami, where I spent five months living with them, moving from hotel to hotel because my family had ZERO emergency money to move. It was My Mom, dad, and autistic sister. To cover the Fees, my dad continues to work his job at Saks and would have to come home to a new address, a new hotel, a new Airbnb that i found for a better price, three days here, one day here, and few houses at a park until check-in time; It was the worst experience of my life.
During this time, Alex would find out where we were staying, drop off HUGE PIZZAS, and help us move boxes and furniture. It was incredible. I would take a bullet for this man.
By Christmas 2021, my dad and I were able to help get my family into a new apartment, and I returned home to Los Angeles with holes in my wallet and spirit.
Then, two weeks before Wakanda Forever came out, my father was diagnosed with Multiple Melanoma Cancer, and I was devastated. Once you google what that cancer is, it gutted me to my core. How can this happen to my family so soon? We barely survived 2021!!!
I was broken and broke. I couldn’t do a single thing to help. Neither Alex nor anyone could, not even Superman, help me solve this crisis. Then I found out people at my dad’s job rallied together and raised over 10k in a “GoFundMe,” that helped pay the rent while my dad did his Chemotherapy.
I was so thankful, but being unable to do it myself left me feeling worthless.
Early 2023, the ACTOR’s and WRITERS STRIKES happened. So, for months, I was out of work and thought finishing the script would save me, but the pressure got to me, and I fumbled. Failure to find a good enough ending took a toll on me. I was drinking so much, not in the wrong way but just coping with it all; I gained so much way just by stressing out. Then my landlord called in May 2023 and said, “Im selling the house you’re renting. You have a 30-day notice.”
WTF…?
So yeah, Hollywood stopped working, and I was on the verge of being homeless, so that’s when I gave in. I officially tapped out, called my Mom, and quit “CHASING MY DREAM.” I asked her what I should do because life was making zero sense, and she said, “Come Home.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My name is Joshua Pabon, and I’m a darn good Screenwriter,” Josh said with a confident smile as he sweated bullets, saying that out loud to a stranger.
I was born in Los Angeles and thankful to have been raised in Miami Beach, FL.
For the past ten years, my career has been shaped by the film industry in the heart of Hollywood, where I learned the ins and outs of the movie business.
I started as a background Artist – the preferred term other than ‘EXTRA” and evolved to ACTOR – then Screenwriter – now kind of a film director maybe – I created two short films during COVID, but one was finished due to unforeseen circumstances – after covid, i went into the Crew side – working as an Art director – Production Manager – essential set PA – I can Adobe edit Photoshop and Premier pro – but I hate to color im the worst at sticking with one LUT hahaha.
I’ve become a jack of all trades, hoping to find my calling in Hollywood. Taking this journey and getting lost along the way allowed me to learn things the hard way, helping me to build an appreciation for every aspect of the movie-making process. And at this very moment, you are meeting me when I’ve created one of my most significant pieces, a script im so proud of. I can’t wait to see what reaching this next level holds in store.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Streaming has been the only direction for over 10 years; movies have been in theaters for months and months now. They only last weeks on the big screen before finding a streamer to call home for a year.
So, with that in mind, I wrote my feature script, “Down The Lion,” to fulfill a promise to myself and my best friend. By doing so, I went extra hard for 32 straight days and generated enough story material to cover both options for the future. A feature film to land in the theaters, then it will hit a streamer by being a GOOD MOVIE. One can hope or make a straight-to-streamer as a 10-episode series.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @joshua7787
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/Ic703QvlJPQ
- Other: https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/public-profile/c7ef3c0e-9158-11ea-9bfa-0291f623b406
