Hallmark star Nik Sanchez is making his debut as a writer and director in this year’s Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. The 19-year-old college student, who calls himself “awesomely autistic,” also starred in the short comedy, titled Over.
“I’ve always had a passion to tell stories and write out my feelings,” Sanchez said in an exclusive interview with TV Cheddar. “I felt like it was a perfect
time to express my emotions through a story and filming a short film helps me do that perfectly.”
Click here to watch the film.
Easterseals Disability Film Challenge
The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge was founded in 2013 by actor, comedian, producer, and disability advocate Nic Novicki.
“I created the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge to help accelerate change within Hollywood and to provide filmmakers and actors with tangible work experience and with an opportunity to tell authentic stories,” he said. “We are proud of the amazing films produced over the past 10 years — viewed around the world — and the successes our participants have gone on to achieve.”
Since the Film Challenge was launched in 2013, aspiring filmmakers have created and submitted more than 600 short films.
Last year, Sanchez appeared in the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge in the short movie Safe Place.
He said his experience in the movie inspired him to try writing and directing for himself.
“I was so amazed by how much effort was put into the film by such a small group,” he said. “And the film was really good. I thought that if I can act and understand how making a film works, I could write my own film too.”
Awesomely autistic
Sanchez was diagnosed at a young age with autism and ADHD. His mother enrolled him in acting classes at the age of five because he enjoyed role-playing.
“The instructor told me I wouldn’t do well because I had the attention span of a gnat,” Sanchez said.
But Sanchez proved his teacher wrong. In high school, he signed with an agent and soon after booked his first role as a recurring character on the ABC series The Rookie.
The experience taught him a lot.
“..I didn’t realize we’d have to do the scenes over and over and over again, because of the angles and the camera changes,” he said. “I gained a much higher respect for the actors.”
Hallmark star
Sanchez made his Hallmark debut in the 2021 movie Our Christmas Journey with Holly Robinson Peete. He played 18-year-old Marcus, a young man on the autism spectrum who lives with his mother (played by Holly Robinson Peete) but wants to move into an independent living facility.
Robinson Peete and her husband, former NFL player Rodney Peete, have been vocal advocates for members of the autism community since their son, RJ, was diagnosed with the condition as a young child. In 1993 they founded the HolyRod Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness and providing resources to families that have a loved one who has received an autism or Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
Sanchez described working with Robinson Peete as “amazing.”
“Working with her was probably the closest I’ll ever get to making a movie with my own mom,” he said. “She just knew things. Being around her felt very natural from day one.”
He said he liked the script for Our Christmas Journey because it was an accurate portrayal of life with autism.
“In real autistic families, everybody is affected,” he said. “Everybody plays a role and this movie really portrays that.”
Interview
Nik Sanchez recently answered some questions for TV Cheddar about his new project, his college career, and his love of filmmaking.
TVC: You recently changed college majors. What inspired the change?
NS: I changed my major from Game Art Design to TV and Film Production mainly because I wanted to learn even more about the film industry, sooner rather than later. I still want to create video games but I want to create games that become movies or movies that become games. …Ever since I started acting, I was so fascinated by everything about it. There are so many different roles and experiences that you could have while being in the industry. I have met so many great people, learned so many new things. I strive to be a great actor, and a great filmmaker. The best video games have an awesome main character and an amazing story line — just like TV and movies. I can’t wait to create new stories, characters and adventures for the
gaming and film industries.
TVC: Why did you decide to enter your own film in the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge?
NS: I’ve always had a passion to tell stories and write out my feelings. I felt like it was a perfect time to express my emotions through a story and filming a short film helps me do that perfectly. Last year, I just acted in a short film by Jennifer Msumba and Scott Klumb. I was so amazed by how much effort was put into the film by such a small group. And the film was really good. I thought that if I can act and understand how making a film works, I could write my own film too. So I did!
TVC: How did you decide what to write about? How long did it take you to complete the script?
NS: I went mostly off one of the theme options of the challenge (Dynamic Duo) and wrote about one of my favorite dynamics in the whole world: How opposites attract. The yin yang is a symbol I love. To me, it symbolizes that both darkness and light create harmony within a human. I love finding relationships with people that seem like they don’t work or don’t make
sense but when you find someone that’s completely opposite of you, you guys balance each other out and create a force or bond that is nearly unbreakable. It took me about two days to finish writing the full script. Originally, it was 15 pages. …Eventually, with the help of my good friend and co-star, Havon Baraka, we got it down to like eight pages. So all in all like a week and a half to finish the script.
TVC: How long did it take to make the movie? Were there any unexpected challenges you faced in the getting the film made?
NS: We used two days to film/shoot the movie. And gave the editor, Diego Hinojosa, three days to edit, then I wanted to upload one day before the deadline in case we ran into any technical difficulties. Trying to squeeze all the scenes into two days was a little tough. However, that was not the biggest challenge. The biggest challenge was really just finishing the script in the first place.
Like I mentioned before, my script was waaayyy too long. I was really proud of the script and it was hard to figure out which things I felt good with removing. I hope I made the right choices.
TVC: What do you hope viewers get from the film?
NS: I hope viewers understand that the concept of an odd friend dynamic is not just for entertainment purposes. Regardless of disability, differences, and faults, as long as both are putting in effort to understand one another and be there for one another, they can do anything. Me and my friend Havon, who acted in the film, are great friends but we see the world through two different lens. I see the world more optimistically but sometimes naive, and he sees the
world with a more pessimistic but logical view. But together, we are smarter and stronger. This is where I got the idea in the first place as well. Because of our dynamic.
TVC: Are you working on any other projects? Do you have ideas for your next film?
NS: I have another big film that’s coming out in 2025. I’m not allowed to talk about it yet, but I am SO excited that I got to be a part of it. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. And I’m working on a few other school projects that I’m excited to get started on.
TVC: What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers?
NS: I would say, if you have an idea, go for it. Even if it’s the craziest idea. Write a story. Create a world that is led by your imagination. As a kid, I had countless ideas that I wish I could have turned into a reality. In the film industry, with the right tools, the right people and with a lot of patience, you can turn any idea into reality. So if you have an idea, don’t give it up. Write it down, write a script, or make a small film. Draw out ideas so you’ll never lose them. That’s my advice. Don’t let ideas fade away so quickly.
Nik Sanchez’s film Over can be viewed here. Feel free to “like” and share with friends.
