About
DAVID and JAMIE HOLT AGUILAR-RODRIGUEZ are a married filmmaking team shaped by their unique backgrounds: David’s, a totally outrageous Mexican-American bunch from Chicago, and Jamie’s, a multigenerational family of Southern storytellers from Charlotte, North Carolina.
The duo writes comedic dramas about colorful, deeply flawed, unconventional protagonists who are determined to carve out their own identity and success against a system where money and power reward conformity––whether that be today or a distant time and place.
David and Jamie both hold MFAs in Film & TV Production from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.
During their formative years, Jamie and David found solace in books and movies, dreaming of creating worlds like those they escaped into.
David grew up in a Latino family torn apart by the American Dream. Amidst his family’s turmoil of abuse and financial ruin, David discovered an outlet in making movies and writing. He longed to be a filmmaker, but the FBI recruited him out of school. Ultimately, though, a life of counterintelligence wasn’t for David, and he ended up in Corporate America, consulting for the American Red Cross.
But when a severe illness left David on his deathbed, he vowed that if he lived, he would escape cubicle life and pursue his true calling! He fought back to health and landed in Hollywood as Roger Corman’s assistant, quickly proving himself in Peru on "Death Race 2050.” He currently works for Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek franchise), and his award-winning short “Yo Soy Sally, La Loca!” is now streaming on Underrated.
For Jamie, creativity was the norm growing up with her watercolor artist dad and Episcopalian youth minister mom. But, as an artsy, outspoken brainiac in a fat body surrounded by Southern debutantes, Jamie was never able to express herself. Facing bullying and a multiple sclerosis diagnosis at sixteen, she turned to writing and theater to navigate growing up “weird.” Jamie found her tribe in the creative problem-solving competition Odyssey of the Mind, her International Baccalaureate high school drama department, the local community theater scene, and playing alto sax in the marching band.
But after adventuring in the Outback studying indigenous storytelling, she fell in love with the power of story, and went on to earn a degree in screenwriting from UNC-Greensboro before cutting her teeth working for Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown) and Justin Simien (Dear White People). Jamie has directed and produced content for Disney-ABC and produced music videos for artists including Lady Gaga. Most recently, Jamie helmed the award-winning web series The Filth (now streaming on Revry) and was an adjunct professor at her alma mater, USC. Fight on!
Outside of film, David is a music aficionado fond of Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, and Prince, and he hosted a jazz and blues show for WHRB 95.3 in Boston. David is also a walking encyclopedia of sports knowledge with a love for basketball, football, and baseball. It’s so bad that Jamie had to learn sports, too…a fact that still blows her family’s minds when she breaks out stats at holiday gatherings. Jamie’s other interests include graphic design, building websites, and AI.
Together, they draw from their personal battles and family sagas, and their protagonists––witty underdogs torn between identities––reflect the couple’s own journeys through adversity.
Why Ten Tortugas?
When we got engaged, David popped the question on the Bow Bridge in Central Park––an iconic location from some of our favorite movies. Right after Jamie said, “YES!” we looked down and saw ten turtles gathered on the lake shore.
Turns out turtles are symbols of longevity, persistence, and wisdom. It was a sign! Perseverance and a deep understanding of the world are what we try to bring to all our creative endeavors. We write scrappy characters battling long odds. And like us (and turtles) our characters never give up.
Thus, “Ten Tortugas” was born.