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HOLLYWOOD FROM THE INSIDE
HOLLYWOOD FROM THE INSIDE
The road through Hollywood can often be tumultuous and confusing. All of the he said/she said gossip written daily in tabloids and magazines has made Hollywood seem like a very grim place. Talk to fashion producer Fredy Granda and you might just walk away with a totally different perception. Fortunately, Fredy was able to cut some time out of his busy schedule to let me get a glimpse of the inside of Hollywood through his eyes.
Fredy Granda didn’t start out as a world renowned fashion producer and nobody handed him the title either. Fredy’s big break came in 1989-1990, when he had the opportunity to work as a location producer on “Postcards from the Edge,” based on “Star Wars” actress Carrie Fisher’s semi-autobiographical novel. Working with Shirley MacLaine, Meryl Streep and producer/director Mike Nichols allowed Fredy to see first-hand the professionalism and attitude required to produce a successful film. Little did Fredy know that he would have to choose between an acting or producing career.
Not too long after “Postcards from the Edge,” Fredy received a phone call from Angela Lansbury’s assistant, who asked him if he wouldn’t mind being a police officer and undercover cop for an upcoming “Murder She Wrote.” Shocked and thankful for the offer, Fredy agreed and ended up with a couple of speaking parts on this popular TV series. Apparently, Fredy had the “look” of a cop and appeared in three episodes of the popular TV show “Hunter,” starring Fred Dryer. After these brief escapades in front of the camera, Fredy Granda decided he could make the biggest impact behind the scenes. So in the early 1990’s, he put all of his energy into producing the America Now TV show.
America Now TV ran on Channel 22 in Los Angeles for a little over 3 years and was translated and broadcast in 27 countries, thanks to a distribution deal with Peacock Films. While producing America Now TV, Fredy had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Hollywood producers, supermodels and celebrities, including Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirstie Alley, Jamie Lee Curtis, Julio Iglesias and Clint Eastwood. When asked which celebrity stands out the most in his mind, Fredy replied, “Clint Eastwood. He was always extremely friendly and easy to work with.” In fact, Fredy honored Clint Eastwood with an America Now TV Award. This three-year period gave Fredy the chance to solidify his attributes and as a result of his hard work, he soon became recognized as a top professional Hollywood producer. Channel 22 was later replaced by Telemundo NBC, which opened Fredy’s eyes to the emerging Latin American market and fashion production.
After perfecting his skills in movies and TV, Fredy broadened his skill set by taking on the rapidly changing and often difficult world of fashion. It didn’t take long for Fredy to parlay his Hollywood connections into a successful fashion production career. Fredy Granda and his company America Now Productions have done and continue to do productions for large international magazine publishers including Condé Nast and Editorial Televisa. Fredy Granda’s work has appeared in numerous international magazines such as British GQ, Maxim en Español, Eres, British Vogue, Bazaar, Men’s Health en Español and Elle en Español, just to name a few. Fredy Granda has been proud to help new and aspiring models and actors achieve their goals in the entertainment industry. One of Fredy’s crowning achievements has been his contributions to world peace and the environment through his annual trip to the Amazon, Peru , taking place for the last 12 years.
His trips have helped raise awareness about the depletion of the Rain Forest, lands and culture of the indigenous Indians of Peru. Each year, Fredy takes a group of up and coming male and female models for a week-long work and educational adventure to the Amazon. Through international press coverage and his published work, Fredy has been able to build awareness of these growing global concerns. In fact, David Geffen of DreamWorks was so impressed that he personally called Fredy to congratulate him on his environmental awareness achievements. America Now Productions also supports charitable causes to help homeless teens in the United States .
Whether it is contributing to world peace, helping to solve the U.S. homeless teen problem, raising environmental awareness or producing the perfect magazine spread, one thing is certain, Fredy Granda is not satisfied until everything is just right. As 2006 rapidly approaches, look for Fredy Granda to continue making his mark as one of Hollywood ’s premiere producers. Remember, you will never understand Hollywood until you are on the inside looking out.
by Weston James
Hollywood News
The road through Hollywood can often be tumultuous and confusing. All of the he said/she said gossip written daily in tabloids and magazines has made Hollywood seem like a very grim place. Talk to fashion producer Fredy Granda and you might just walk away with a totally different perception. Fortunately, Fredy was able to cut some time out of his busy schedule to let me get a glimpse of the inside of Hollywood through his eyes.
Fredy Granda didn’t start out as a world renowned fashion producer and nobody handed him the title either. Fredy’s big break came in 1989-1990, when he had the opportunity to work as a location producer on “Postcards from the Edge,” based on “Star Wars” actress Carrie Fisher’s semi-autobiographical novel. Working with Shirley MacLaine, Meryl Streep and producer/director Mike Nichols allowed Fredy to see first-hand the professionalism and attitude required to produce a successful film. Little did Fredy know that he would have to choose between an acting or producing career.
Not too long after “Postcards from the Edge,” Fredy received a phone call from Angela Lansbury’s assistant, who asked him if he wouldn’t mind being a police officer and undercover cop for an upcoming “Murder She Wrote.” Shocked and thankful for the offer, Fredy agreed and ended up with a couple of speaking parts on this popular TV series. Apparently, Fredy had the “look” of a cop and appeared in three episodes of the popular TV show “Hunter,” starring Fred Dryer. After these brief escapades in front of the camera, Fredy Granda decided he could make the biggest impact behind the scenes. So in the early 1990’s, he put all of his energy into producing the America Now TV show.
America Now TV ran on Channel 22 in Los Angeles for a little over 3 years and was translated and broadcast in 27 countries, thanks to a distribution deal with Peacock Films. While producing America Now TV, Fredy had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Hollywood producers, supermodels and celebrities, including Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirstie Alley, Jamie Lee Curtis, Julio Iglesias and Clint Eastwood. When asked which celebrity stands out the most in his mind, Fredy replied, “Clint Eastwood. He was always extremely friendly and easy to work with.” In fact, Fredy honored Clint Eastwood with an America Now TV Award. This three-year period gave Fredy the chance to solidify his attributes and as a result of his hard work, he soon became recognized as a top professional Hollywood producer. Channel 22 was later replaced by Telemundo NBC, which opened Fredy’s eyes to the emerging Latin American market and fashion production.
After perfecting his skills in movies and TV, Fredy broadened his skill set by taking on the rapidly changing and often difficult world of fashion. It didn’t take long for Fredy to parlay his Hollywood connections into a successful fashion production career. Fredy Granda and his company America Now Productions have done and continue to do productions for large international magazine publishers including Condé Nast and Editorial Televisa. Fredy Granda’s work has appeared in numerous international magazines such as British GQ, Maxim en Español, Eres, British Vogue, Bazaar, Men’s Health en Español and Elle en Español, just to name a few. Fredy Granda has been proud to help new and aspiring models and actors achieve their goals in the entertainment industry. One of Fredy’s crowning achievements has been his contributions to world peace and the environment through his annual trip to the Amazon, Peru , taking place for the last 12 years.
His trips have helped raise awareness about the depletion of the Rain Forest, lands and culture of the indigenous Indians of Peru. Each year, Fredy takes a group of up and coming male and female models for a week-long work and educational adventure to the Amazon. Through international press coverage and his published work, Fredy has been able to build awareness of these growing global concerns. In fact, David Geffen of DreamWorks was so impressed that he personally called Fredy to congratulate him on his environmental awareness achievements. America Now Productions also supports charitable causes to help homeless teens in the United States .
Whether it is contributing to world peace, helping to solve the U.S. homeless teen problem, raising environmental awareness or producing the perfect magazine spread, one thing is certain, Fredy Granda is not satisfied until everything is just right. As 2006 rapidly approaches, look for Fredy Granda to continue making his mark as one of Hollywood ’s premiere producers. Remember, you will never understand Hollywood until you are on the inside looking out.
by Weston James
Hollywood News
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