Vista del Lago grad already making waves in the film industry

A former Vista del Lago High School graduate is already carving a niche for himself in the ultra-competitive world of film. At just 20 years old, Tomas Samaniego-Evans has already written, directed and starred in his own film, made with a shoestring budget of $3,000. "Juke Box Hero" has earned accolades at film festivals around the world. Another upcoming exciting honor is the film will be shown at the Manhattan Film Festival on Saturday, June 21. Juke Box Hero gets its name from the iconic song by classic rock band Foreigner and tells the story of a band fighting to be heard and chasing dreams of success. As if directing, starring in and writing the film wasn't enough, Samaniego-Evans also composed and performed all of the film's guitar-driven music. The Folsom Telegraph spoke with Samaniego-Evans about the inspiration behind the film, and his fond memories of playing music during his time in Folsom. "I am such a fan of all the '80s rock. I was in a hair metal band in high school where we covered all those songs from the '80's," Samaniego-Evans explained. "The film was really inspired by the lyrics of that song: A boy who couldn't get tickets to the show so he's sitting on the outside, everyone else is having fun on the inside, and he's thinking one day that's going to be me, I'm going to be the one on stage. And I was like, why not just go all in? That's the idea of the story, to be the hero. So the name is straight from the song." And be a juke box hero, (Got stars in his eyes)He's a juke box heroHe took one guitar, (Juke box hero, stars in his eyes)Juke box hero, (Stars in his eyes), he'll come alive tonight At such a young age, Samaniego-Evans' life story has already taken a number of twists and turns, but he never lost his sight or drive to achieve his goals; he said from a young age, he always knew he wanted to be in the film industry, telling stories, making connections. "I think in some way, everything is passed through storytelling," he said. "To be able to reach people, connect with people emotionally, I think it's a beautiful thing and sadly, I think it's getting more and more lost but maybe that's why I'm more and more drawn towards it." Samaniego-Evans graduated from Vista in 2022. At the time, he thought he had a modeling contract secured in New York, which he hoped would get his foot in the door of the film industry. But that deal ended up being a sham and the contract didn't materialize. He pivoted and got a construction job in Lake Tahoe, saved enough money to eventually move to Los Angeles and started working for an acting agency. And then came a life-changing opportunity: He was offered a scholarship to the NY Film Academy School. It was there he met a group of like-minded people. Together, they began pursuing the dream of producing a film. During this time period, Samaniego-Evans juggled working 90 hours a week waiting tables while also attending school. He managed to assemble a 25-person cast and crew, and the group shot scenes for his film at night. Samaniego-Evans said he's happy with the end result, but it's just the beginning. "I think it's good for what it is," he said. "I think it was a stepping stone and I'm excited to see what happens with it but also move forward." There are already new projects Samaniego-Evans is working on. Some members of the team that worked on Juke Box Hero are joining him for his next short film project, and he's already writing yet another. Clearly, the young man who graduated from high school in Folsom is an example of what determination and focus can achieve. Samaniego-Evans said that's the message he hopes to convey through his work and life story: If you have a goal, go for it wholeheartedly … with stars in your eyes. "I've gotten asked, what is the message you want to leave for people, and I want to reiterate: All the people who want to do something like this with their life, who want to go pursue something, this story is about being in a punk band and struggling to make ends meet, not eating for days and working 20 jobs until the wee hours, and going for that," Samaniego-Evans explained. "And that is the reality of when you decide, you know what? I'm going to go for something. And (the message) is also that you aren't alone; there are other people out there trying to do the same, and people will help you."