Daniel Gámez

Originally from Central America, Daniel writes dysfunctional tales of the Salvadorian-American experience, both as a former immigrant (who didn’t become naturalized until the age of seventeen) and now as a guilt-stricken American Citizen with far too many rights. Having fled from the Salvadorian War at the age of three, Daniel’s take on the Latinx point-of-view is rooted in trauma yet explored through humor. At the core of his writing—whether it be as an overly judgmental spectator of his ancestors or as an ethnically put-upon participant—is Daniel’s cautionary experiences in the never-ending assimilation process, a discipline that Daniel refers to as “A Rights of ‘Otherness’ Passage.” Daniel is also a proudly maladjusted homosexual, which comes with its own otherness stories. As a film instructor, Daniel has taught at AMVA, a vocational film school for teenagers and adults on the Autistic Spectrum. Currently, he runs the Cinema Arts Focus Program at Providence High School in Burbank.