Grace Santos

Grace Santos is an actor, attorney, and producer. She's part of the 2020 Producers Guild of America Power of Diversity fellowship. Producing credits include award winning productions such as AFI's DWW "Silk" by Catherine Dent ("The Shield") and starring Oscar Nominee and Emmy Winner Shohreh Aghdashloo, "Election Night" by Tessa Blake and starring Peri Gilpin ("Frasier"), the comedy "Spun" which was awarded by the Producers Guild of America, and the post apocalyptic drama "Odessa" with David Moscow ("Big"). Grace joined Patriot Pictures (Cut Throat City, Synchronic) in 2020 to work in the Business Affairs and Creative Development divisions. Grace's prior executive experience includes: As Vice President of Business Affairs for companies owned by Producer Steven Paul (Ghost Rider, Tekken), Grace has negotiated development, finance, production, distribution, and foreign sales agreements. Grace was also Vice President of Business Affairs and worked in the programming department for the Bentonville Film Festival, co-founded by Academy Award Winner Geena Davis, with a mission to promote women and people of color in media and entertainment by providing distribution offers through its sponsors AMC Theatres and Lionsgate. When Grace worked for Image Entertainment / RLJ Entertainment, she was mentioned several times in Deadline, the Hollywood Reporter, and Variety for closing multi-million dollar deals such as "The Rewrite" starring Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei, "Pay The Ghost" starring Nicolas Cage, "Misfire" starring Gary Daniels, and "Bone Tomahawk" starring Kurt Russell. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Grace worked as General Counsel for Paragon Capital Partners, an investment company. Her first Hollywood opportunity was interning for the creative development team at Silver Pictures / Dark Castle Entertainment and working as a Teaching Assistant for the UCLA Professional Programs in Producing and Television Writing. She is in development of a television series with Catherine Dent and former US Secretary of Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, Juliette Kayyem. She is also in development of "International Sweethearts of Rhythm" a feature and series inspired by a true story with Elesha Barnette. She is also in development of several series and features with writing team Sean Michael Turrell & Andrew Kirkwood. Grace has her own production company, Ethos Pictures, and is also a freelance producer with Patriot Pictures, owned by Michael Mendelsohn ("Underworld", "Lord of War"). Grace is also a champion of diversity and inclusion. This is seen in the plays, short films, and new media series she has produced and the feature films and series she is developing. Also, Grace founded the Asian Pacific American Scene Inc, a nonprofit in Florida with a purpose to produce and promote diverse playwrights, screenwriters, and visual storytellers. Prior to that she was the Co-Founder and first President of the Asian American Law Student Association at Stetson Law School, first President of the Asian American Student Association at the University of Miami, Co-Founder and first President of the Asian Student Association at King High School in Tampa, Florida. Grace also was one of the year round staff for the Bentonville Film Festival, co-founded by Academy Award Winner Geena Davis, with a mission to promote women and people of color in media and entertainment. Grace has been an actor since childhood and a SAG-AFTRA member since 2010. She has been in numerous plays, commercials, new media projects, and films. Grace also won Best Actor from Creative Loafing for her role in Tony Award winner Neil Labute's "Reasons to Be Pretty". For her role in "Odessa", film critic Richard Propes writes "Grace Santos is the focus here as Estrella. Santos avoids histrionics. She trusts this story to be 'enough.' She gets it. She understands it. You can see it in her eyes and her body language and as she speaks Doug Johnson's sparse yet intentional dialogue. There's a 'What if?' around every corner and Santos captures that unknowing, that fear, and that doubt." Grace is a University of Miami grad, with a BA in International Studies and Religious Studies and minor in Theatre Arts. She also spent one year at Flinders University of South Australia's Drama Centre. She achieved the rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma. She obtained a Juris Doctor / law degree from Stetson University. Grace then earned a Producing Certificate from the University of California Los Angeles School of Theatre, Film, and Television. Grace is a member of the Florida Bar and the actors' guild SAG-AFTRA. Grace has also volunteered for numerous charities and has been awarded public interest awards for her service. Grace is half English and half Filipino. She lives in Los Angeles with her daughter. They founded a nonprofit to mentor and assist single parents.