Connecting With Your Roots to Find Your Purpose and Passion

NextPlay S1 EP2 with Gilbert Sosa

"It is in the roots, not the branches, that a tree’s greatest strength lies." - Matshona Dhliwayo

Connecting with your roots, and tapping into your cultural heritage can be a profoundly powerful experience that helps you shape your identity. Understanding your unique identity can be an eye-opener that provides a sense of unity, belonging, and purpose.

As someone who is first-generation American, originally Iranian, I resonate with this pretty deeply. Both of my parents are originally from Iran, my first language was Farsi, and I spent several months throughout my adolescence in Iran. My Iranian roots are an important part of who I am, and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to integrate them into my identity from a young age. 

Gilbert Sosa on NextPlay

My guest on Episode 2 of NextPlay, Gilbert Sosa, also had a powerful experience connecting with his cultural roots. As a Houston-born, Mexican-American, Gilbert’s upbringing was similar to most childhood experiences in the US. It wasn’t until he moved to Mexico City to pursue his passion for content creation and filmmaking that Gilbert felt he was truly living his calling.

These days, Gilbert has established himself as a successful  actor, filmmaker, and Youtuber, and is well-known for his cinematic content which has enabled him to build strong relationships with top social media celebrities. 

In this episode, Gilbert dives into his filmmaking journey and tells us all about the trials and tribulations that he’s faced to reach the exciting stage of his film and content creation career which he is currently navigating.

As you'll quickly see from listening to Gilbert, passion is something that he has no shortage of. I admire his purpose-driven aspirations, the spotlight he shines on his latin heritage, as well as his eagerness to continue building and bettering the industry that he loves.

Join me for Episode 2 of NextPlay with Gilbert Sosa!

Some questions I ask Gilbert:

• Is there a stigma towards you for choosing not to attend film school?
• How do you tow the line of creating content for your American and LatinX following?
• What advice do you have for young Latinx artists and creators?
• How do you deal with hate on social media?
• What would you tell people who only view Mexico as a tourist destination?
• Why did you decide to base your new project out of Houston?
• What’s your NextPlay?

In this episode, you will learn from Gilbert: 

• Why he chose to pursue a career in film and content creation
• How he got his start as an unknown creator in LA
• What inspired him to move to Mexico City and join “Dosogas”
• How he started his very first content house 

"We built our following to 1.2 million on YouTube in a matter of 30 days." 

• Why connecting with his Latin American audience is so important to him
• Being a shining light of positivity on social media
• His new content house project: StoryHouze
• His long term goals and aspirations, like breaking into the restaurant industry

“My goal at the end of the day is to share content that makes people feel good.”

NextPlay x Gilbert Sosa

Don’t forget to snag yourself some exclusive NextPlay x Gilbert Sosa merch for charity, available for a limited time! 

All proceeds for the sales of NextPlay x Gilbert Sosa merchandise go to supporting Gilbert’s chosen charity, a Mexican non-profit organization seeking to break cycles of crime and violence by working within the prison system to rehabilitate inmates.

English Merch: Shop NextPlay x Gilbert Sosa English merch here!

Spanish Merch: Shop NextPlay x Gilbert Sosa Spanish merch here!