BIOGRAPHY

Producer Brian Quintana was born and raised in Boyle Heights where he shared a one bedroom home with eleven family members. He attended Los Angeles public schools where he continually ranked first in his class and served as class president. At age fifteen his teacher, Don Mitchell, encouraged him to apply to Oprah Winfrey’s “A Better Chance” program which facilitates inner-city youth attending America’s best college prep schools. Brian was accepted to The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut where he received the Forrest E. Mars (Chairman, M&M/Mars Inc.) scholarship. Upon graduating from Hotchkiss, Brian received a full scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley where he graduated with simultaneous degrees in Business & Political Science.

It was at Berkeley that Brian indulged his passion for politics. He volunteered on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s first campaign for Congress. He aided in her re-election the following year, and served as a Northern California advance man for the Dukakis Presidential campaign. Brian studied Latino politics and reapportionment under Dr. Bruce Cain, and rounded out his senior year as an intern to Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. Brian relocated to Southern California to join the investment firm of Shearson Lehman Hutton, but returned to the political arena for the historic races of State Democratic Party Chair Art Torres, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and President Bill Clinton.

At age 26 Brian was recruited to run for the California State Legislature. Brian earned the support of over 300 community leaders, and the financial backing of Hollywood’s most prominent leaders. His supporters included Barry Diller, Sherry Lansing, Steve Tisch, Aileen Getty, Martin Sheen, Anjelica Huston, Bruce Davison, Michael Childers, and David Geffen. Brian received one third of the vote, and placed a strong second. He entered as the front-runner two years later, but withdrew from the race to clear the path for Antonio Villaraigosa’s election, Speakership, and current position as Mayor. Brian has been an influential political player ever since.

Brian then founded The Pedro Zamora Foundation in memory of his MTV Real World friend Pedro Zamora. The foundation is a non-profit organization commited to educating America’s youth about HIV/AIDS with an emphasis on youth of color who are disproportionately affected. Brian enlisted the support of President Clinton, MTV, and countless celebrities which transformed the foundation into our nation’s most visible AIDS education group. Together they launched the most effective AIDS awareness campaign to date. Brian received commendations from federal, state, and local officials for his work as Foundation President, and was nominated by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer to serve on President Clinton’s Task Force on HIV/AIDS. Brian has been commited to public service ever since.

As an entertainment executive for Jon Peters, Brian helped re-launch the Superman franchise, produced some of Hollywood's most visible events, and raised over $5.2 million for charities addressing youth, women, and communities of color. Brian is currently developing his first feature film, pursuing specials for television, and facilitating access to the Hollywood community for executives, politicians, and non-profits. Though a lifelong Democrat, Brian served as a senior advisor to President Bush’s Pacific Regional Campaign Chair, and has been an active supporter of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.