Moctesuma Esparza (born March 12, 1949) is an American producer, entertainment executive, entrepreneur and community activist.
He is the chief executive officer of Maya Cinemas, a theater chain servicing to the United States Latino audience.
[4] As a child, he viewed Spanish language films in the many Los Angeles theaters that offered such fare.
He wrote a proposal, made the curriculum, and created (and was a student in) the first multicultural film program in the United States.
After graduating from UCLA, he worked for the children's television program Sesame Street, developing bilingual segments.
Shortly thereafter, he produced the television pilot and the first season of the PBS program Villa Alegre, which won multiple awards.
The concessions all feature Mayan motifs, hearkening back to the Los Angeles theaters of Esparza's youth.
After planning to open a Maya Cinemas at the Campus Pointe Project at California State University, Fresno, a neighboring landholder who also planned to open a cinema presented a legal challenge, charging that Esparza had a conflict of interest in developing the project while sitting on the board of trustees.
Restoration funding was provided by the Council on Library and Information Resources and the UCLA Film & Television Archive.