[3] He began practicing filmmaking at the Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice after school program.

[2][3][4] Canals graduated with a BA in cinema and MA in student affairs from Binghamton University in 2005 and 2008 respectively.

[5] Canals received his MFA in screenwriting from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 2015.

[2][6][7] Allegheny College appointed Canals as associate director for gender and sexual orientation initiatives in June 2011.

[8] Canals developed the pilot script for television show Pose while studying at UCLA in 2014.