There’s No Fresh Ones in the Back

First off, let me start by saying that if you’re not a Nico Santos fan I don’t understand you. Stop what you’re doing (after reading this article of course) and go watch ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ (available on Netflix*) and ‘Superstore’ (available on Peacock). Then come back and tell me how amazing you think he is. Truth be told, I could be a little biased, but he’s still hilarious and a pure pleasure to watch.

Let me explain why I’m so in love with Nico (I won’t say obsessed because I don’t want to end up on some type of blocked list), and why he’s the main reason that I’m following my dreams right now. I promise you that it will all make sense by the end of this article, including the title.

Working in retail has been a part of my life since I was 18 and I discovered that I could make (most) customers smile while enjoying a (sometimes) generous employee discount. Writing, however, has been a part of my life since the first grade, when I read ‘Goldilocks & the Three Bears’ and decided to rewrite the story because I didn’t like the climax or the ending. I also decided to rewrite ‘Little Red Ridng Hood’ because I thought that a pink cape would have suited her better. What can I say?, my inner Miranda Priestly was making an appearance even in the 80s.

My original life plan was to become the next Sue Simmons, and become an anchor for the local news in New York, but a requirement of my media communications course was to study filmmaking. And that my friends is when I saw the bright lights of Hollywood. Well not exactly, that’s when I was introduced to the idea of writing for television and movies. The closest that I got to Hollywood was going to school across the street from Spike Lee’s store in Brooklyn. Occasionally seeing him at the bodega down the block, or at Albee Square Mall (RIP) when he was filming there. But that course convinced me that someday I would be a writer for a sitcom that I created, or write and direct a number one box office smash. Somewhere along the way the light on those dreams began to flicker and fade, never going out completely, but shining a lot less brighter than when they were originally turned on. Kind of like that one random light in an apartment building staircase that refuses to die but the maintenance man never changes it. Or is that just a New York thing?

The years passed and my retail career continued to grow while my dreams of being the Shonda Rhimes of sitcoms and chick flicks began to move further and further to the back of my existence. That light got a little of it’s strength back during the pandemic, but let’s press pause on that for a minute and bring Nico into the story.

About nine years ago I was sitting at home watching tv when a commercial came on for this new show called ‘Superstore’. Always one ready for a good laugh I decided to give it a watch and instantly fell in love. The only thing that I love more than a retail based work comedy is one where the characters are realistic. And if you’ve ever worked in retail you would totally relate to this show. We’ve all had a coworker like Dina, there’s always an employee like Amy, and most retail jobs have a few Cheyennes & Jonahs. But the character that stood out the most for me was Mateo, portrayed by Nico Santos. There was something about that character that I could relate to. I’m not a gay Filipino man hiding the fact that he’s in the country illegally, but like Mateo I can be a bit extra at times and I can sometimes say things that others are thinking but won’t say. And my facial reactions have been known to react faster than I can control them.

At the time that ‘Superstore’ premiered I was back in my hometown of New York after having lived in Northern California for six years. My most recent job in California had been working at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco, so it was a pleasant surprise to find out that Nico had previously been an employee at that location. A nice fact to know for any future celebrity trivia night games, that information found its place in the back of my head.

Fast forward a couple of years and a client at the salon that I was managing came in with a copy of the book ‘Crazy Rich Asians’. She and I always exchanged book suggestions and she insisted that this was one that I needed to read, especially because the movie version was being released in a few weeks. I never did read the book (sorry Kevin Kwan) but I went to see the movie when it opened. It instantly became one of my favorites. The characters, the portrayal of culture, the cinematography, Henry Golding without a shirt, all had my attention. And there was Oliver T’sien making me love yet another Nico Santos character. So how does this equate to me following my dreams and Nico becoming my living spirit guide?

About a year before the pandemic I found myself back in the Bay Area and back in retail after a brief tour in the salon world. When California shutdown I suddenly had an abundance of time but no desire to learn how to make sourdough. (Can someone remind me how that became the it thing during the pandemic? It seems to me like we all should have been focused on learning how to make perfect “happy” brownies instead.) So instead of drinking wine and watching YouTube videos about making something that I could just order on Instacart, I grabbed some margarita mix and signed up for MasterClass. I began studying script development, directing, and the like, but never fully felt there for lack of a better description. The passion was still there but I didn’t have the same drive that 17 year old me had. Thanks to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion I also discovered during the pandemic that I no longer have my 17 year old knees, but that’s another story for another day.

When outside opened back up I was still without a job for a bit, so I attempted one more time to get my energy back. I read the stories of actors and directors and creators that found their way in Hollywood after years of struggling and after being told that they would never make it, but those stories never fully motivated me. They were encouraging to hear but none of them made me get up and start writing loglines or cold opens. And the few times that I considered finding my mojo I came across some blogger or social media “expert” that pointed out how rare it is to succeed in Hollywood. A wet blanket telling me to give up before I even tried.

Then something amazing happened in July of this year. It’s like the creative gods said “Listen, open your eyes because we’re about to give you a sign”.

Nico came to San Francisco for a stand-up show and a few of us from Neiman Marcus SF past & present got together to go support him. The show was originally supposed to happen in March but was pushed back to July, and I think that if I had seen him perform in March it wouldn’t have meant the same to me. I would have still enjoyed it, but July me needed it a little bit more.

March me was happily employed, focusing on achieving sales goals, driving business, and coordinating events. Writing was the furthest thing from my mind unless I was writing emails to clients. July me had been let go from my job in April and was still looking for work (I still am if anyone is looking to hire a retail or salon manager with an excellent business mind and a killer chair side manner). July me was also yearning to go after her writing & directing dreams but still feeling as though it would be a waste of time thanks to the chatter in online forums and Facebook groups.

Then I heard Nico do one of his jokes about retail life. If you’ve ever seen him do stand-up it was the joke about a handbag client wanting him to check the back for a fresh one. He went on to add that while nothing is wrong with making retail a career, if it’s not what you want you need to go after what you want. I’m paraphrasing a bit but that’s basically what he meant. And if it’s not what he meant it’s still what I got from it. That joke and that moment was what I needed. I needed to hear that statement from someone that got what I was feeling inside but never really expressed.

I think the reason that it resonated with me so much was the fact that not only had he come from retail, but he had come from exactly where I came from. While cosmetics was my home base at Neiman’s I also sold throughout different departments, and I too had been asked by clients to head to the Gucci and Celine stockrooms to check for a fresh one. It was the thing that I needed to push me into pursuing my dream, and I needed to hear it from him. Since that night I’ve been studying scripts of some of my favorite shows and movies, I’ve been brainstorming ideas, and I’ve actually been working on projects that I plan on presenting to agents.

After watching ‘Superstore’ for years Nico more than frequently became inspiration for some of the characters in my ideas for television shows and movies (including one with Titus Burgess that I know would get us all Golden Globe nominations, I’m just saying). That’s why listening to him on stage talking about following his dreams in show business just felt like the sign that I was waiting for. So if you come over to my place and you see screenwriting books everywhere and ‘Superstore’ is playing on my television on a loop, mind your business. I’m being inspired.

*It’s come to my attention that Crazy Rich Asians will be leaving Netflix on October 5th, so head on over there while you still can. I’m sure that it will be available on another streaming service but just go ahead and do it now.