Dreams. Everybody has dreams. Dreams of becoming an Athlete, A Rapper, A Scientist, and so on. My dream was about becoming a storyteller, or more exactly a filmmaker. My mom always preached to us to follow our dreams no matter how tough things get.

And following my dream is what I did. I earned my BA in Film and Electronic Arts at Cal State University, Long Beach, and I’m currently a year away from my MFA in Film Production at Chapman University.

Making movies is a tough business. But what’s even tougher is life.

Through hustle and hard work, Sal Rojas and I began work on a documentary called “Pass the Mic”. Everything seemed to be going fine. I went to gather footage for “Pass the Mic” with the Digital Aztlan crew in Tuscon, Arizona. We went up with the Mafiosos, and the show was dope. A lot was accomplished. The crew was heading out the next day, Monday morning. I woke up that morning feeling sick. Like something wasn’t right. I woke up just before nine o’clock. We gathered our gear and headed home.

The news hit me like a rock. My older brother George Anthony Montes Dead at the young age of 27. “This can’t be right.” Died in a car accident. “Not now.” 8: 48 am. “We made a pact. A Promise.” Monday Morning. “Remember our dreams.”

My brother was the hardest working person I knew. He would only call in sick when he was real sick. And he worked, sometimes 6 days a week to help my mom and dad with the bills and to help me with college. He was always encouraging me with my work, asking when I was going to make my first feature.

My brother would work early mornings. He died on the way to a store on his route. He died on the job.

The last conversation we had was about me going to Tuscon. He had tickets to a Dodger game that weekend. Two. One for me, one for him. I told him about the trip. He said to forget the game and go to Tuscon.

My brother served as an Executive Producer for “Pass The Mic”. He also bought me video and sound equipment because he believed so much in me. Just days before his passing, we talked about our dreams.

Now I’m living his dream. There are times when I want to quit and give up. But I would be letting him down. And I can’t let that happen.