ABOUT

Pierre Jean Gonzalez is a stage, film and television actor, director, and producer. This multi-hyphenate is also an advocate for Latine and LGBTQ+ visibility and inclusion.  Pierre is a co-founder of DominiRican Productions with his fiancé Cedric Leiba Jr and together with Cedric, a co-Producer for the 13x-nominated and Tony Award winning Hell’s Kitchen as well as the revival of The Wiz on Broadway.  Pierre and Cedric were also investors in the Tony Award winning Broadway revival of Topdog/Underdog.

Most recently, the Hispanic Federation recognized Pierre and Cedric with their Visibility Award to acknowledge their work as Actors, Producers, Advocates and Co-Founders of DominiRican Productions.

Pierre’s most recent film roles include Rafa in Barrio Boy (currently streaming on Peacock and Apple TV) and Hustler in Playland.  Pierre’s most recent stage role is Joe in Berkshire Theatre Group’s production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Pipe Dream.  

Recently on stage, Pierre portrayed the role of Alexander Hamilton in an extended engagement for the U.S. national tour of Hamilton.  In March 2020 he was set to debut in the lead role and the entire run was postponed due to the Covid pandemic.  On August 24, 2021 Pierre made his debut as Alexander Hamilton in the resumed national tour of Hamilton, beginning in Atlanta and wrapping up in Atlanta on February 25, 2024 after 38 U.S. and 2 Canadian cities. 

Pierre is frequently invited to speak at conferences on the topics of inclusivity and diversity for the Latine and LGBTQ+ communities and is currently listed on the roster of experts for the U.S. Speaker Program at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs having been invited to lead a delegation in Havana in June 2024 and in Medellín and Bogota, Colombia in June 2023.

Pierre also maintains an active schedule of speaking appearances most recently at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and in Ottawa at an event co-organized by The Embassy of the United States and Capital Pride.  

Pierre was recently honored with the Award for Artistic Excellence and Inspiration from GALA Hispanic Theatre in Washington, D.C.  Previous accolades include Best Actor at the Philadelphia Theater Critics Awards and Best Actor winner of NBC’s 2nd Annual Nosotros Ya Tu Sabes Monologue Slam.

Broadway World reviewed his performance in Hamilton writing “Pierre Jean Gonzalez as Alexander Hamilton brought a self-assuredness and intensity to the role, often a grounding presence on stage as the controlled chaos of the ensemble swirled around him. While Lin-Manuel Miranda’s original incarnation of Alexander Hamilton exploded with the lovably awkward, overexcited energy of the smartest kid in class, Gonzalez gave off the feeling as Alexander Hamilton that he could, and would, fight anyone, not just in a battle of wits, but in a physical one as well, and win. It was as if his Hamilton was thinking, ‘Who has time for humor when there is so much to prove to the world?’”

Pierre’s television credits include NCIS:NOLA, FBI, Gotham, The Mysteries of Laura, The Detour and POSE. Some of his favorite theater credits include the role of Usnavi de la Vega in In The Heights and Mace in The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity.

Pierre founded DominiRican Productions, a film production company, in 2020 with his fiancé, fellow actor, Cedric Leiba Jr with a mission to see more Afro-Latine and Queer representation behind and in front of the camera. 

In addition to being Production Videographers for Roundabout Theatre Company and Pregones/PRTT, DominiRican Productions has been recognized with numerous awards for the scripts and films they have developed, directed and produced in their New Works Program.  The Advocate selected Cedric and Pierre as “Champions of Pride” in recognition of their mission with DominiRican Productions to create opportunities for Afro-Latine and Indigenous Latine representation in TV and film in the rooms making the casting decisions, in the writers’ rooms, on-screen and in the director’s chair.

Good Morning America similarly included Cedric and Pierre in their “Inspiration List” of people making LGBTQ+ history.  Nominated by Nicco Annan, who wrote, “They remain collaborative visionaries that continue to create for those who so often don’t see themselves on stage or the big screen. Their projects illuminate a part of our community that deserves more light. Two promising trailblazers bringing healing and much-needed conversations.” 

DominiRican Productions was selected to feature Rhythm Is Gonna Get Who? in the Latino Film Market Festival, the BiteSize Film Festival and won Best LGBT Short Film at the Uruvatti International Film Festival. Along with Rhythm Is Gonna Get Who?, release, an experimental short inspired by Cedric’s poem of the same title, was selected for Queer 2 Queer Fest, BiteSize Film Festival, Cherry Groves Archive Collection Film Festival and received an Honorable Mention at the London Seasonal Short Film Festival. release won Best NYC Film at the NYC Downtown Film Festival, the Gold Award at the Hollywood Gold Awards, Best Experimental Short at the Fargo Moorhead LGBT Film Festival, Best Experimental Short at the Uruvatti International Film Festival and Best Experimental Film and Best LGBT Film at the Florence Film Awards.

In the Spring of 2021, Pierre produced and starred in DominiRican Production’s second narrative short film American Made alongside his Hamilton cast mate Jared Dixon. The film is currently being submitted to film festivals. 

DominiRican Productions was selected to feature Rhythm Is Gonna Get Who?, directed by Pierre, in the Latino Film Market Festival, the BiteSize Film Festival and it won Best LGBT Short Film at the Uruvatti International Film Festival. Along with Rhythm Is Gonna Get Who?, release, also directed by Pierre, was selected for Queer 2 Queer Fest, BiteSize Film Festival, Cherry Grove Archives Collection Film Festival and received an Honorable Mention at the London Seasonal Short Film Festival. release won Best NYC Film at the NYC Downtown Film Festival, the Gold Award at the Hollywood Gold Awards, Best Experimental Short at the Fargo Moorhead LGBT Film Festival, Best Experimental Short at the Uruvatti International Film Festival and Best Experimental Film and Best LGBTQ Film at the Florence Film Awards. 

Pierre received his BFA in Acting from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts. Pierre was born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx, is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, and continues to make NYC his home.

@pierrlito

Cedric Leiba Jr is an award-winning stage, film and television actor, singer, poet, dancer, writer, producer and advocate. He is a co-Founder of DominiRican Productions, a media production company, with Pierre Jean Gonzalez.  

In addition, together with Pierre under the partnership name of Gonzalez-Leiba Jr in partnership with Score 3 Partners, Cedric is a co-Producer in the 2024/2025 Broadway season for Swept Away, Gypsy and Our Town. Also for the 2024/2025 Broadway season, Gonzalez-Leiba Jr have collaborated with LaChanze Productions to serve as Ambassadors for Buena Vista Social Club, helping to bring their influence and visibility to the production as advocates for the Latine community.

For the 2023/2024 Broadway season, Gonzalez-Leiba Jr co-Produced the 13x-nominated and Tony Award winning Hell’s Kitchen as well as the revival of The Wiz.  Cedric and Pierre were also investors in the Tony Award winning Broadway revival of Topdog/Underdog during the 2022/2023 season.  

A highlight of recognition as a Broadway producer arrived with the announcement of Hell’s Kitchen winning the 2024 Drama League Award for “Outstanding Production of a Musical”. 

Most recently, Cedric received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Stetson University and the Hispanic Federation recognized Cedric and Pierre with their Visibility Award to acknowledge their work as Actors, Producers, Advocates and Co-Founders of DominiRican Productions.

Cedric is frequently invited to speak at conferences on the topics of inclusivity and diversity for the Latine and LGBTQ+ communities and is currently listed on the roster of experts for the U.S. Speaker Program at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs having been invited to lead a delegation in Havana in June 2024.

He has toured the U.S. and Canada with theatrical productions of Rent and Miss Saigon as well as performed at the prestigious Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in a production of Carmen la Cubana. 

The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors recognized Cedric with the HOLA Award for Excellence in Theater as Outstanding Performance by a Featured Male Actor in the New Haarlem Arts Theatre’s production of Caridad/Sweet Charity. 

Cedric’s most recent theatrical engagement was at The Muny in the role of Chino in West Side Story.  He was also engaged as the Dialect Coach for the production ensuring authenticity for the portrayal of the Puerto Rican characters. His relationship with the iconic musical also includes being featured on the film soundtrack of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

Adding to his list of theater and TV credits, Cedric was the Associate Choreographer at Manhattan Class Company (MCC) Theatre’s production of Bees & Honey and he made his prime time episodic NBC debut in the final season of The Black List.

Cedric’s additional TV/Film credits include CBS’s The Equalizer (Season 5, Episode 3 “Just Fans”), HBO’s High Maintenance, Fashion One Television’s The Switch and movies Millie and the Lord, Elliot Loves and the lead role of Manny in the 2020 Tribeca Nominated Best Narrative Short Gets Good Light. On September 30, 2022, Cedric was part of history by being included in Billy Eichner’s BROS released by Universal Pictures which became the first gay, rom-com, with an all LGBTQI cast, produced by a major studio. 

In addition to being Production Videographers for Roundabout Theatre Company and Pregones/PRTT, DominiRican Productions, a film production company, has been recognized with numerous awards for the scripts and films they have developed, directed and produced in their New Works Program.  The Advocate selected Cedric and Pierre as “Champions of Pride” in recognition of their mission with DominiRican Productions to create opportunities for Afro-Latine and Indigenous Latine representation in TV and film in the rooms making the casting decisions, in the writers’ rooms, on-screen and in the director’s chair.

Good Morning America similarly included Cedric and Pierre in their “Inspiration List” of people making LGBTQ+ history.  Nominated by Nicco Annan, who wrote, “They remain collaborative visionaries that continue to create for those who so often don’t see themselves on stage or the big screen. Their projects illuminate a part of our community that deserves more light. Two promising trailblazers bringing healing and much-needed conversations.” 

DominiRican Productions was selected to feature Rhythm Is Gonna Get Who? in the Latino Film Market Festival, the BiteSize Film Festival and won Best LGBT Short Film at the Uruvatti International Film Festival. Along with Rhythm Is Gonna Get Who?, release, an experimental short inspired by Cedric’s poem of the same title, was selected for Queer 2 Queer Fest, BiteSize Film Festival, Cherry Groves Archive Collection Film Festival and received an Honorable Mention at the London Seasonal Short Film Festival. release won Best NYC Film at the NYC Downtown Film Festival, the Gold Award at the Hollywood Gold Awards, Best Experimental Short at the Fargo Moorhead LGBT Film Festival, Best Experimental Short at the Uruvatti International Film Festival and Best Experimental Film and Best LGBT Film at the Florence Film Awards.

Cedric has performed regionally and Off-Broadway in such houses as The Public and The Old Globe, and has been favorably reviewed by The New York Times in Goodspeed’s La Cage Aux Folles, New Haarlem Arts’ Sweet Charity and The Lucille Lortel’s Yellow Brick Road. A proud Afro-Boricua, Gay artist, Cedric is an ensemble member of Pregones/PRTT as well as Bombazo Dance Company where he showcases his Afro-Latine roots as well as represent the LGBTQ+ community through his art. 

Cedric releases original music under his singer/songwriter name Ceddy and is a Featured Poet in the 2023, 2022 and 2021 Latino Book Review. Cedric received a Bachelor of Music from Stetson University and a MFA from The Boston Conservatory.  Cedric was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico and currently resides in New York City.

@ceddynyc

Steven Luna (He/They) is a filmmaker, cinematographer, writer, and an arts educator. His work is based in love and the empathetic interpretation of Light and experiences, with a focus on uplifting and documenting marginalized voices and youth experiences, as absolutely paramount in creating new realities for humanity. Tapping into elements of memory, nostalgia, and familiarity, Steven hopes to showcase the ways in which light can transcend ideology and time to reveal new spaces for marginalized peoples. Empathy is at the core of Steven’s artistic practice, used as the main investigative drive of delivering new futures and new histories, through words, moving and/or still images, and education.

Steven’s graduate films, such as Cut and To Be Heard, have screened in film festivals and art exhibits in the U.S. and internationally. Cut won a Global Film Accolade Award and To Be Heard screened in an Oscar-qualifying festival and was a semi-finalist for Screencraft’s Diverse Voices in 2018. Steven acquired his MFA from Emerson College in Boston in 2019.

Steven continues to book work on a variety of projects: documentary, narrative, commercial-based, music videos, etc. Steven also works on multiple personal projects: writing, capturing photos, experimental and documentary footage for installation and exhibition purposes, most recently showcasing their work at the 103rd Annual Bendheim Exhibit, 433 Magazine, and as part of the Artist’s Literacies Institute project called the Artist’s Grief Deck.

As an education designer and educator, Steven currently works with the Institute of Contemporary Art’s teen program called the Artist and Writer’s Collective in Boston, MA. Steven has taught at CCTV, AS220, Rhode Island College, and Emerson College. Steven is currently in pre-production on a variety of projects, and screening his short documentary shot in Bolivia about an Indigenous Autonomous Government.

@stevenbluna

Sonyi Elena López (She/Her) is a Dominican-born South Bronx raised multifaceted Creative, Producer and Community Journalist.

Through visual storytelling, Sonyi enjoys highlighting her community with an authentic lens focusing on artists, activists, movers and shakers while amplifying collective voices, and topics that truly matter and resonate to the people in our beautiful, resilient, culturally vibrant neighborhoods.

Sonyi has experience producing, scripting, directing, editing, voice over, and has worked with a portfolio of clients, from community organizations to local stakeholders to lead projects from pre to post production. She is passionate about providing educational, creative and engaging content through digital storytelling. Sonyi is a freelance Production Manager/Assistant at DominiRican Productions and former Video News Production Fellow at Democracy Now! Former Producer at BronxNet Community Television and former Community Empowerment Coordinator and Producer at Univision Nueva York.

In 2022, Sonyi received a Rising Star Award for Journalism from We Stay/Nos Quedamos. She earned a Bachelors in Creative Writing and Journalism from the City College of New York in 2018.

@sovereigngee

Viktor F. Pacheco (He/Him) is a photographer and videographer living in Woodside, NY. He studied music at The City College of New York and performed with bands like Young Graves, The Miki Dora’s, and GaL along the east coast.

He began his career behind the camera in 2019 working on the web series “BAIT”. He has since worked on DominiRican Productions’ short films “Our Friendly Neighbors” and “The Odd Years” as well as with businesses such as NYU Langone Health, Roundabout Theater, Pregones Theater, Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, and the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.

@vfpvik