CHICAGO — Cinespace Studios brings the magic of TV and movies to Chicago’s Southwest Side. Among the many behind-the-scenes folks who make the stars shine is Jorge Reyes-Ortiz.
For nearly a dozen years, Reyes-Ortiz has worked his way up in the entertainment industry, working on big name projects.
“I’ve worked on the ‘Batman.’ I’ve worked on ‘Red Line.’ I worked on ‘Captive State,’ ‘Jupiter Ascending,’” he said.
And, in his role as key grip, which he describes as a “jack of all trades,” he puts into practice his previous job to complete his mission on set.
“It’s a brother and sisterhood,” he said. “Do your best. Try to help others do their best, you know? You don’t want to see people struggle.”
Everything is a team effort for this union guy with a work ethic forged years ago as a U.S. Marine.
“In the Marine Corps, if you have time to lean you have time to clean. So it’s always busy work. Grab a broom or just help out,” he said. “When you see someone struggling with something you just rush to go help.”
Ortiz was 19 when he watched, on TV, first responders rush in to help fellow Americans.
“When 9/11 happened that’s when I said ‘You know what? Maybe I should go help out,’” he said.
The former Junior ROTC member who graduated from Benito Juarez High School and grew up in Pilsen, enlisted in the U.S. Marines.
He served five years as a ground radio repairman, stationed in Okinawa, supporting troops on the battlefield.
“Felt like I needed to protect my country and I had younger sisters and brothers and felt it was duty as an American,” he said.
He retired in 2007 as a corporal and came home to Chicago where he found a new community. He also found a new calling, a camaraderie in itself, on the soundstage not far from where he grew up.
“We set up locations before the film crew gets there and like the Marine Corps, (It’s) first in last out,” he said. “So we do a lot of logistical stuff … a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff. And if no other department does it we kind of fall into that category.”
A fine fit, he says, for this a retired Marine who traveled the world in the military and came home to find a new mission in the movies.