Native Laredoan Raul Seca Jr. is pursuing a master’s degree in film and media production from the University of Texas-Austin while producing his thesis film, Diabetic Jesus.
Seca previously worked at KGNS- TV as a production assistant, later moving to a marketing producer position. His love for filmmaking, however, began much earlier.
“Growing up, I loved making movies,” he said. “Getting together with people to make something happen, to create… that’s what I wanted to live for, and the older I got, the more I would look to film as a means to be able to do that.”
Seca’s initial spark for film came alongside a diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes at 11 years old.
“Being a kid, it wasn’t the easiest thing for me to adjust to or live with,” he said, adding, “There wasn’t anything fun or nice about being a kid succumbing to illness, enduring numerous highs and lows, never-ending syringe injections, and finger prick blood tests.”
Seca recalled that his childhood improved when he received his first camcorder for his birthday.
He began filming projects constantly and later discovered video editing.
“From fifth grade on, I made it a hobby, but I wanted to make this my life,” he said.
After high school, Seca worked as a self-employed freelance videographer.
“I often did jobs for little to no pay,” he said. “What I craved most were experiences to exercise and develop my craft.”
Seca credited growing up in Laredo as a fundamental part of himself and his art.
“It influenced everything, really,” he said. “Laredo is a truly and deeply integral part of me and my upbringing.”
“To this day, I feel there’s nowhere else like it,” he continued. “It’s like that saying — you can take yourself out of the 956, but you can’t take the 956 out of yourself.”
Seca shared his appreciation for the professors at both Laredo College and Texas A&M International University, as well as his current UT professors.
“There are so many to mention; for sure Mrs. Marcela Moran, my video production professor at TAMIU… there’s T. Rob, my photography professor,” he said.
“In Austin, I have to give a huge thanks to Cindy McCreery, Miguel Alvarez, Ya’ke Smith… The list goes on and on,” he said.
Professor Moran shared her admiration for Seca as a student and creative.
“I actually immediately recognized… this student really genuinely gets it,” Moran said, adding, “He’s so talented. His stuff always surpassed the course expectations,” she said.
Seca talked about producing Diabetic Jesus, noting that the title originated as a stage name and music persona for a solo electronic music project created in 2018.
“The name came to me one night while performing for a friend’s Halloween house party. I went dressed as Jesus for the show, a costume gifted by my family as a joke for having long hair and a beard myself.”
He said that his friend introduced him as DJ Jesus, and a lightbulb went off in his head.
“I got to envision the letters DJ as initials for a different name — Diabetic Jesus,” he said.
The name soon developed a deeper meaning, driving the story of his thesis film and representing his battle with Type 1 Diabetes.
“The story of Diabetic Jesus in the film is an illness-drama, coming-of-age story that draws heavy inspiration from experiences in my own life and childhood,” he said.
“The film shares the name because it’s based on how it all started for me with music and my relationship with it, discovering how piano was there for me during a difficult time in my early life, while also serving as the birth of my persona at its essence, synchronizing both identities into one for a non-autobiographical play on a personal origin story,” Seca said.
The film will premiere at the Texas Union Theatre at UT-Austin in the spring of 2027.
Seca shared his tips to aspiring Laredo filmmakers, offering, “You have to trust in yourself and in the process… we’re all in it together. No matter the type of camera you have… you can make something worthwhile. It all starts with the story. That’s what drives a good film forward; that’s where it counts.”
(Sean Jimenez is an aspiring environmental photojournalist and a junior at Texas A&M International University in his hometown of Laredo. He is working towards a major in communications with a focus in media production and a minor in environmental science. He is currently the Director of Photography and Associate Editor of The Bridge, TAMIU’s student run newspaper. He aims to shine light on unrepresented communities through journalism and photography).
