"We’ve always had a love for filming and taking photographs in our community," says ALAS Media Vice President Elizabeth Ruvalcaba Mendez. "We were able to turn this passion into a career."
Elizabeth and her sister, Rosa, own ALAS Media which was founded 13 years ago with the intention of pursuing that passion for filmmaking and photography. The name of the company was inspired by a mentor of theirs who advised that all of their projects should have alas (Spanish for "wings"), so that their work could take them places. So far, the namesake has done exactly that.
ALAS Media takes photographs and produces videos to document the construction progress and share updates with the community. Their team visits the work site regularly to capture the progression and then assembles the images to tell the Project's story. The certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) has also produced videos for other Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) projects like the Blue Line Improvements and Regional Connector.
The company is based in San Fernando and Elizabeth tells us that her crew regularly avoids traffic by riding the Metro to sporting events or trips Downtown. "We’re excited that this new extension will be expanding our Metro system," she says.
ALAS Media has been photographing construction progress at ground level, including the intricate pieces of the TBMs being lowered into the TTES. Eventually, their production crew will move underground to record the action, which will require different specialized equipment. But Elizabeth says that ALAS Media looks forward to the challenge and showcasing what is happening inside the tunnel. "It’s amazing to see the team it takes to build it.”
Soon, thanks to ALAS Media, we can see for ourselves.
