Chaise Cortes De Vargas Exclusive Interview - Blaze Your Own Trail Relentlessly

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Chaise Cortés De Vargas is a producer, director, actress, journalist, and founder of ThematicShift, a member-powered film studio dedicated to creating stories that spark conversation, foster empathy, and celebrate our shared humanity. Drawing on a diverse career spanning broadcast journalism, law, filmmaking, and advocacy, she has transformed personal hardships—including divorce and a decades-long journey toward living authentically as a transgender woman—into a powerful source of resilience and purpose. Through her films, community work, and activism, Chaise is committed to elevating overlooked voices and inspiring meaningful change. As she continues developing impactful projects like Ordinary Heroes: The Crosses We Bear and Redención, she remains driven by the belief that storytelling can heal, connect, and empower people to embrace their own journeys.

Here is the Q&A session we had with Chaise Cortes De Vargas.

Chaise Cortes De Vargas As Cover Story Interview – July 2026 Magazine Edition

How do you introduce yourself?

My name is Chaise Cortés De Vargas. I am a trans producer, director, actress, journalist, and founder of ThematicShift, a member-powered film studio dedicated to creating stories that challenge assumptions, inspire conversation, and explore what it means to be human.
Before entering the entertainment industry, I spent more than a decade working in broadcast journalism across major markets including New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. Those years taught me how to find the human story beneath the headlines and continue to shape the way I approach filmmaking today.
Whether in front of the camera or behind it, I am drawn to stories about resilience, identity, faith, justice, sacrifice, and the invisible struggles people carry every day.
At my core, I believe storytelling has the power not only to entertain but to heal, connect, and remind us of our shared humanity.

Struggle – What hardships have you gone through in life?

Divorce is one of the most profound losses a person can experience, and I have lived through it twice.
In many ways, divorce resembles death. The life you built with another person, the routines, the traditions, the dreams, and sometimes even the family unit itself suddenly cease to exist in the form you once knew. You grieve not only the person but the future you imagined together.
When a marriage ends, people often find themselves asking a deeply unsettling question:
“Where do I go from here?”
Assets are divided, finances change, and a significant part of what once felt like economic security can disappear overnight.
The fear of losing stability keeps many people trapped in relationships that have become unhealthy or toxic. People often choose the familiar discomfort of dysfunction over the uncertainty of change because the unknown can be terrifying.
Eventually, however, we all arrive at the same question:
“What matters more — assets or peace? Security or authenticity?”
Choosing growth over comfort was one of the hardest and most important decisions of my life.
Sometimes we must allow one chapter to end in order to discover who we are capable of becoming in the next one.

What do people usually not know about you?

What many people do not know is that I was once living as someone else.
For decades, I quietly moved through the world carrying questions about my gender identity that I could not yet answer. Because I was attracted to women, it was easier in some ways to blend into the expectations others had for me. Outwardly, life appeared conventional, but internally I was engaged in a deeply personal search for understanding.
This was long before the visibility, resources, and communities available today existed in the way they do now. There were very few roadmaps and very few people openly sharing experiences that resonated with my own.
Rather than rushing toward conclusions, I gave myself time and space to understand what I was experiencing. I embraced the gender I was assigned at birth and allowed myself the opportunity to determine whether these feelings would fade or evolve.
I can only speak to my own experience and not to anyone else’s journey.
I have tremendous admiration for those who knew from a young age exactly who they were and had the courage to live openly in that truth. My own path was different.
After decades of reflection, self-examination, and careful consideration, I finally found the courage to live authentically and fully transition.
Today, I live openly and proudly as a woman and advocate for dignity, equality, and protections for transgender people so that future generations have access to the support and understanding that many of us lacked growing up.

What sets you apart from others?

I believe what sets me apart is the breadth of my experiences and my commitment to using them in service of others.
Few people have had the opportunity to work professionally in broadcast journalism, law, filmmaking, and acting while also building a career as an entrepreneur and advocate. Each chapter of my life has given me a different lens through which to understand people and tell their stories.
Journalism taught me curiosity and the importance of asking questions.
Law taught me discipline, preparation, and critical thinking.
Filmmaking taught me empathy and the power of storytelling.
Acting taught me vulnerability and the ability to step into someone else’s experience.
Transitioning taught me to live life authentically and truthfully.
As a proud SAG-AFTRA member, I have worked to amplify the voices of my fellow performers and creatives. During the historic 2023 strike, I conducted interviews with actors and industry professionals to help preserve their stories and perspectives during a pivotal moment for our industry.
That work continues during SAG-AFTRA New York City’s Labor Day celebrations, the Pride March, where I interviewed workers, artists, and advocates about the issues shaping their communities.
Beyond entertainment, I have advocated for transgender equality through legislative lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., and I volunteer with the Rainbow Room, a safe and affirming space where LGBTQ+ youth can simply be themselves, build friendships, and experience community without fear or judgment.
At the end of the day, I see storytelling not simply as a profession but as an act of service. Whether through journalism, film, advocacy, or community work, my goal has always been the same:
To elevate voices that deserve to be heard.

What are your upcoming major events?

I am currently focused on several exciting projects that represent the next chapter of my creative journey.
The first is Ordinary Heroes: The Crosses We Bear, a feature film exploring grief, trauma, sacrifice, faith, and healing through the lens of 9/11 first responders and survivors. The story follows an aging FDNY chaplain struggling with loss and guilt as he encounters extraordinary events that force him to confront the wounds he has spent years trying to bury.
I am also producing Redención, a documentary that shines a light on New York City’s often overlooked canning community — individuals who collect recyclable bottles and cans to survive and support their families. At its heart is the story of José, a grandfather whose determination and sacrifice reveal extraordinary dignity in ordinary lives.
The documentary is directed by the immensely talented filmmaker Andrea Vico, whose visual sensitivity and deeply human approach bring authenticity and compassion to the project. Working alongside Andrea has been both a privilege and an inspiration.
Beyond these projects, I continue to grow ThematicShift, a collaborative film studio built around the idea that audiences should have the opportunity not only to watch stories but to help shape and participate in them.

What expert advice would you like to give?

Do not wait for permission.
Too many dreams die because people spend years waiting for someone else to validate them, choose them, or tell them they are ready.
Start now.
Do not merely talk about what you want to build — build it.
Then continue building when rejection comes, because rejection is not evidence that you should stop; it is evidence that you are participating in the process.
My years working in television news taught me to develop a thick skin. Stress, criticism, setbacks, and rejection are part of every competitive industry. Success belongs less to those who avoid failure and more to those who refuse to quit.
Opportunity emerges from consistency just as much as creativity.
Never allow someone else’s limitations to become your own.
And perhaps most importantly, resist the temptation to constantly compare yourself to others.
Comparison steals joy, confidence, and momentum.
There will always be someone wealthier, more famous, more accomplished, or seemingly further ahead.
When the urge to compare yourself arises, remind yourself:
“That is their path, not mine.”
Your path is uniquely yours.
Your responsibility is not to walk someone else’s road better than they did.
Your responsibility is to blaze your own.
Fear is one of the greatest barriers standing between people and their potential.
Fear whispers to us to stay comfortable.
It encourages us to remain inside the boundaries others have drawn for us and the labels others have assigned to us.
Challenge yourself.
When you feel fear, uncertainty, or self-doubt, lean into it rather than retreat from it.
Do the thing that scares you.
Take the meeting.
Make the call.
Start the business.
Audition for the role.
Speak the truth.
Because growth rarely happens inside comfort.
More often than not, the things that frighten us the most are pointing us toward the person we are capable of becoming.
On the other side of fear often lies growth, opportunity, and victory.
That has certainly been true in my own life.