Military Service
U.S. Army Sergeant
Experience
6 years served
Future
Seeking a career in arts & entertainment
Location
Oxnard, CA
About Victor
I'm Victor Hurtado (and Holly my Service Dog). I'm a first generation Mexican-American, LGBTQ, Service Disabled Veteran. My first 13 years were spent growing up in the inner city (Compton, California) so I also feel a very close kinship to the African-American Culture. I've been in the Entertainment Field in one way or another my entire life as a performer, producer, writer and artistic director. I was in the Army for 6 years and stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. First in an Artillery Unit and later as the first Army Vocalist in a Division Band with the Second Armored Division. During my time in the Army I was cast in the U.S. Army Soldier Show, the touring show started by SGT Irving Berlin, carrying on the tradition of "Entertainment for the Soldier by the Soldier". In 2001 I got a call from Army Entertainment asking me to help them with the Soldier Show by coming in as Artistic Director. I answered the call and was the Artistic Director until it was terminated in early 2016. This event sent me into a tailspin mentally and I was hospitalized. Thus began my diagnosis with Complex PTSD resulting in TBI. My trauma team really stayed with me and in 2017 I produced the "Blue Print Specials", made up of works by Frank Loesser for the Public Theatre and presented on the USS Intrepid to sold out audiences https://americantheatrewing.org/working-in-the-theatre/blueprint-specials/. As music and theatre programs are all but non-existent in the Department of Defense today, I have continued to be a catalyst for Veteran and Active Duty Artists. I put together the group 4TROOPS at the behest of Sony Music in 2010, made up of Veterans with a successful release and coming in at #36 on the Billboard Charts in it's first week. I also created the American Military Spouses Choir for David Foster.
Music, Theatre and the Entertainment Media are in my DNA and I wish to give of every molecule to assist Veterans and Servicemembers by helping bridge the gap that service implemented on their future artistic prospects. I want to be able to continue to engage in collaborative and organic projects between the less than 1% of the population that makes up the Veteran Community and the 99% that makes the rest of the United States.