Interview with Choz Belen Founder of Mumu Comic
After graduating college, many of us start from the bottom and work our way up. For those of us that are not in the medical field, we start our careers working in corporate America and mainstream media. It’s a good jumpstart for us to listen, learn, and network. Amidst the accolades, there comes a point in our career where we start to think of what else and what more can we do? We ponder on what legacy we want to leave behind? What mark do we want to make on this world? How can we contribute to our community and to the youth? These are the same thoughts that I had when I decided to co-author In Her Purpose with Rose Buado. Not too long after we launched our book, Choz Belen reached out to me about his aspiration to write and illustrate a comic book, citing similar reasons in wanting to create more opportunities for storytelling. In 2021, he released not one, but two graphic novels: Mumu: Monsters of the Motherland and Mumu: Lost in Anito.
Who is Choz Belen?
Choz Belen is an award-winning director, designer and writer born and raised in central New Jersey. He is a graduate from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Upon graduating, he started out his career in the Silver Pictures cutting room at Warner Bros. Studio where he worked on films like Whiteout, Orphan and The Factory. Choz would later go on to direct and produce various award-winning music videos with artists such as Awkwafina, Far East Movement, MFBTY, Mansions Over the Moon, to name a few.
As a designer, he has been fortunate enough to have worked with extraordinary clients like Amazon, Google, Macy’s, MTV, Esquire, Goldman Sachs, Dropbox, Yahoo!, Unicef and the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 2012, he co-wrote and directed his first animated short film, Hibaskusha, with fellow APA teammate, Steve Nguyen. Most recently, he became a best-selling author for his work with Mumu.
What is Mumu?
Mumu means “monster” in Tagalog. Mumu is the title of Choz Belen’s coming of age series of graphic novels that were inspired by real-life experiences and popular ghost stories. Imagine if Stranger Things took place in the Philippines, and the main characters are a group of Filipino American siblings and their friends that embark on a journey of personal growth and cultural discovery on their way to becoming Filipino monster hunting heroes.
Today we catch up with Choz and hear more about his inspiration for Mumu.
Why did you embark upon this project?
At a very young age, I was already creative. I was always drawing cartoons, making up stories, and interested in animation and cinema. Ever since I was a kid, l had a weird fascination with monsters. I loved watching movies, reading books, and going to see these characters in real life at Universal Studios. Growing up with my cousins, I was always going on adventures with them in the forest looking for Big Foot or other monsters to pop out. This fascination carried on into adulthood.
In 2001, I went on a family vacation to the Philippines. I had never been there before so it was definitely a culture shock. It was very humbling, and I had the best time learning more about my family’s roots, our culture, and hearing these folklore stories from my grandparents. That’s when I learned about Mumu: The White Lady, Aswang, Mananangal, and Dwendes.
In the middle of my career, I was going back and forth from New York and Los Angeles. I started a side hustle called Studio APA with one of my friends. We worked on projects that I was passionate about: music videos, commercials, and short animated films.
A lot of professionals, such as myself, come to a point where they get caught up in the rat race, and start to question themselves. After a lot of time spent in self-reflection, I was ready to take on a new project that was more personal and meaningful. I was getting really into my culture and started thinking about representation. I wanted to use my professional experience that I’ve acquired over the years. I wanted to create and tell a story, mixed in with my passions and identity.
Legacy came up for me when my brother started to have kids. I thought about the future and how I could pave the way for the future generation. My nephew (Jake) and niece (Olivia) inspired me to move forward with this project. Things change and evolve, and what is old can sometimes get lost after generations. Especially being Filipino-American, we aren’t directly tied or connected to these Filipino monsters or folklores. A piece of history could get lost if we don’t pass on these stories. I wanted to contribute in a special way, continue the tradition and honor my grandparents’ legacy.
Growing up, I didn’t see Filipino-American representation in mainstream media, which truly really matters to me. It’s important to share our personal stories – that’s how change happens at a micro level. A little goes a long way when we are making strides to make a difference.
What was your writing and technical process?
I started by putting pen to paper. I combined my personal experiences growing up and stories that I heard from my grandparents and cousins. I turned it into a graphic novel – going back to the fundamentals and basics of who I was coming up as an artist. It was nostalgic for me to go back to when I was a kid drawing cartoon characters and coming up with stories on the floor of my Lola’s house. I wanted to incorporate growing up as a Filipino-American, the struggles of being an outsider, and the racism that I experienced growing up. I am passionate about representation and raising awareness.
I want to share the Filipino-American experience because that was lacking when I was growing up. I didn’t see any heroes or actors on television that looked like me. My heroes were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which you can see aspects of when you read through Mumu.
Due to the covid pandemic, I had nothing but time to work during lockdown. It gave me the opportunity to start my passion project, so I sat down and started the writing process. During that time, Stranger Things was really big on Netflix. It was perfect for what I was trying to do – I could introduce the monsters and introduce the kids.
It was chaotic in 2020. We thought the world was going to end so I moved back to New Jersey to hang out with my parents. As much as I love them, after three months, I knew that I needed my own space. I decided to take a vacation to Oahu, and that turned out to be my home for the next couple of years. It was the best because there were close to no tourists. I had the beach to myself, and I had lots of time to finish two Mumu books! I am almost finished with book three! My goal was three books in three years!
Who is this book for?
There’s something for everyone – Filipino or not. Filipinos can take pride in our culture, heritage, and traditions. If you’re not Filipino, it’s a fun adventure, reminiscent of The Goonies, Sandlot, and Stand by Me.
Representation matters! We are entering a time where our stories are being told, our faces are starting to be seen, our voices are being heard, and people are coming out of the shadows and getting more comfortable. We are starting to be proud of who we are – we no longer have to change our names to sound more westernized so it looks better on a resume. I am here to make my contribution to bring things forward, and to leave a legacy for my family.
What’s next for Choz Belen?
Book three is almost done! It’s been an adventure in itself, but here we are almost three books out the door and I’m excited about where the journey ultimately takes me. As an animator by trade, the ultimate goal is to take the next steps toward developing the books into a show and I’m looking forward to collaborating with other artists in the future.
How can people purchase your book and where can they find you?
Mumu books can be purchased on Amazon. For more information, head to https://www.chozbelen.com. On social media, you can find me @chozbelen and @mumu.comic on Instagram.
Written by Jennifer Redondo
Co-Founder and Co-Author of In Her Purpose
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