(IMAGE: On the red carpet with John Ducey, Violet McGraw and Christina Moore from I BELIEVE IN SANTA; courtesy of ESX Entertainment)
ESX Entertainment president Ali Afshar is a born risk taker. In his life prior to becoming a successful producer, he was a renowned drag racer and the founder of ESX Motorsports–the company from which ESX Entertainment takes its name. The big early success that put ESX Productions on the map was “American Wrestler,” an autobiographical sports drama about Ali’s experiences growing up as the new kid in school, picked on for being Iranian, who became a high school wrestling champ, and lived out the American dream.
(ESX Entertainment president Ali Afshar; courtesy of ESX Entertainment)
The second turning point for Ali and ESX came with their 2020 Netflix original movie “A California Christmas.” Made at a time when every other producer in town went on hiatus because of the COVID crisis, “A California Christmas” became one of the most successful holiday titles in Netflix history. It’s already spawned a sequel, and another may be on the way. Ali’s Christmas titles for 2023 include “A Hollywood Christmas,” another self-reflexive flick that is a Christmas rom com about the people who make Christmas rom coms.
DigiGods caught up with the dapper Mr. Afshar on the eve of the premiere of ESX’s new Netlix title “I Believe in Santa” for a conversation about life, the importance of Christmas comedy, and why sometimes the rest of us need a man like Ali Afshar to remind us of the importance of the American Dream.
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