Cristian Gutierrez, otherwise known as Concrete, sits in his studio for his podcast, “Perritos Only Podcast,” a small part of his creative space in Canyon Country.
The space, which is a former music video and rent studio, is in the process of being turned into fully supporting Concrete’s brand, which entails his merchandise, costumes, an editing room and even a basketball half-court, among other things.
Concrete has taken on various roles in entertainment: from being an actor, rapper, music video producer, comedian, and social media star, to now acting in his first feature film, Sony Pictures’ “Clika,” which will be out in theaters on Jan. 23.
The Saugus resident has been busy and booked, touring as a stand-up comedian, promoting his new movie and even being a part of Power 106’s morning show, “Brown Bag Mornings.”
“I moved to [Santa Clarita] in 2020. At this point, I was doing a lot of charity work and helping out the community. I ended up doing a community event in Lancaster at Antelope Valley Chevrolet. The owner was like, ‘You do skits?’ and I was like ‘Yeah, dude,’ and he was like, ‘Would you like to do skits for AV Chevy?’” Concrete said. “I ended up doing skits for him and he asked, ‘Why don’t you move closer?’ and he helped me get a spot out here because I’m originally from San Fernando.”
With over a million followers combined on his social media accounts, Concrete has made a name for himself — but also made sure to pay his dues in the process.
“I started out as a rapper. Fast forward to 2008, 2009, I started shooting music videos for a bunch of my buddies that rapped. I was really blessed doing that, traveling the world, getting to see the world through a lens. In 2018, we were shooting a music video; it was the last scene, and [robbers] ended up stealing 80-90% of our gear,” Concrete said.
According to Concrete, the truck full of equipment was parked for only 10 minutes near the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts, before being broken into by a ring of thieves who were notorious for robbing tourists who would often stop to take photos.
“This was in September of 2018, and they stole everything. The only thing they didn’t take was the body of a camera and one lens. But we had other cameras, drones, lights, laptops, hard drives, and whatever you can imagine a production has when they’re shooting a music video,” Concrete said. “It was devastating for all of us, and we had to rent a bunch of gear to finish the gigs we had already booked.”
Taking a couple of months to wallow, Concrete decided, at the age of 33, to take the leap and try social media comedy skits.
“The last music video I shot was for Peso Pluma in 2022, and he blew up. [Getting robbed] was the best thing that could have happened. At the end of the day, it motivated me. I had stages of grief. But, I took this as a sign from God. It’slike a rebirth. I was dead broke at 33, and was trying to figure it out,” Concrete said. “This happened for a reason, and if I could find those people and thank them personally, I would.”
With a fast-growing podcast, deals with major corporations and non-stop touring, Concrete is now at a much stable, and creative spot, at 40.
“I started doing standup in late 2022, and I literally have been touring ever since. I’ve been doing skits and traveling, and now I have landed three movies since then. One of them came out last year called, ‘Horchata with Oat Milk,’ and the movie that’s coming out is my first major theatrical release,” Concrete said. “I took my kids to Regal Valencia, and I didn’t think I was going to be able to see my face on the screen at my local Regal. Like, that was crazy.”
With all that Concrete takes on on a day-to-day basis, he was always inspired by acting and comedy from an early age.
“I grew up watching ‘In Living Color,’ that’s probably my top show. All I knew is that when I saw Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx and Eugenio Derbez, that’s what I wanted to do. I remember grabbing my dad’s camera and doing sketches. He probably has it somewhere,” Concrete said. “Coming from a first-generation, Mexican-American family, it was really tough being in the acting world with parents who were trying to make ends meet every week.”
Previously acting in 2010, and being in films such as “Green Card Warriors” and other commercials, Concrete discussed the experience of being on set of “Clika,” and taking on a new role despite his usual focus on comedy.
“‘Clika’ is a biopic of the lead. His name is Jaydee, and the film is loosely based on him. He grew up in Yuba City, and was a farm worker with a God-given talent to write music and be a singer. He wants to leave the city and become a successful artist, and he has to go through certain things in order to get there,” Concrete said.
Concrete, who plays Jaydee’s uncle, Alfredo, used his acting chops to showcase his range in the upcoming drama.
“People are expecting for this to be a comedy, but it’s the total opposite. It’s a complete drama … I think if you’re able to put on a good performance, it doesn’t matter what genre it is. Hopefully I can take on more acting roles. That’s definitely where I want to take my career. I’m ready to take on something new — even a romantic comedy would be cool,” Concrete said.
Discussing his experience as a comedian, and how it could be tough to build stage presence interacting with strangers every night, Concrete encourages aspiring comedians and actors to put their fear aside and “just do it.”
“It’s not easy to tell somebody to go into a room, where they don’t know anybody, grab a mic, command their attention, have stage presence, and be likeable and funny. Most people can’t even get up in front of five people, let alone make them laugh on cue when you want them to,” Concrete said. “People tend to be scared, right. I still get scared to go on stage sometimes, or I get nervous, but I’ve grown to have a fear of failure. You’ve just got to start. You got to do it and lose the fear of starting.”
As for anyone who wants to make it big in the entertainment world, Concrete encourages any artist with big dreams to have a strong work ethic.
“If you’re likeable … people want to work with you. They’ll want to buy from you. But one thing that you can’t deny is work ethic,” Concrete said. “A good work ethic will trump anything. Being consistent, growing, changing, challenging yourself is what’s going to take you to the next level … I think when something doesn’t get interesting anymore, that’s when you’re going to lose the passion for it.”
