Born in Manila, Philippines and raised in a convent in Guam, Celia Esguerra majored in Theater Arts at California State University, Los Angeles, and began her career in the entertainment industry with a short stint in the music business as a protege of hip-hop tastemaker Violet Brown. A former advertising executive, digital strategist, and the second-youngest California Delegate to the 1992 Democratic National Convention, Celia is a self-taught screenwriter whose first screenplay, A Band of Angels, was optioned by independent film producer Richard Kiratsoulis (Monster, Havoc, The Upside of Anger).
During her 2010 Film Independent Project:Involve Screenwriting Fellowship, Celia produced Represent, a short film written/directed by Academy Award-nominated writer Iris Yamashita (Letters From Iwo Jima) with Executive Producer Justin Lin (Fast & Furious, Better Luck Tomorrow).
Celia has written and directed two short films, Falling, and Goodbye Kitty.