Don Shapiro

Was born in The Bronx August 18, 1927. He attended PS 80 and then later Dewitt Clinton High School and graduated in 1945 and immediately joined the Navy to fight while WW2 was raging on. While he was finishing the training, the war had ended because Harry Truman dropped the bombs Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Don was honorably discharged and went to NYU School of Commerce on a GI Bill and earned a bachelors in accounting. Don left New York on an adventure to discover the rest of America. Shortly after traveling Don began selling several garment lines out of New York City. Ultimately that was the beginning of Don’s career as a salesman. That opportunity eventually paved the way for Don to start Action West, a pant manufacturing company that employed 850 employees in El Paso, TX. and 2,500 employes in Mexico within the maquila program. Now Don Shapiro and Valentin Sandoval partnered up to start a communications company titled Power at the Pass. They’re also currently completing the book with the same title. The book is the story of Don’s vision, his work, his family, and the history of the Southwest. The book will be published later this year.

Valentin Sandoval

was born and raised in El Paso, TX. He was the recipient of the first Film Award given by The University of Texas at El Paso in 1996. He went on to win three other awards for his documentary work on the U.S. prison systems, focusing on teachers who utilized language and literature as a means to slowly eradicate recidivism. He is the son of a single mother who raised four children while becoming a U.S. Citizen fifteen years ago. She is the subject of his first book, a searing poetic narrative titled South Sun Rises. The book was the recipient of the 2016 Southwest Book Award. From the age of 19-24 he worked on studio films, learning the process of major studio film productions. He spent the past fifteen years working as a producer at Univision, Azteca America, as well as developing projects with multiple agencies including directing music videos, creating political campaigns, social media campaigns and commercials for a wide range of businesses. He, alongside his partner, businessman Don Shapiro, created Power at the Pass, a studio which serves as a creative incubator that supports, entrepreneurs, technological innovators, and promotes the many cultures encompassing the borderland region of El Paso & Juarez. www.poweratthepass.com.