Ernie Bustamante is an Emmy-nominated TV writer and independent filmmaker. His work centers Latino characters and draws from his roots in the Arizona desert. Trained in the writer's rooms of network television, he has written for multiple TV series, sold pilots to the major studios, and created the award-winning satirical web series BORDER PATROL.

Ernie is based in West Hollywood and serves as an Associate Professor of Screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University. He holds a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from UCLA. STREET SMART is his debut feature documentary. He is currently developing his first fiction feature and a drama detective series, THE CHICO SANTANA MYSTERIES, based on the book by A.E. Roman.