Reyna, born in Glendale, California, grew up in Mexico City, where he attended school through high school. His mother, a cinema enthusiast, would take him to a movie theater at least three times a week, but it was at eleven years old when his mother snuck him in to watch Spielberg's "Jaws," which sparked his passion for cinema. As a teenager, Reyna attended The San Rafael Theater Workshops, studying Seki Sano and Stanislavski's acting methods. His first time on a professional film set occurred on "Adios, Lagunilla, Adios," directed by Rene Cardona Jr, where Reyna was cast as a background player after a friend told him there was a need for extras at the studios in Churubusco, Mexico. When he observed the director and cinematographer chain-smoking through sixteen hours of stressful work, however, he found the process of filmmaking to be disappointing. Actor Rafael Inclan, the star of the film, confided in Reyna that even in the smallest roles in film, whether as cast or crew member, people have put in at least twenty hard years of work.

 

Reyna then tried a stint as a standup comedian and was encouraged to move back to the Los Angeles area in 1987.  He did not speak any English, however, which proved to be a mistake as only a few months later, as Reyna was returning from a day visit to Tijuana, he was denied entry by US Immigration and was deported by Border Patrol Agents for having an accent while speaking English, despite having all his legal documents with him. This prompted Reyna to always carry his American passport with him. 

 

Reyna found himself drifting aimlessly and making a living by selling Toyotas and then as a gym instructor and gym membership sales associate in the Hollywood area. In 1991, Reyna watched "City Slickers," a motion picture Reyna oddly credits with re-sparking his passion for filmmaking after listening to Curly's (Jack Palance) speech in the movie.  He joined the Los Angeles Valley College School of Film, but his work schedule caused him to miss too many classes, so he instead opted to check out books about filmmaking from the library.  His first day working as a crew member was in Mark Kamps' award-winning short film, "Last Sunday Morning," with Anthony Montes and George Russo.  To attend the production, Reyna missed a gym appointment to train Sarah Matson, the woman who would become his wife. 

 

Reyna began to volunteer at The American Film Institute in exchange for admittance at special screenings so he could meet the filmmakers. Reyna would also seek positions with AFI film students to learn positions.  Reyna then sought Actor Background work, but only to be near the Director and learn their craft. More than once, he was caught and removed from the director's chair.

 

Reyna also used to sneak into Sony Studios in Culver City to visit soundstages and see how the films were made, but was always discovered by security guards who would escort him off the lot.

After one more visit to the Sony lot, he met Jimmy Honore, then Vice President of Post-Production. Jimmy introduced Reyna to director Luc Besson, who invited him to watch a screening of his new film, "The Professional." Honore became Reyna's mentor and assigned him to George Hively, a master editor at Columbia Pictures, to teach him film editing.

 

Reyna started contacting small production companies in Hollywood, asking for short ends, unused leftover film. After a few months, Reyna collected enough 35mm film to exchange for new 16mm film rolls, which he used to shoot his comedy "Somebody's Hero." Reyna secured sponsorship from Anheuser Busch, and received 40 cases of beer which he exchanged for a Film Grip Truck. Jimmy Honore introduced him to Otto Nemmens, who lent Reyna a camera package, provided he had insurance. Once the film was shot, Hively guided Reyna through the post-production process, which included cutting the picture and sound on a Movieola, and cutting the film's negative, which proved to be an enormous undertaking.  Eventually, Reyna was able to get a print, and he showed it to Hively, who fell asleep halfway through. Through Jimmy, Sony allowed Reyna to host a cast and crew screening on the lot. Soon afterward, however, Reyna destroyed the film, deeming it horrible and blaming its failure on his amateur writing, poor casting choices, and his directing weaknesses. 

 

Honore then offered Reyna a job with Barbra Streisand during the post-production of her film "The Mirror Has Two Faces," which kept Reyna working at Streisand's ranch in Malibu where the film was being edited. Reyna has always described Streisand as a strong director who knows what she wants and who was always willing to give him advice. Streisand introduced Reyna to director Sydney Pollack, composer Marvin Hamlisch, and actor Jeff Bridges.

 

Streisand also introduced Reyna to producer Aris Sloane, who eventually agreed to produce Reyna's new script, "The Room Above."  Sloane and Reyna created Arizona Pictures and worked together to develop the murder-drama. Sloane then brought costume designer Mark Bridges (Joker, Maestro) into the mix. Sloane, however, fell victim to AIDS and passed away soon after. Reyna's first son was born within days of Sloane's passing, and he again decided to give up films and moved with his wife to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he became a stay-at-home dad. 

 

After a couple of years In Indianapolis, Reyna noticed the lack of filmmaking opportunities in the midwestern city and created the Digital Film Project, a tiny organization to make short films and music videos with experienced crew members while mentoring aspiring inexperienced filmmakers. The DFP's first film was "Valentine," a music video for Jason Brown's Push, Down, and Turn. The DFP then produced "Junk Drawer," a short film about special education issues in high school, which Reyna adapted from a short story by Daniel E. Forsee. "Junk Drawer" won the Best Short Award at the Indy Film Fest in Indianapolis, and Reyna was named Artistic Innovator of the Year by Nuvo Magazine. Reyna followed by adapting Dean O'Donnell's play "Legwork" into a short film. "Legwork" went on to win a Platinum Remi at the WorldFest in Houston and an Honorable Mention for Best Short at the Newport Beach Film Festival.

 

While seeking an original feature script to direct, Reyna heard from a friend about the book "Regionrat" by Richard Laskowski. After meeting with the author, Reyna wrote the book film's adaptation.  "Regionrat" was quickly optioned and then bounced around from company to company and from talent agent to talent agent for a very long time. This process brought Reyna back to Southern California. The film went through several casting directors and was cast three times, but unfortunately, it never got made. After a decade of letdowns, Reyna agreed with Laskowski to make the film anyway. They began production with sixteen thousand dollars and a credit card as a budget. By the time the film was finished, the expense report went up to fifty-five thousand dollars. Johnny Murillo, the film's producer, doubled as producer and caterer, by taking care of feeding the entire crew all by himself. Cinematographer Carlos M. Jimenez trained hard-working newbies and even secured a camera, light, and grip equipment, while Reyna found a cargo van to move the equipment around town.

 

"Regionrat" premiered at the Chandler International Film Festival, where it won Best Feature Film.  The film went into the lower-tiered Film Festival circuit and collected multiple awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Young Actor, Best Actor, and Best Ensemble Cast. The film was acquired and distributed by Gravitas.

 

Reyna wrote and Directed "Due Justice" (Kellan Lutz). He then wrote the films "Ruthless" (Dermot Mulroney), Black Warrant (Tom Berenger), La Balada de Hortensia (Julio Yudice), currently in post, and "Desert Runner," slated to be shot in 2024. 

His current projects include "Deception Pass," a murder mystery, "The Flight Response," action sci-fi,  "American Revision," time travel/sci-fi, "Building 50," a murder mystery, and "An Orange Rhapsody, a comedy. He is also working to direct "Stride," a family music drama written by playwright Rick Whelan.