After being released from prison, twenty-five years ago, I began to speak to African American and Latino gangs across America. I saw the hatred among these young people, not only for those of the opposite color but also for many of their own. I began to hear their stories, and the one common denominator that most of them shared was being born in the wrong place to parents who were out of control, in jail, or addicted to drugs and no opportunity for an education. Their only form of schooling and ""parenting"" was provided by the gangs themselves. For many of these young men and women, positive role models were not there, but the gang became their security, their parent, their schoolteacher, and their pastor-like leader.  

"There is a special trap for every holder of power, whether the director of a company, the head of a state or the ruler of a dictatorship. His favor is so desirable to his subordinates that they will sue for it by every means possible. Servility becomes endemic among the entourage, who compete among themselves in their show of devotion. This in turn exercises a sway upon the ruler, who becomes corrupted in his turn.  The key to the quality of the man in power is how he reacts to this situation. I have observed a number of industrialist and military men who knew how to fend off this danger. Hitler himself put up no visible resistance to the evolution of a court."

When Rakontur Studios first approached Dr. Valdés in 2016, Dr. Valdés turned them down.  He was not ready to tell his story so he was not interested.  Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman did not give up so, in early March of 2020, they once again met with Dr. Valdés and presented a new and very compelling proposal. After days of consulting with his staff, Dr. Valdés agreed to join Rakontur Studios and collaborate on some significant collaborations.