El Paso proud: Producer Yvette Yates Redick's movie 'Day Shift' shines bright on Netflix

El Paso native Yvette Yates Redick has gone on to become an actress turned movie producer and now also is a busy mom working side by side with her husband of seven years and business partner, producer Shaun Redick.

While pregnant with her second baby, Yates Redick was busy producing an action-horror movie, "Day Shift," for Netflix. The film is about an L.A. vampire hunter who has a week to come up with the cash to pay for his kid's tuition and braces.

Her instincts that the movie was special are paying off. The movie, which stars Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx, has been number one on Netflix in 79 countries since its premiere Aug. 12.

"I'm very proud of our movie. I didn't know what it was going to be, but at the same time I knew it was something special," she said in a recent telephone interview. "To be number one in a second week in a row worldwide is jaw-dropping. It's very exciting."

Yates Redick, who moved to Los Angeles where she worked as an actress and has appeared in several film and television movies, said producing has been a natural progression. She starred in "El Gringo," "After Dark Action" and the comedy vampire feature, "Bloodsucking Bastards."

"Being in the actor's seat offers you a certain perspective where you're seeing how your roles come to light. You interact with the crew differently," she said. "You're on set and see how everything lays out. But then being on the producer's side, you really get to create and develop and create these roles, not necessarily on screen, but also behind the scenes with your crew, your sun team, your director and writer. You're creating this synergy ‒ this lifeline of people working together for this one vision."

Yates Redick said she has produced comedy specials in the past and worked with comics, but this is her first PGA credit. PGA stands for Producers Guild of America, which means people in the PGA get to vote on movies during the awards season.

The producer, who formed Impossible Dream Entertainment with her husband, said she was seven months pregnant going into preproduction in Atlanta and Los Angeles. It also was filmed amid COVID precautions that required consistent testing and the wearing of personal protective equipment.

"We were in Atlanta for a few months and we had this one-week break in Los Angeles, and l gave birth to my almost 10-pound baby boy, very healthy. And I went back on set and was able to finish the film and that goes to say that I had a great support system in Netflix, the studios, our cast and crew, and of course, our producing team and my husband," she said.

Her parents, who still live in El Paso, also have flown to Los Angeles to help care for Paxton Charles and his sister, Isabella, 3.

She added: "I feel very proud of all we have accomplished on the personal and business side ‒ it's really a labor of love. It's something to speak about as a working mom that we can do this and we always figure it out."

Yates Redick said the film had a $100 million budget and she wanted to make sure the action scenes, such as car chases, cars blowing up and other stunts, were safe while successful on film.

"We did a lot of practical effects, which I think stands out about our movie, that it wasn't so much CGI (computer generated imagery). It was something we really wanted to do because I think it feels more grounded and real," she said.

Yates Redick said they were able to bring on Foxx to star in the movie through his connections with Netflix. These days, she said, actors are open to working in different types of entertainment and streaming services.

"He loved this as much as we did. And we were honored to have him as our anchor. I feel like everyone is more open because there are so many opportunities. Everyone wants to work on great projects, so wherever that comes from, I think people are open."

Yates Redick said she already has another project in the works with a big Latino cast. So stay tuned.

María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @EPTMaria on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso native Yvette Yates Redick produces action film for Netflix