Melissa Dueñas, director of East Side Stories, is a seasoned soul and funk Chicana DJ. Dueñas has been an active DJ/event curator in not only her hometown of San Diego, but also in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland. Currently based in San Diego she hosts an online oldies radio show, Lowrider Sundays, which receives listeners worldwide. Her active interest in music and Chicanx culture led to the creation of the East Side Story Project Instagram account. Recognizing the cultural significance of the East Side Story albums to the Chicanx community at large, Dueñas has set out to highlight the untold narratives through a documentary series. Her research practice is informed by her studies at UC Berkeley, where she received a B.A. in American Studies, with an emphasis in Comparative Art.