Ali Afshar, Former Racing Pro and Holiday Movie Mogul, Looks Beyond Christmas for Growth
Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer For quite some time now, Christmas has come every day for Ali Afshar. The actor, producer and former race car driver is founder and president of ESX Entertainment, a prolific indie film and TV production company that’s made its name in recent years pumping Yuletide content to streamers amid the pandemic. The projects are modestly budgeted and shot efficiently and safely, mostly due to Afshar’s commandeering of his hometown — a sleepy Sonoma County village called Petaluma, where he built a soundstage from a converted barn and mines below-the-line crew from local residents. Titles include Netflix’s “A California Christmas” and its sequel “City Lights,” and the HBO Max originals “A Christmas Mystery,” “A Hollywood Christmas” and “Holiday Harmony.”