SBVC Alumnae Win Emmy for Powerful KVCR Doc on Warehousing’s Toll in Inland Communities

Just a couple of years ago, Mariana Lapizco and Briana Navarro were students at San Bernardino Valley College, editing projects in the media lab and chasing shots with classmates across the Inland Empire. On June 21, they stood on the Emmy stage in San Diego as KVCR Public Media’s The Warehouse Empire took home the award for Best Documentary, marking a proud milestone for the Inland region—and two rising San Bernardino filmmakers at the heart of the project.

The film, directed by San Bernardino native Sofia Figueroa, explores the environmental, economic, and social impact of the region’s warehouse boom. With more than 4,000 warehouses now crowding Inland neighborhoods, The Warehouse Empire examines how unchecked industrial development has changed the local landscape—and the lives of those who call it home.

“We manifested this a year ago,” Lapizco said, reflecting on the moment KVCR’s name was read. “We’re Emmy Award winners—representing San Bernardino, representing Valley College, representing our families.”

Navarro and Lapizco served as field producers, coordinating interviews and shoots, capturing b-roll, and documenting community resistance from the ground level. Both are graduates of the San Bernardino Valley College Film, Television, and Media Department, and residents of San Bernardino.

Uncovering a Changing Landscape

Directed and hosted by Figueroa, The Warehouse Empire centers the stories of Inland Empire residents who live next door to the massive distribution hubs powering America’s online economy. Though the region has become a key link in the global supply chain—handling more than 40% of the nation’s imports via the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach—the cost is deeply local.

The documentary features interviews with warehouse workers, economists, community advocates, and residents impacted by truck traffic, air pollution, and land use changes.

“Our goal was to spotlight the powerful stories of Inland Empire residents and bring attention to how the growing warehouse and logistics industry is affecting frontline communities,” Figueroa said in a statement issued by KVCR.

“With the support of PBS stations like KVCR, we’re able to elevate local voices and bring greater visibility to the challenges and resilience within our community.”

The Rocha Family: A Story of Displacement

One of the documentary’s most powerful sequences follows Kim and Thomas Rocha, Bloomington residents who spent years opposing a proposed 340,000-square-foot warehouse behind their property. Their land was originally zoned residential, with plans for 27 homes. But the county later changed the zoning to industrial.

Despite community opposition, the warehouse was approved in a 4-1 vote by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. On the day of the vote, Thomas’s father passed away.

“We cried a lot,” he says in the documentary. “Our quality of life was not what we expected.”

The couple’s story underscores what Navarro described as a recurring theme in production: families whose needs are ignored in favor of speculative development.

Political Urgency on the Emmy Stage

During the Emmy acceptance speech, Lapizco used her time at the podium to speak on behalf of undocumented warehouse workers and immigrant communities increasingly targeted by federal enforcement.

“Many of these warehouse workers are undocumented and right now they’re being marginalized,” Lapizco told the audience.

“They’re raiding these warehouses… taking people without due process, without a warrant.”

After the ceremony, Lapizco said it was important to name injustice in spaces not typically used for political advocacy.

“Public media exists to inform, educate and organize,” she said. “If we have a platform, we have to use it for the people who keep these warehouses running but rarely get the microphone.”

San Bernardino Roots, Statewide Impact

Lapizco and Navarro both attribute their early opportunities to SBVC’s film program who funded them with internship opportunities with KVCR, before the public media company hired them. 

They began production on the documentary in 2023, capturing interviews with workers, organizers, and local officials across San Bernardino, Rialto, Redlands and Bloomington. Both women juggled production schedules while enrolled in school and holding part-time jobs.

KVCR’s Historic Double Win

KVCR received two Emmy Awards this year—its first-ever for a documentary. The second win came in the Interview/Discussion – Short or Long Form Content category for an episode of Inland Edition featuring Chris Burns, CEO of Boys Republic.

“Receiving an Emmy is an incredible honor,” said Inland Edition showrunner Brad Greenwell. “But the real reward was learning firsthand how these individuals serve our communities every day.”

“We are truly honored to have won two Emmy Awards for producing local content that resonates deeply with our community,” said Connie Leyva, KVCR’s Executive Director and Executive Producer for both award-winning projects. “This recognition affirms our belief that local storytelling matters—and that the Inland Empire deserves a strong voice in public media.”

Full Credits: The Warehouse Empire

• Director – Sofia Figueroa
  
• Director of Photography – Matt Ornelas
  
• Executive Producers – Manny Saucedo, Connie Leyva
  
• Field Producers – Mariana Lapizco, Briana Navarro
  
• Production Coordinator – Elizabeth Kelly
  
• Engineer in Charge – Tim Stytle
  
• Online Editor and Colorist – Younis Shabeb
  
• Sound – Leo Fontes
  

A Win for Inland Voices

More than a statue, Lapizco and Navarro view the Emmy as validation that Inland Empire stories belong on national screens—and that public media can be a vehicle for social change.

Their next project? The Ella Film Festival, a women-centered showcase scheduled to debut December 19, 2025 at KVCR Studios in San Bernardino. “Ella” means “she” in Spanish—and the festival will highlight films directed by women and nonbinary creators from underrepresented backgrounds.

Navarro will continue her undergraduate studies at Cal State Fullerton, while Lapizco begins graduate coursework at Chapman University in the fall.

“Every opportunity—big or small—helps you grow,” Navarro said. “Your timeline is your own.”

 “Don’t stay with the ‘what if,’” Lapizco added. “Keep dreaming big.”