Professor Espinosa is a filmmaker who has been working on the U.S.-Mexico border region for over 25 years. He has produced many major national PBS productions, including: California and the American Dream, a four-hour documentary series exploring the dynamics of culture, identity, and civic engagement within the most multi-ethnic state in America; The U.S.-Mexican War: 1846-1848, a binational four-hour documentary series commemorating the 150th anniversary of this pivotal event in U.S.-Mexican history; ...and the earth did not swallow him, a American Playhouse feature film adaptation of Tomas Rivera's novel of the same name; The Lemon Grove Incident, a docudrama about one of America's earliest desegregation cases; The Hunt for Pancho Villa a documentary profiling Villa's dramatic raid on Columbus, New Mexico, and the American expedition sent to capture him; and The Border, a PBS news magazine about contemporary life along the US-Mexico border.

Professor Espinosa served on the boards of the Media Arts Center, San Diego, as president and co-founder, and of the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers National Board, as treasurer.