I was born on Vitoria, a small island off of Brazil’s eastern coast and my education has always had an international flair to it: I briefly attended boarding school in Switzerland;started collegein Sao Paulo, Brazil;lived in Tokyo, Japan;and thentransferred to .
One of myfriendshad been studying at for a yearand I soon discovered that was the perfect balance ofanAmerican educationwith aEuropean location, that I’d been searching for. Afterresearchingits Film department, was my top choice, and the campus tour I went on after being accepted showed me that this was a place that I could really call home.
Despite knowing that I wanted to study Film,I felt overwhelmed by the sheer number ofcourseoptions. I rememberbringing a giant list of classes that I wanted to take to my firstmeetingwithmy Academic Advisor, NatalieDebroise,whowas incredibly helpful, andI soon sawthat no matter the class, each professor demandedthe same, highlevel of excellence; I was in good hands.
I learned a lot about myself through learning about other people. Diversity is a concept that is discussed and respected a great deal at andempathyis a skill that we’re expectedto exercise.I loved the sense of community and thesafety I felt here gave metheconfidence to take greater risks, academically and professionally, and still pushes me to go further than I would have imagined.There were things I thoughtI couldnever do but that I soon realized were well within my grasp. I learned to let go of a lot of my preconceived notions, which I think is crucial to pursuing a career in the arts.
My senior advisor, Professor Alice Craven, helped me a lot after graduation, as did one of my all-time favorite professors, LawrencePitkethly, a.k.a., the Complete Encyclopedia of Film History (Human Edition).
I can honestly say that studying cinema in Paris is an unforgettable privilege. My favorite thing to do when it rained was to find shelter in the art museums and use my free student pass to peruse the collections.I also loved practicing French:I lived with a Parisian host family for a while, who gave me a very comfortable home environment, which also made it easier to focus on my studies. My professors always knew about the latest exhibits and shows and I loved our group outings, which allowed meto visitunexpectedlocales both in and out of Paris.
I still speak withmy best friends from on a daily basisand even if we see other infrequently, it feels like no time whatsoever haspassed.’s facultyarealways ready to help and are still happy to hear from me.My senior advisor, Professor Alice Craven, helped me a lot after graduation, as did one of my all-time favorite professors, LawrencePitkethly, a.k.a., the Complete Encyclopedia of Film History (Human Edition).
I currently live in L.A., where I mostly work as an independent producer for film and television.My first job here waswithawebseriescalledEmma Approved, an adaptation of Jane Austen’sEmma, which won a Primetime Emmy for Interactive Programming. I received a Lady Filmmakers award for a script that I wroteand my senior thesisbecame the subject of a course study at the Federal University ofEspiritoSanto in Brazil, where I went to discuss some of my ideas with the class.I’mnowproducing a series that I acquired in Brazil, written by the same director whose work got me to the Cannes Film Festival in 2014, where some of my classmates werealso working.I’ll soon betakingthefirst steps towardscreatingmy own production company, which will promote cultural diversity in filmmaking and give a greater platform to new talent.
My night job? Plotting tofindwork in Paris so that I can come back!
For me, brands are about trust and transparency. Strong brands are ones with which people build affinities.
Okada Media’s mission is to expand available opportunities for African filmmakers while removing barriers to entry.
Exploring Paris on foot shows just how closely our understanding of our lives can be connected to our sense of place.