Filmmaker - Self-Employed

September 2018 - Present

Chicago based but have operated internationally

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Soon after starting my Film and TV studies, I realized that in order to make great movies one needs to have a powerful and creative vision for the project, but, most importantly, one must have a tremendous amount of entrepreneurial skills. 

As a director and a cinematographer, I hire and manage the best crew to carry out my vision for the film. I read a script and visualize it by creating storyboards, mood boards, and lighting diagrams, which I present to my team. I make decisions when challenges arise, and I enjoy the challenges because they strengthen the direction of our project.

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Creating a film is like creating a small business; alongside a my team, we build it from scratch, fundraise and look for investors, work with a budget, hire and manage crew, create marketing materials to promote the film, and eventually sell it.

 

I have worked on projects for NBC Universal Media LLC., HBO Max, The History Channel, Cold Cases, Propagate Studios, and independent production companies and artists. I've also worked on commercials for Jewel Osco and Bosley. 

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Education and Cultural affairs (ECA) - U.S Department of State

Video Editor Diplomat Intern

September 2019 - June 2020

Global - Remote

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Applying the skills I was gaining as a graduate student studying Film and Television, I was able to support a global government initiative called TechCamp. As a Video Editor, I created unique stories using random footage from the program to attract new mentors, participants, and investors. Additionally, I designed motion graphics to increase the impact of the promotional video.

I used my bilingual skills to create scripts and videos in Spanish to cater to the TechCamp programs in Latin America. This experience allowed me to be both strategic and creative; it combined my passion for visual arts and marketing. 

 

 

 

Chicago Access Corporation (CAN TV):

Nonprofit Services Coordinator, Photographer, and Social Media Manager

December 2017 - September 2019 

Chicago, Illinois

 

As the only Bilingual coordinator, my job was to recruit and retain Chicago nonprofit organizations, with a primary focus on the Latinx community, to increase demographics and issue-based diversity of programming on CAN TV. After recruiting nonprofits, I trained nonprofits on use of Call-in studio, so they are able to host shows. I provided production and post-production support. 

Although most of my work was behind cameras, I periodically conducted interviews in both Spanish and English with local nonprofits and politicians on live Television. 

3 months into my job, I needed new challenges, so I began to take up tasks not included in my job description. Bringing my background in communication with a sociological approach, I created a marketing plan for CAN TV. This plan allowed me to collaborate with department managers, capture engaging pictures for CAN TV’s social media platforms, strategically post on social media to engage Chicago's diverse communities, and write compelling stories tailored to CAN TV's mission.

 

Human Service Chamber of Franklin County:

Marketing Internship

August - October 2016

Columbus, Ohio

 

The Human Service Chamber is a network of nonprofits in the Franklin County area; it serves as a liaison with local government officials and the nonprofit organizations it assists. 

At the HSC my supervisor set out various tasks for me that correlated with marketing. These tasks included updating HSC’s social media websites using a site called Buffer, so I found ways to strategically market our members' events, news, and spotlights using various platforms. Since this organization has a huge network, I reached out to our members and highlighted their events and accomplishments to maintain our tight network. 

 

 

Consulate General of Mexico:

Administrative Intern

June - August 2016

Chicago, Illinois

 

While studying abroad, my passion to work with Latino organizations in Chicago grew immensely. I wanted to reciprocate the knowledge I gained abroad to my community to assist them in any way. I looked at many organizations but realized many were utilized the Consulate General of Mexico's resources, so I decided to work with them to better assist a larger Latino population in Chicago.

Working at the Consulate gave me the opportunity to use my well-rounded skills to help many Mexican natives throughout Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. I learned about current policies, rights, and opportunities available that can help Mexican natives in the U.S. My main roles were behind a desk, and I had the opportunity to interview indigent natives specifically looking for financial assistance. As an Administrative Intern, I guided natives on the process of transferring corpses, elderly, and the ill back to Mexico. 

Therefore, most of my days were spent drafting legal letters that would be sent to Mexico. A very difficult but beneficial task I took on was translating government official documents from Spanish to English and vice versa because there were many legal terms that were foreign to me. Overall, this was the first time I worked in a government office and the fast-paced environment improved my ability to work on my feet. The greatest skill I improved on was paying attention to detail because my job required me to accurately enter information onto the Mexican Government’s database.

 

Frontier Gap Year:

Media and Journalism Internship

June - August 2015

Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica

 

At Frontier Gap Year I contributed blogs/ articles and pictures to Frontier's website to showcase volunteer's experiences for marketing purposes. This internship increased my creativity by assigning me independent projects. Therefore, I had to generate ideas and execute them on my own with little guidance. During my internship, I decided to take a risk and produce a short documentary that showcased the stories of the local people of Puerto Jimenez. Creating this documentary consisted of conducting interviews, shooting the right scenes, and editing, so I spent most of my days working on the documentary but also writing articles. On my free time, I taught English to the local children who were in preschool through sixth grade. By the end of my internship I completed my goal of building my portfolio and improving my writing skills.