We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bela Levin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bela below.
Bela, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
I have learned to use it to my advantage and make myself indispensable for those that appreciated what I could offer. As a Latina woman and because of my background, I have the advantage to give unique and valuable opinion from personal and professional experience and from a point of view that is not shared by everyone in the room. Through working with development of media content, I have learned that it can be really easy to build misrepresentation if there isn’t proper assessment of how to show multiculturalism on screen and burn bridges with diverse audiences fairly quickly. Being from South America and having had experience with different cultures make me an important asset, but it was also crucial for me to find a team, partners and co-workers that understood and valued my opinions.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I work with Film and Television development and production at a big production company located in Santa Monica, California. I really love what I do because I get to look for stories that are important or can be just the escapism that audiences want and deserve after the dark years of the Covid Pandemic. Once a story/idea/material is found, then I work with a team to develop it and craft it to make it as appealing as possible to the audience. My personal goal is to make contributions to the industry by embracing diversity and inclusion, addressing underrepresented groups and opening new markets by translating content to broader audiences. I believe that putting a greater emphasis on multiculturalism can also increase the diversity of talent, which can lead to more representative storytelling. That’s what gets me going every day.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Perseverance, time management and networking. Perseverance because I could not have gone anywhere if I hadn’t had to fight hard to overcome all the obstacles I faced when I left everything behind in Brazil and moved to Los Angeles. It also made me appreciate the successes more, as they became even greater to celebrate when they did not come easy. Time management seems like the clichéd soft skill everyone tells us to have, but if I hadn’t worked on perfecting it I would not have been the assistant I was to some renowned people in the business, and would not have gained their trust and belief in me. And that takes me to networking. We all hear of its importance, but as I get older and continue to be in touch with the people I have known for so many years I see more and more how developing relationships within the industry have helped me get to where I am today. In a competitive market, it is the people that will vouch for you that could give you that extra push for you to get where you want.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am always looking for partners and collaborators that are ready to share their stories or know of the next great thing that audiences would love to hear about. If you know of a book, an article, a story or if you have an idea, let’s talk! And as always, inclusive and diverse stories are even more welcome!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/zz.belalevin
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/bela-levin-909b8064
