We were lucky to catch up with Andrea Valenzuela recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Andrea with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
Hello, my name is Andrea Valenzuela and I am a California-based producer for live production and events. My work ethic has been many years in the making. I am from Los Angeles County, raised in a city called Baldwin Park in the San Gabriel Valley about 30 minutes from LA. Have you ever heard of In-n-Out Burger? Well, Baldwin Park is where it all began.
At a young age being from the L.A. County, I naturally gravitated to the performing/ theatre arts and was exposed to political campaigning by mentors: Senator Susan Rubio and Assembly Woman Blanca Rubio of District 22-CA. The exposure to community outreach through volunteer events and socials I managed to pick up skills and apply them to my interests which in fact are the entertainment arts. I’ve always known I wanted to be in the entertainment industry however I also wanted to learn how to be behind the scenes. So I left Southern California and relocated to Monterey, CA where I attended film school and pursued my undergraduate degree at California State University, Monterey Bay 2015. After completing my B.A. in Cinematic Arts and Technology I then moved out of the country to the South of France, interning at the Cannes Film Festival/ Marche du Film with a company called, The Creative Mind Group. Essentially it was an internship that taught me how to distribute and further my stance within the industry. Since then I have worked for companies including: FOX 35 of Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz, Univision, Film Independent and currently live production company: Matrix Visual Solutions. Recently in 2022, I also produced two theatre productions licensed by Playbill © NY that premiered here in Hollywood, CA.
As of now I have decided to head back to school to earn my masters degree. I am attending Louisiana State University online in hopes of receiving my MBA in Project Management for Live Production. It has been a tedious journey but I am so proud to apart of “The Boot.”
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Being obsessed with live production, it ironically began when I attended my first music festival held by Insomniac Events called Audio on the Bay in the Bay Area. There was a brief moment during the show I had managed to get incredibly close to the stage and the event set up. I carefully observed the stage hands as they prepped everything including: the set design, lights and the switchboards for the DJs. It all intrigued me. Fast forward to now my love for massive productions continues to grow on.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three main skills that I have gained and then refined over the years are:
1. Open and constant communication. No matter what situation or project one is in, over communicating is always preferred.
2. Trust yourself. Even when the road gets hard and you feel alone, keep going. Do that next project.
3. Practice Kindness Always. Of course be kind to others, but most importantly be kind to yourself.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
My biggest growth/ improvement has to be my will and tenacity to take on more challenges and seeing my work come to fruition. In the last year I completed a variety of projects including: the two Playbill © productions, coordinating marketing/ community outreach for a municipal election, my current position at production house: Matrix Visual and of course now tackling LSU grad school. It has been quite a ride, I can’t wait to see what’s ahead.
Contact Info:
- Website: andreavalens.com
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/
andrea-valenzuela-33ba36b9
