We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maria~elena Poblacion Pineda a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Maria~Elena Poblacion, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
One’s work ethic can be shaped by many sources including environment, upbringing, and education (formal and “life lessons”). I’m thankful that those three sources in my life are positive, supportive, and encouraging.
My most important sources of work ethic are my parents and my relatives. Both of my parents immigrated here from the Philippines. Fulfilling their dream for a better life, they worked hard to establish themselves in the U.S. They faced many challenges coming here, but they never let those challenges affect their confidence, self-respect and drive to establish their careers and reach their goals. This same journey is shared by many of my relatives who also came here and achieved success. Because my parents and family worked so hard and made many sacrifices, I’m driven to work just as hard to honor them and continue their legacy.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Coming from the Midwest, I dreamed of being in the Film and TV Industry, specifically in News. I knew that I would need to come to LA for college. After interning at KNBC, I was able to land my first job with Reuters New Service while I was still in college. From there I learned as much as I could from every job. Eventually I formed my production company Emerging Creation Productions. Encompassing all that I’ve learned and honing as many skills as possible, my focus has been on documentary filmmaking. It is a great mix of journalism and the creativity of storytelling.
In addition to working with clients on their projects, I’m in production on a documentary about a Korean adoptee. “Dear Bill” is the story of a man embarking on a journey that would solve a mystery…….forty years in the making. I also have two other docs in development.
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?
When I look at my career, the three areas of knowledge that shape my journey are knowledge of my industry, knowledge of oneself, and knowledge of what is most important in my life.
For those starting out in their career, learning doesn’t stop at school. Research and learn everything you can about how your industry / business operates. Know what you’re “bringing to the table”…what skills make you invaluable. Last but not least, what do you consider your treasure or what’s most important in your life? What you choose will determine where you devote the majority of your time.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
One of the many challenges that any filmmaker faces now is getting a project completed and distributed. There are so many media “outlets” that it makes it difficult to get attention to your project and keep the attention of the audience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.emergingcreation.com
- Other: Book a consultation:
Complimentary 15 min intro: https://savvycal.com/emergingcreation/b919ee10
One hour consult: https://savvycal.com/emergingcreation/435a1742
Image Credits
Maria~Elena P. Pineda/ Emerging Creation Productions
Paulist Productions
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
