MEET WITH THE FREE THE WORK TEAM

Andrew Espindola, Creative Editorial Assistant

Originating from South Bay, Calfornia, I started out editing on a Playstation 4 in hopes of making it big during the YouTube Let's Play craze. That didn't work out. I liked editing though so at 14 I made my first Documentary and the rest is history. At the age of 18, I'm an Alumni of Ghetto Film School, made countless pieces, and am currently obsessed with the process of making Music Videos!

I am available for:

• I'm open to getting to know you and what drives you in your work. I have a lot of experience in editing but I've also directed, written, and love playing around with my Lumix GH4. I'm young but that don't let that deter you from the experience I have behind me!

Charia Rose, Social Media Manager

Charia Rose is a writer and director. An artist from Detroit, Michigan, she firmly believes in art as a means for deep reflection and strives to use it for social change. A self-proclaimed "Midwestern Baddie", she is dedicated to showing the world that, contrary to popular belief, there ARE black and brown people in the Midwest AND they have amazing, interesting, and multifaceted stories to tell. Recently, she directed the short film WITH(OUT) YOU, which is making rounds on the festival circuit. She is currently a fellow in the 2020 New York Stage and Film Filmmaker Workshop.

I am available for:

• Script coverage/notes

• Tips on intersectionality & intentional storytelling

• Honest conversations on breaking into the industry

Chloe Coover, Community Manager

Chloe is FREE THE WORK's Community Manager. She's a sometime painter; lapsed performance artist; occasional writer; elusive chanteuse; quadruple Leo (Sun, Moon, Rising + Mercury); ANTM scholar; trash culture enthusiast; appreciator of memes, stock photos, and YouTube rabbit holes; and is proud to be a woman of trans experience.

I'm available for:

• Insight into all things FTW (making the most out of the FTW community, etc)

• Feedback on creative projects of all kinds

• Copyedits and proofreading

• Advice on tackling life changes and career shifts

Isabella Kestermann, Community Representative

Isabella Kestermann is a Community Representative at FREE THE WORK. She is a current graduate student in the New School Creative Writing Program, a T.A. for Frankenstein's Editing Lab, and a member of the Los Angeles Poets and Writer's Collective—all which is to say, she likes to write. She's also a Sagittarius, a Dungeons and Dragons nerd, and a jasmine green tea addict.

I am available for:

• Edits/feedback on scripts, short stories, flash fiction, poetry & bios

• Advice on healthy editing practices, general writing life stuff, how to keep the creative juices flowing

María Alvarez, Creative Editor

María Alvarez is a 23-year-old internationally recognized Cuban-Dutch filmmaker. She recently graduated from the University of Southern California with a BFA in Film & Television Production in May 2019. Her films have screened at dozens of festivals such as the Los Angeles Film Festival and Cleveland International Film Festival, won awards from institutions such as Google, and screened in museums like MoMA. Her short film, ‘Backpedals’, screened at the 2018 Festival de Cannes in the Court Métrage and was a finalist in the 2018 Horizon Awards, an all-female Sundance sponsored fellowship. She worked as a Director’s Assistant to Benedict Andrews on ‘Seberg’, starring Kristen Stewart and shot by Rachel Morrison. She is in the festival circuit with her latest short film, ‘Split Ends’, which premiered at the NALIP Latino Media Fest. She is currently the Creative Editor at FREE THE WORK.

I am available for:

• Script coverage

• Feedback on creative projects

• Post-Grad advice

• General advice on breaking in/authentic storytelling

Pamala Buzick, COO/Director of Partnerships

Pamala Buzick’s expertise reaches widely across media and communication. After many successful years owning her own advertising talent management firm, she made the full jump into tech in 2015 and never looked back. Buzick builds early-stage start-ups, with a focus on two-way marketplaces and SaaS. She will always be a maven and is an investor in Working Not Working. Pamala is a partner at poolhouse, a producers network, and COO of FREE THE WORK, a nonprofit advocating for underrepresented creators behind the lens in TV, advertising & film.

I am available for:

• The basics of starting your own business

• Advice on how to pivot careers

• What to look for in a commercial rep as a creator behind the lens

Tara Aquino, Head of Content

Tara Aquino is an Olympic bronze-medalist weightlifter and champion equestrian who was actually never any one of those things. Rather, she’s a queer first-gen Filipinx American who eventually climbed out of the depths of the San Fernando Valley and fostered a diverse career in entertainment. In addition to formerly being Complex Networks' Pop Culture Editor, she’s worked in development at Paramount, written national campaigns for Nike, and produced digital series for Snoop Dogg. Now, she's serving as the Head of Content at FREE THE WORK, producing writer/director Alyssa Lerner's feature Jesse Is a Friend, and co-running a local film/TV youth advocacy program in Los Angeles. Seriously.

I am available for:

• Discussions about all-things content on FREE THE WORK

• Advice on networking, career shifts, and personal and professional development

• Notes on creative projects

• Advice on outreach, getting yourself out there

Vanesa Moreno, Partnerships Coordinator

Vanesa is the Partnerships Coordinator at FREE THE WORK and an aspiring director/writer. A Taurus Sun, Pisces Moon, and Gemini Rising with a love for the movies on Criterion even though she has no paid subscription for it. She also enjoys foreign cinema, film photography, and good ol' chick flick T.V like Gossip Girl. She loves to take pictures on her film camera, smoke to reward herself after a long day, and tries to write scripts in her free time. She is currently in the pre-production process of her first (professional) short film "Let's Make Jam" set to film in January, and is excited to enter the independent filmmaker life post-grad.

I am available for:

• Advice on the basics of independent filmmaking

• Tips of starting that first script and tackling feedback

• Discussion about what's it like being a student and freelancing/time management

• Honest film school advice