We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andressa Pelachi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andressa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

My life as a Producer started in Brazil when I was really young. After working for 10 years in one of the most famous Late night shows aired by TV Globo, the second biggest Media Conglomerate in the World, I decided that it was time for a change. There was something missing, excitement I guess.
After a couples of months of research I found a few Entertainment courses at UCLA that got my attention. so I decided that I was going to apply and if I got accepted in any of them, I would move to the US, all by myself.
Turns out I got accepted and after 3 months I moved to LA.
During those 3 months I heard a lot of, “what are you doing?!”, Are you crazy to leave an established career?! What about your family and friends?!, How are you going to move to a place you’ve never been before by yourself?! How can you just leave everything behind?!

Well, I had made up my mind and nothing was going to change it.
I quit the job that I loved (in very good terms), packed up my things (all of it), said goodbye to my family (which was the most painful thing I had ever done) and flew to LA.

It has been a long journey. Almost 9 years later, still living in LA, when I look back I am proud of myself for all the things I’ve been through, for how much stronger I’ve grown and for all the things I’ve accomplished.
I was NOT easy!
I never thought I was going to go through the things that I went through… at first, a lot of loneliness, sadness, anxiety, regret, doubt… then came the hard work, the having to prove myself as a producer and start my career from scratch, being a freelancer for the first time in my life, living paycheck to paycheck. BUT, there was also a lot of learning… patience, resilience, strength. and then came the good friendships, people that made me feel at home again.

My life as a Producer in LA has not been a bed of roses, but I learned SO much! I’ve worked on Reality Shows (on the road for over 3 months at a time), Music Videos, International Brand Campaigns, Commercials, Short Movies, Digital Media Videos, Docu Series… and now I have finally established myself as an Entertainment Producer in the city considered the MECCA of Entertainment.

Again, it was not easy, but it was so worth it! I’m a much stronger woman and a much more confident producer. And I would do it all over again if I had to.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m an Entertainment Producer with nearly 20 years of experience. I’ve worn many different hats throughout my career; started as a Production assistant, then worked as a Production Coordinator, Stage Director, Assistant Director, Content Producer, Associate Producer, Field Producer, Production Manager (my current role), all the positions you can think of inside a Production.

I’ve also worked on many different types of projects; Late night shows (in studio/multi-camera), Soap operas, Music Concerts, Reality Shows, Docu Series, Music Videos, Commercials, Digital Media.

Entertainment has always been my life. I LOVE working in different projects with different people and different challenges. It’s never the same. There is always something new to learn, new problems to solve. And as weird as it may sound, I love solving problems. It’s what drives me!
Nothing makes me happier in my professional life than seeing a project come to life, seeing things actually happening.

I think my biggest differential is that I have experience on both sides of a Project, the Creative side and the Management side, which gives me tools to come up with the best solutions to accomplish the goals desired with the resources available.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think what helped me the most was being resilient, dedicated and open to start from zero on a new market/industry always with a good and positive attitude.

All the projects I’ve gotten in the US since the day I first moved here were referrals. I never had to show my resume. That just shows how important your attitude and your positive behavior can be to the ones working with you. And also not being afraid of applying my experience into the new and different projects I got.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I left my country with a pretty well established career. I had been working on a very famous show for the past 10 years.

When I moved to Los Angeles, since nobody from the Entertainment Industry new me, and I didn’t know anybody either, I had to start from the bottom as a PA.
That means, being a “do it all” on set. Carrying heavy gear, cleaning, doing runs, picking up lunch for crew, driving vans, etc. Nothing like my work back home.

For 1 year I worked as a PA. It was not easy. I hurt my back carrying a lot of weight, worked 16 hour days, drove a lot of crew around, but it was great. I was just happy I was working in the industry that I always loved.