We were lucky to catch up with Teresa-esmeralda Sanchez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Teresa-Esmeralda, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Since my sophomore year of college, I’ve been working on sets, gaining real-world experience to supplement my formal film education. I spent two years at SUNY Dutchess (let’s go, community colleges!) earning a degree in Communication and Media Arts, followed by two years at Brooklyn College, where I received a degree in Documentary Film Production. After graduating, I spent a year working in hotels and hospitality while building my personal sound kit. In July of 2019, I founded my production company, Static Sifting Films.
Sound mixing wasn’t my first choice, but I quickly realized there was a gap in the industry, there simply weren’t many sound mixers; let alone women sound mixers. Recognizing that need, I decided to fill it.

Less than two months in, I connected with my key business partner, Stephen Taylor, founder of Colorway Productions. They invited me to join their (now) six-person team, and together, we began shaping Colorway in the summer of 2020. During that time, as the film industry navigated the aftermath of the pandemic’s initial wave, we had deep conversations about the shifting landscape of production. As an all-Black and Brown team, we wanted to redefine what filmmaking could look and feel like. Our mission became clear: to tell the stories that matter to us, collaborate with like-minded creatives, and build community with marginalized voices. In the last year we have been working to shift our company model to a worker owned Co-Op for a more equitable structure.

In 2021, I was introduced to The Sound Co-Op, a worker-owned cooperative specializing in production sound for film and TV. Through the Co-Op, I had the opportunity to work on larger projects, including the Netflix docu-series Sprint, PBS American Masters, and Food Network productions, while continuing my involvement with Colorway’s more intimate and artful projects. A year in, I took on bookkeeping for the Co-Op as a way to earn supplemental income without stepping away from film work.

In 2024, I was introduced to GOLD Comedy, a space dedicated for women and non-binary people in comedy, while working sound on their award-winning Rat Czar. Shortly after, I became a member, which gave me space to exercise my writing, directing, producing, and acting abilities in a way my other outles didn’t. All of that brings me to today to where I am today! I got here by finding like minded people who are commited to building community that is cultivating a life centered around making art, and dedication to craftsmanship.

Teresa-Esmeralda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a first-generation Dominican-American woman, raised between the Bronx/NYC and the Hudson Valley. I feel like this gave me a diverse perspective that still informs me to this day. I was introduced to filmmaking through acting. In high school our acting class came in three parts; year one is improv, year two is script reading, and year three is producing and directing. It was there that I produced and directed my first piece which was purely mine. The result of which was an audible gasp at the end from the packed black-box. That was a feeling I’ll never forget, the spark to my storytelling career.

The following year my brother talked to his old GBTV (Gold Back Television) teacher, my schools’ news broadcasting class. The teacher let me audit the class after seeing my drive and advanced me to GBTV 2, where I was thrown into the fire and naively made my first film.

From there I went to study traditional film in college until I discovered that I could combine my passion for anthropology and film through documentary film production. Seeing how the two genres worked together, I decided I’d do both. I wanted to learn from the world through documentary, and tell my stories through narrative. This is the foundation of my career. I continued to study linguistic and non-fiction anthropology in addition to film, giving me a rounded perspective on humanity and the culture around storytelling. Something I didn’t get from traditional film classes.
Throughout the years leading up to the founding of my company, I had done virtually every role in production, giving me a unique insight of the craft and informing my creative leadership. This is one thing that sets me apart from the rest. When people ask me what I do, I’m nver sure how to answer because I do a little bit of everything. This knowledge and attention to craftsmanship is something I’m extremely proud of, especially my recent use of analog animation!

Knowing the ins and outs of telling a story (tenchincally and conceptually) has provided me the ability to help clients form their vision and message in a meaningful and impactful way. What I always emphasize is that story comes first. No matter the genre or medium, with a strong story, everything else will fall into place. I’ve done my best to innovate my visual storytelling to amplify the messages carrying the projects I work on. Forming a strong cohesive team, that reflects my community and skill level, just made that all easier. That community is also something I’m very proud of.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

From my freshman year until I founded my company, I had two mentors who shaped my early career. One was my professor, Camilo Rojas, and the other was his former student. Both were accomplished filmmakers, and many of his past students had gone on to do incredible work. I attained an informal internship at his former student’s production company. I was fortunate to learn invaluable lessons from them, both on and off set. Often years ahead of my peers. Through school, I had the chance to interview filmmakers at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and gain hands-on editing experience. Outside of school I was making cash on the side doing things like editing mitzvah videos, or doing second camera work at weddings through my internship. The skills I developed during that time are still part of my practice today.

However, both of these mentors, in their own ways, engaged in predatory and abusive behavior toward me—an experience that ultimately overshadowed the good they had offered. It planted deep seeds of doubt in the younger version of myself, but at the time, they were all I knew. When I reported my professor’s behavior, my university failed to take action. As for the other mentor, there was little I could do. So, once I had the tools and the ability to leave those complicated environments that stifled my voice, I found and cultivated the team/family that i needed, that, with love and support, has allowed me to blossom into the powerhouse I am today.

I hesitated to share this, but the unfortunate reality is that women and gender-marginalized people in this industry are especially vulnerable to abuse. Studies show that nearly 40% of women in the film and television industry have experienced sexual harassment or misconduct in the workplace. I am not the first, and I work to remind myself and others that we are not alone. This experience has fueled my commitment to creating safer spaces wherever I go—including spearheading mandatory sexual harassment training for all members of The Sound Co-Op. I choose to speak out because I personally know voices that cannot. I know how it feels to see people with big platforms speak up about this; it’s validating, it’s powerful. If I can make even one person feel seen in that way, I will. No one should feel alone in this.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I was working front desk at a hotel for my first year out of college. I used to save 1-2 paychecks and from my computer at work, I would place small batches of B+H orders to build my initial sound kit. It was the network of filmmakers I met over the 4 years I had been working that really got me through. I knew I was ready to quit my day job when I had to think about calling out of my day job frequently to take outside jobs. At that point, I was fortunate to be staying with someone rent-free, which I recognize was a huge help. After about two months, I had all the pieces I needed to start doing entry-level film freelance work! The following summer I was supported through the pandemic with unemployment which helped me stay committed to freelance film work, even during the slow seasons. Since then my freelance work has evened out and supports me!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Teresa-Esmeralda.com
• Instagram: @staticsiftingfilms
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-esmeralda-ssf/
• Other: Colorway IG: Team.colorway

Image Credits

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