Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aline Andrade. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Aline, thanks for joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of being a service provider is the kind of crazy stuff that happens from time to time. It could be anything from a disgruntled client attacking an employee or waking up to find out a celebrity gave you a shoutout on TikTok – the sudden, unexpected hits (both positive and negative) make the profession both exhilarating and exhausting. Can you share one of your craziest stories?

One of the craziest things about making a movie is how you often don’t know how the movie will get started and finished. This is my Cannes story and how the feature Unexpected Treasures was one of the most “unexpected” productions I got involved with:
There is a bar in Cannes, France, where the cool people know to end up after the cocktail parties wind down. I’ll tell you where so you can go check it out when you make it there: it’s an unassuming bar behind the Mondrian Hotel. That’s where I met JP Ungaretti in 2023. A Brazilian/American VFX editor with a boyish smile, I immediately felt like I knew him, or that he was a distant cousin. We had coffee not far from there the next day and talked about our mutual Brazilian background and life in the entertainment industry in LA. JP said he wanted to make a movie with his partner Christina Heller and shoot in their beloved desert town- Pioneertown, CA. A fun alien adventure, he said. Living in the desert, they were just down the road from me since I live in Big Bear Lake. I told him about my goals at the Cannes Marché du Film that year- to meet sales agents and established production companies and establish professional relationships with companies that would co-produce with me and represent my productions for sales. I told him about one of my feature scripts and I thought we would be just like most LA people and say “ let’s definitely get together” and never talk again.
But not too long after this, JP followed up and sent me a script he and Christina had written. Impressive. I came on as a producer and we were a tight organized group of industry professionals making our first independent film with no real plan but a lot of passion, joy and will to win. The core group was made up of successful professionals from the industry that managed to find funding for an ultra low budget and what we are calling an “under 1 million production”, which says a lot about it to a potential buyer and a future investor: what you watch on screen was impressively accomplished with very little but of course, we would like to go scale next time. This was a budget we documented as production went along. I think that model works with a group of responsible people with more than 10 years experience in the industry each. Otherwise, it might be dangerous for all involved.

Aline, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

If you’ve never heard of me or my company Fine Frenzy Films, welcome—I’m excited to share a bit of our story. I’m a Brazilian-American producer, director, and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. I founded Fine Frenzy Films in 2021 with a simple but powerful mission: to tell universal stories through the lens of my immigrant experience focusing on characters who are outsiders or in a new reality. My path into the film and television industry was not linear. After earning a degree in Film and Media Arts from the University of Utah, I dove headfirst into the world of storytelling—first through journalism and digital content, and later through large-scale scripted and non-scripted productions for platforms like Netflix, National Geographic, Hulu, ABC, PBS, CNN, and Spotify.
Over time, I realized that while I had gained incredible experience working on projects for major media companies, I was craving something more personal—stories that reflected the resilience, complexity, and humor I saw in real people, especially those navigating life between cultures. That’s when I created Fine Frenzy Films: a boutique production company that focuses on emotionally resonant stories with high production value, international appeal, and bold creative vision.
We develop and produce independent films, series, and documentaries, often working with underrepresented voices and global collaborators. Beyond our original projects, I also offer creative services like pitch deck creation and archival clearance consulting—tools that help other creators move their visions forward with clarity and professionalism. Whether I’m helping a fellow filmmaker shape a compelling pitch or developing a character-driven documentary from scratch, my focus is always on powerful storytelling, executed with purpose.
One of the biggest challenges in our industry is getting bold, character-driven work made outside of traditional studio systems. I’ve built Fine Frenzy Films to be a place where those stories can thrive. What sets us apart is a deep understanding of both the creative and business sides of the industry. I don’t just develop ideas—I package them strategically for festivals, funds, buyers, and platforms. I’ve spent the last two years entering our projects into labs, contests, and grant programs, using every opportunity to elevate our work and bring visibility to stories that might otherwise go unseen.
What I’m most proud of is the slate of diverse, meaningful projects we’re developing—12 and counting—with collaborators from around the world. These aren’t just passion projects; they’re stories that have the potential to change how we see one another. Still, I won’t sugarcoat it—this work is hard. Building a company from the ground up without initial funding or guaranteed income has tested every part of me. But what keeps me going is knowing that our stories matter.
If you’re a producer, funder, or creative looking for a partner who brings both heart and strategy to the table, I’d love to connect. Fine Frenzy Films isn’t just a company—it’s a movement toward fearless, borderless storytelling. Let’s build something that lasts.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

For years, I lived at the intersection of language and performance—first as an ESL educator helping immigrants find their voice in a new country, and then as an actor exploring character and emotion on stage and screen. Both careers taught me how to listen deeply and communicate across boundaries. But I reached a moment where I felt confined by the limitations of those roles. I didn’t just want to interpret stories—I wanted to shape them from the ground up.

The pivot to producing wasn’t a single leap, but a slow-burning realization that I had more to say—and a broader canvas to say it on. I started taking behind-the-scenes roles, learning the mechanics of production, and gradually began creating my own work. What began as curiosity turned into calling. Producing allowed me to merge all my past experiences: the empathy from teaching, the emotional intelligence from acting, and the strategic thinking required to bring a project to life.

When I founded Fine Frenzy Films, it felt like a homecoming. I wasn’t abandoning my past—I was integrating it. Today, I produce films and series that center underrepresented voices and cross-cultural narratives, many inspired by the very communities I once taught or performed for. That pivot was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done—but also the most empowering. It taught me that reinvention isn’t about starting over. It’s about honoring where you’ve been and letting it shape where you’re going.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the idea that safety equals success. As an immigrant, I was taught to prioritize stability—to find a “real” job, keep my head down, and work hard. When I first arrived in the U.S., that meant teaching. I was proud to help others navigate a new language and culture, just as I was doing myself. Later, I pursued acting, driven by a love of storytelling—but even then, I kept looking for “secure” jobs to support the dream.

When I transitioned into film and television, I looked for producing work the same way: waiting for permission, chasing someone else’s greenlight, hoping to be hired. It wasn’t until I hit a wall—exhausted and creatively stifled—that I realized I was still clinging to the same immigrant survival programming. I was waiting to be chosen, instead of choosing myself.

Unlearning that mindset meant reprogramming how I saw risk. I had to teach myself that building something of my own wasn’t reckless—it was necessary. Founding Fine Frenzy Films was a leap, but it was also a declaration: that I didn’t come this far to play it safe.

Now, I produce independent films that reflect the messy, bold, beautiful stories of people like me—navigating identity, ambition, and belonging. The biggest risk turned out to be the most freeing: betting on myself. If I can help your production in any way, please reach out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.finefrenzyfilms.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finefrenzyfilms/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aline-andrade/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FineFrenzyFilms

Image Credits

Headshot: Victoria Abazova
Cannes LABRFF party: Gabriela Lima