We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gabrielle Roberts. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gabrielle below.

Gabrielle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I’m lucky that I’ve genuinely enjoyed and grown from each project I’ve been a part of. One of the earliest and most formative experiences in my career was at the startup Brud. At Brud, I was part of a team focused on revolutionizing storytelling technology, community-owned media, and collectively built worlds. Our flagship project, Miquela, a virtual human, is signed by CAA, has modeled for luxury brands (she even kissed Bella Hadid in a commercial), and was named one of Time’s most influential people on the internet in 2018. Working alongside brilliant minds unafraid to push boundaries was exhilarating, and being part of Miquela’s journey remains a highlight of my career.

Another project close to my heart is “To Go to the Moon,” a short film I wrote and directed inspired by the remarkable achievements of Margaret Hamilton during the Apollo 8 mission. Margaret’s ground-breaking work in software engineering has always inspired me, and having the opportunity to share her story was a dream come true. Despite the challenges posed by filming during the COVID-19 pandemic and balancing my responsibilities in grad school, the support of my talented collaborators, many of whom were fellow USC film school alums, made it possible to bring this project to life.

The success of “To Go to the Moon” paved the way for my next endeavor, “Level Up,” a short film funded by Mars Wrigley/M&Ms and the Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media. This project, slated to premiere at the Bentonville Film Festival next summer, is a modern twist on an office satire and follows three female game developers at a AAA studio.

However, if there’s one project that stands out above the rest, it’s Netflix’s live-action adaptation of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” The animated series was one of my favorite shows growing up, so being part of the live-action adaptation was a surreal and emotional experience for me. The show was shot on, at that time, the largest virtual production volume in the world (verified by Guinness World Records). I was a main volume operator and technical artist on the project, which meant that I ran the volume and executed creative requests. It was the first project where all the skills I built up over the years (on-set experience, coding, technical art in Unreal) came together seamlessly. It was an incredibly ambitious project. We worked long hours, and being the main volume operator (essentially the “hot seat” of a virtual production set) came with intense pressure, but I am so proud of the outcome.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a writer, director, and I’ve had the privilege of being at the forefront of the virtual production industry, a field that’s still relatively new and evolving. People often wonder how I got my start in virtual production — it was a combination of foresight and luck.

I studied both Film and Television Production and Computer Science separately at USC. I knew there would be some useful integration between the two disciplines, but I wasn’t exactly sure what that would look like. It wasn’t until later, when I enrolled in a game development course and created a VR game using the Unreal Engine, that I started to understand how I could merge the fields.

I graduated with experience in Unreal, the ability to code, and a formal film education. This distinct, multidisciplinary background allowed me to immediately enter the virtual production space.

I’ve since had the privilege of working on groundbreaking projects that have pushed the boundaries of virtual production. At the Sequoia-backed startup Brud, I played a role in pioneering the virtual human industry, contributing to the creation of Miquela, one of the world’s most famous virtual influencers. I also served as a main virtual production operator and technical artist for Netflix’s live-action adaptation of “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” a project that was personally significant for me as a lifelong fan of the animated series.

I’ve been honored to receive prestigious recognitions such as the Schwarzman Scholarship, which allowed me to pursue a fully-funded master’s degree at Tsinghua University, and the Princess Diana Award for my work as the founder of the international nonprofit Code Your Chances. Through Code Your Chances, we strive to bring creative computer science education to students of all backgrounds, championing diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. I also studied machine learning at Oxford University and have ML research published by IEEE.

As a filmmaker, I’m passionate about telling stories that empower women in tech, and I’m proud that my upcoming film, funded by M&Ms and the Geena Davis Institute for Media in Gender, aligns with this mission.

I’m excited to continue pushing the boundaries of storytelling and technology, and I look forward to the opportunity to bring future meaningful projects to life.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Absolutely, my creative journey is deeply rooted in a mission close to my heart. At Paper Starship Studios, our focal point is showcasing female-centric narratives and amplifying diverse voices through storytelling.

The stories I’m drawn to write and direct are those that have personally inspired or impacted me. Margaret Hamilton’s journey, especially during my college years studying computer science, struck a chord with me. It baffled me how her groundbreaking contributions were often overlooked.

The moments that resonate the most with me are those spent on the festival circuit with To Go to the Moon. After screening the film, I would have women come up to me to say how inspired they were by it. This reinforced my belief in the power of storytelling to bridge gaps and empower individuals.

However, perhaps the most rewarding part of my creative journey has been with my nonprofit, Code Your Chances. We run free workshops for girls aged 9-11 that introduce them to the creative uses of computer science and how they can apply their unique creativity to tech. I typically share my background and the projects I’ve worked on to show how I personally combine creativity and technology.

I think every artist has periods where they doubt themselves and their choice to pursue a creative field. It’s easy to forget your own accomplishments or undermine their value. Working with these young girls and seeing how they view me, it’s moments like those when I think, “Oh, ok, maybe I am doing something here. Maybe this is important.”

These moments not only validate my own path but also serve as a source of motivation during moments of self-doubt. Knowing that my work has the power to inspire and empower others, particularly young girls, reinforces my dedication to creative endeavors and the importance of representation in storytelling.

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

I have had to unlearn that I have to choose between being creative and technical.

As I mentioned, I studied both film and computer science as an undergraduate and was fortunate to do so at a university well-known for both programs. I created apps and studied discrete math in my computer science courses. In film, I was writing, directing, and producing my own projects. Each program was incredibly rigorous, and I actually had both engineering and film professors tell me to drop one or the other. They said that the fact I was trying to pursue both sent a message that I wasn’t serious about either. Despite their advice, I continued studying both, a decision that ultimately shaped my career trajectory.

My ability to be both technical and creative is an asset to the projects I am a part of, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if I had accepted that I couldn’t do both. But it’s hard when people don’t understand or support the path you are forging. I sometimes still doubt my choices or worry that I will be seen as less than because I did not focus on one well-established discipline.

I credit my Brud managers for instilling in me the belief that my multidisciplinary background is a strength, not a weakness. I’ve come to realize that job roles and descriptions are made-up constructs, and my value lies in being the bridge between them.

For creatives, the pressure to seize the first opportunity can be overwhelming. I’ve learned the importance of being discerning, choosing projects to work on, and, more importantly, choosing people to work with who align with my goals and values. My mentors have played a crucial role in guiding me along this journey, shaping not only my career but also my understanding of what it means to follow my own path.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.paperstarshipstudios.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperstarshipstudios
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellebroberts/
• Other: Code your chances website: https://www.codeyourchances.com/ Code your chances instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codeyourchances/