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

Hi Tania, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

During my undergraduate time at Harvard as an aspiring filmmaker, I hit the same wall many folks do. What am I going to do after graduation? How am I going to break into the entertainment field and make a living from my creative work? On top of these usual fears, I also had worries on how my immigration status would affect my career path. I am a DACA recipient, and although this comes with the privilege of a work permit and SSN, it’s a shaky program that is always on the verge of being cancelled. I felt alone in my experience, until a professor of mine directed me to a whole collective of filmmakers, who like me, were also undocumented. There were filmmakers part of the collective at all levels, across genres, and all over the U.S. Finding this collective gave me hope in the future of my career, and despite knowing that it would be hard work, I now knew I was not alone on this journey.

Fast forward almost five years later, and I am now one of the Artist Development Leads for this filmmakers collective, and I run my own business as an independent producer and writer working with members of this same collective.

Being undocumented is scary enough in itself and coupled with the uncertainty of the entertainment industry, it really does take a collective effort to find work and to advocate for resources that don’t require U.S. citizenship to participate. I’m immensely grateful that I was able to find this collective, and I use the resources and strategies learned from being in community with such a diverse group in my own work. In addition to prioritizing working with immigrant filmmakers, I also consult companies and productions on hiring practices for immigrant filmmakers. (Contrary to popular belief, undocumented filmmakers are able to be hired and paid as independent contractors.) I also make sure that when I produce or write on a project that deals with immigration status, it is a nuanced and authentic portrayal of that experience.

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 was born in Mexico City and immigrated to the U.S. with my parents when I was 2 years old. I grew up in Roswell, Georgia, a quiet suburb about 30 mins north of Atlanta. Because of my immigration status, I didn’t get to travel or do much outside of my house when I was a kid, so I immersed myself in books, music, movies, TV, and the internet as a way of learning about the world. This is what sparked my love for the entertainment industry as a whole.

In 2021, I graduated from Harvard University with a joint Bachelor’s degree in Romance Studies and Film Production. During my time at Harvard, I continued to explore the arts and storytelling, eventually deciding to pursue filmmaking, as I could bring together parts form other industries to making movies.

Post-grad, I worked as a grant writer and development admin for a Latinx theater in Portland, OR where I learned the ins and outs of arts fundraising, and produced my first documentary. Since then, my film contributions include writing and producing for multiple short film and TV projects. Currently, I am one of the producers on Hannia Yeverino’s short film, “PUNKS,” that has screened at multiple film festivals, and am embarking on my first feature-length project as a producer on Niya Butler’s upcoming Sci-Fi/Horror film, “The Paradoxical Green Cherry Blossom.”

I was also a 2024 Disruptors Fellow working on writing an original sci-fi TV drama set in my hometown.

In the realm of podcasting, I’ve worn the hats of both host and producer for “The Most Interesting People On My Timeline,” exploring the digital space and how creatives navigate it in their professional and personal lives.

I also completed the rigorous No Label Academy music business intensive at Harvard in 2023, further expanding my expertise in entertainment.

My creative endeavors as a multimedia producer delve into Latinx cultural histories/futures, BIPOC in the South, migration, and niche internet culture.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I’ve never been a big fan of traditional networking mindsets within the industry. Personally, I don’t end up relating to or connecting authentically to folks in spaces that ask us to take ourselves too seriously. I still attend networking events and spaces, but have found better success when approaching these spaces with the mindset of, “who would I be friends with outside of here?” instead of the usual, “ok, what can I get out these people right now.”

With this mindset, I’ve been able to build long-term relationships because I’m not thinking about what we can do for each other immediately. I’m just thinking about how we interact and usually, even if we don’t have something to offer each other in the moment, because we become friends, we remember each other for projects in the future, or we refer each other to others.

I am also someone who was raised primarily by the internet. I am not afraid to create and nurture connections via social media, and have been able to work on entire projects with creatives that I’ve never even met outside of Zoom rooms. This style of working has opened up my network reach and it always feels amazing once I do get to meet them in person after working with them remotely for years.

In general, I’d say that growing my client-base has been primarily growing my social network and friend group. It makes the work fun and the referral rates are high, Of course, it means that I have to balance the line between more casual interactions and making sure we get down to business when we need to. I feel really lucky that I have succeeded in this thus far, and that instead of thinking about it as a client-base, I get to run a business and build a career working with my friends.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Communication is so so so important. As I primarily work managing teams remotely, being in constant communication is the most important part of the job. Even if it’s news they don’t want to hear, or it’s communicating a set back, I have found that people would rather have that than silence on the other end of the inbox.

Also, something that has helped immensely with morale is acknowledging that some parts of the creative process, particularly the business/finance/legal parts of the process, are boring, difficult, and tedious. It’s the truth. As creatives, we oftentimes are drawn to the romanticized process of creating. It’s why we got into this business in the first place. We want to make our stories come to life and forget about anything else. While an unlimited budget with no legal constraints is the dream goal, it is often not the reality. Dealing with contracts, grants, and accounting is far from the reason we chose an path in entertainment, and it is a part of it that is difficult and confusing on purpose. These things are barriers of entry to the industry aimed at throwing hurtles at creatives who might not have been born with money or the opportunity to go to film school.

As a producer, these are the parts that I primarily deal with, and I am fortunate enough to know the process for these parts of production (or know someone who does.) When I get to work with someone and I show them how to acknowledge the difficulties of these aspects, and then show them strategies and shortcuts to get through the paperwork, it makes the team feel like, “oh, I’m not the only who thinks this is hard, and there is someone on the team that knows about this.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://taniadoes.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/taniadoes