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

Vanessa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was a strange kid. At the age of six, I told my parents I wanted to move to Paris and become an artist. They tried to convince me that I was supposed to become a doctor and that I could do art on the side. Flash forward to college, and I was double majoring in French and Biology. Somehow I was still trying to balance both my dream, and the dream everyone else had for me. All I cared about was Agnes Varda, Francois Truffaut, and Jean-Luc Godard- I was terrified of the idea of pursuing a path in film. But I did not know how else to exist. I took a leap of faith and threw myself into the medium by seeking mentorship and moved to a different city. Was it pure insanity? Of course it was! But along the way, I’ve seen some signs that have kept me going.

I was inspired by Richard Linklater’s films, the Before Trilogies. His films spoke to me since the age of 14. So I wrote to his company. They wrote back and asked to interview me for an internship at Detour Films. I was living in San Francisco at the time, in a closet underneath the stairs- like Harry Potter. So I had nothing to lose and told them I’d drive to Texas and that everything I owned fit inside my car. And that’s how it all started.

I’ve learned your heart leads you to where you need to be, and somehow I found myself in the center of Austin’s music scene. I didn’t know anyone and in the blink of an eye, I was surrounded by people who loved the same music as me. Working for Linklater was also a surreal dream come true, but I knew it was just the start for me. I believe I jokingly re-quoted his own line in my cover letter to him- “it’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll”.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am normally terrible at describing myself, and sometimes I prefer writing surreal stories instead. The other day I mentioned I was raised by a family of centaurs but I’ll try my best to stick to reality.

It’s been ten years of carrying a giant boulder up a hill, watching it roll back down, and then picking it up to carry it all over again. My love for music has carved out my path in film. At this point, I am a music video director. And I’m sure I will forever be inspired by music. But I see myself growing into more narrative and commercial work.

I am finally starting to direct commercials and it has been life changing. I have shifted into working as a full time director. My favorite campaign last year was for Lillet, highlighting four incredible self-made female artists, and asking them what inspires them. Most of my music videos are colorful and surreal- and I want to apply that same palette to my future commercial work.

I want to invest in telling my own stories. My current goal is to make enough commercials so that I can afford to tell my first short film in the hopes that it snowballs into something bigger.

Now that spring is here, I’m excited to spend as much time as I can riding my bike and dreaming about what is to come.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The problem is that there weren’t many. I’m finally seeing programs for minority directors that are designed to help amplify voices in the commercial world. There are also more companies interested in seeking diversity and representing female directors on their roster. A part of me wishes I would have saved up to make a spec commercial earlier on. I just couldn’t wrap my head around spending the money I barely had to create something for a brand for free. I look back now and think that I was too distracted by music videos. But everyone has their own path and I still think there is time to make a spec now, especially with the bigger perspective I have of what it takes to make a great one.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

It’s hard to believe in yourself when the system was built against you. I’ve been trying very hard to not become the victim of unfairness in my field. Sure it’s hard for all women, but I try to not live in a world where I am constantly reminded of the inequalities. Sometimes anger is great fuel, but oftentimes it puts up walls and blind us. Something I’ve had to do is to let go of the word fair.
I’m constantly inspired by women older than me who are paving the way and women younger than me who are even more confident than I was. We need each other. And it’s important to remind each other of our strengths.

Contact Info:

• Website: vanessapla.co
• Instagram: pukapla

Image Credits
1. Issac Rowry 2. Marshall Tidrick 3. Elizabeth Patrick 4. Elizabeth Patrick 5. DP: Andrew Laboy, Artist Britti 6. DP: Andy Hoffman, Artist Night Beats 7. DP: DP: Andrew Laboy, Artist Tele Novella 8. DP: Andy Hoffman, Artist Joseph 9. DP: Zach Morrison, Artist MegaFauna