Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadia Fortini.
Hi Nadia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in Poland and was obsessed with books and TV shows as a kid. There was this one specific book I adored and couldn’t believe nobody has made a TV show based on it yet. I told my mother I have to be the one to do it. Mind you, I was literally 11. But she took me seriously. She said, that book and those shows are American, if you wanna be part of this, you have to learn English. So I did. Within a year, I was fluent. I did IB in high school as well as the SATs. I started working on sets as an actress and then a PA, anything to gain experience. I made short home movies and wrote a book at 13. Not sure what it was exactly that got me into NYU Tisch with a scholarship but I did it. I moved to New York all alone at 19. Now, four years later and with a Film & TV degree, I moved to LA. I’ve done a few short films that got into festivals and currently working on post-production of my thesis film “The Space Between”. I have high hopes for that one so stay tuned! A few months ago I wrote a limited series for a major streaming network, can’t say much, but it’s exciting. I also wrote a feature that got optioned and it will hopefully turn into my feature-film directing debut within a few years, fingers crossed. I have an original series pitch and pilot I’m throwing around. Oh and that book I wrote at 13? Still working on it! It got the interest of a literary agency so hopefully I can make little Nadia’s dreams come true. Most recently I wrote a play that a colleague and friend of mine will be producing and directing. It’s a lot, but you gotta keep telling stories even if nobody asks. One day they will ask.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh wow, of course not! I can’t remember the last time things went smoothly. I don’t think having it easy makes for a good storyteller hah. Without getting too personal, I always struggled with mental health and have also been diagnosed with MS at 20. And I was born in Poland. Poland. I see the Hollywood sign every day now; it’s crazy. And I was the only one who made that happen. Well, me and my mother who was just as delusional as I was about this whole thing working out.
Most recently, my biggest struggle is the visa situation. The O1 application, commonly called the artist visa, requires a lot. A lot of work, a lot of money and a lot of stress. There is a chance I will have to go back to Poland for a bit… and that’s just sad, having to leave a life you worked so hard to build.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a writer/director. I love to tell female-driven young-adult stories. My last film “The Space Between” is about an immigrant having to go back home and it was a fully female set with a really large number of immigrants working on it. I think that’s what’s really important to me, making sure the right people get to tell the right stories. But as for my art, I just want to make people feel and escape their own realities. That’s what got me into it in the first place, finding refuge in stories and characters in books, films and TV. My dream would probably be writing and directing a limited series, or a series of movies, that transports people into a different universe, like Harry Potter, something that lives on in people, and connects them.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Interesting question. I guess I’ll never know. I like to think everything happens for a reason. I never considered myself particularly lucky, can’t say anything has gone my way ever. That being said, who knows, maybe that one thing that didn’t work out lead me exactly where I need to be. I definitely had to work hard for everything and having a chronic autoimmune disorder is definitely not on anybody’s bucket list. But I always land on my feet, which could mean something out there is looking out for me. If actual good luck exists though, I’m hoping it comes my way soon! Would love a little break.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nadiafortini.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/nadiakfortini
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadia-fortini-237b0a187/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLeMyrxsaWiHFYus1XA93Bg
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@nadiakfortini?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
