Meet Marcella Ochoa of 8A Entertainment in Sherman Oaks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcella Ochoa.

Marcella, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m originally from San Antonio, Texas and knew at a very young age I wanted to be in entertainment. After moving to San Diego for my father’s job we would frequent Los Angeles, and I knew after college I wanted to move there and work in the film industry. After receiving my bachelor’s degree in marketing I moved to LA where I started off my career in the international publicity department for Sony Pictures Entertainment. I worked on the marketing campaigns for all the studio’s major films, traveled the world for international premieres, and was instrumental in the studio’s Golden Globe campaigns.

After learning the studio world, I wanted to learn more about production so I left Sony to be the Head of Development for the production company of Harald Kloser (Independence Day: Resurgence, White House Down, 2012), who is the producing partner of director Roland Emmerich. I worked closely with Emmerich and Kloser on several film and TV projects and lived on location in Montreal for six months while shooting a blockbuster film. I loved the production world and wanted to focus on developing my own projects and finally got the chance to produce a supernatural thriller, Discarnate, with Kloser that I also co-wrote. I eventually left to start my own production company, 8A Entertainment, where I wrote, directed, produced and was the lead actress in my short film My Name is Maria de Jesus. It’s based on my family growing up in Texas and the racism they endured for being Mexican-American. My award-winning short did well on the festival circuit and recently premiered on HBO Latino. I’m currently developing several diverse film and TV projects focusing on hiring underrepresented voices in front of and behind the camera.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been an easy path. It was very hard to leave my family and friends and move to LA on my own, not knowing a single person. But this was the career I wanted to pursue so I had no choice. I had no connections in the film industry and hadn’t gone to film school so I had to learn quickly at the studio and at the production company I worked at and tried to network as much as I could. Being an artist can be extremely difficult as you try to navigate Hollywood and develop your own projects, but still need to find time to have a day job to pay your bills. I think that’s the hardest part about being an independent filmmaker. Finding a way to survive while you are trying to sell your projects and get them made which can take years.

8A Entertainment – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I started my production company, 8A Entertainment, a couple of years ago when I decided to pursue my goal of being an independent filmmaker. The company is named after my last name because Ocho in Spanish is Eight. So 8A is for my last name Ochoa. I wanted to pay homage to my Mexican heritage. Through my company, I produced a short film, my name is Maria de Jesus, based on my family growing up in Texas and the racism they endured for being Mexican-American. It did well on the festival circuit and premiered at a film festival in our home town of San Antonio. It was amazing to have all of my family attend the premiere on a story about growing up in San Antonio. My short recently premiered on HBO Latino as well and is available on HBO On Demand for the next two years. I’m currently writing several film and TV projects to be produced out of my company that focus on underrepresented Latinx characters that aren’t stereotypical. I also love horror, and my next project is a horror film and I’m looking at developing a horror anthology series as well. I want to focus on hiring more underrepresented artists in front of and behind the camera.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success in making projects that I’m proud of and can make a difference in the world. I want my projects to say something, and help change the way the Latinx community is perceived in this country. For me, it’s not about money or awards, it’s about using my art to help change the narrative for my community and inspire others to do the same. If we are portrayed in more positive roles in film and TV, the country can start to change the way they view us.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marcellaochoa.com
• Email: [email protected]

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