We’re looking forward to introducing you to Linda Marian. Check out our conversation below.
Linda, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
This is a great question, and it resonates deeply with me because it reflects exactly what I’m experiencing right now. I am building something meaningful — something I believe has the power to create real change — and I dedicate myself to it every single day, quietly and consistently. I am incredibly proud of this work.
Right now, I’m working on two short art/documentary films: Whisper in the Wind – Warriors of the Ocean and Rocky’s Story, both about sea lions and the struggles they face along the California coastline and across the globe. Every story I tell through these films matters deeply. They’re meant to open eyes, hearts, and minds — to show us all how we might live more consciously and compassionately with every other creature on our beautiful, shared planet, Earth.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I spent nearly twenty years as an Assistant Director, guiding stories from just behind the lens—always close to the magic, but never quite touching the place where I felt I truly belonged. Eventually, that quiet ache became impossible to ignore. So I moved to Los Angeles to follow the calling that had lived in me for as long as I can remember: directing.
The stories I choose are not loud or flashy. They are the ones that make us pause, breathe, and feel again—stories with depth, stories with heart, stories that remind us of what we’re losing in a world that moves too fast to notice its own beauty.
When I began working on these films, I didn’t think of the challenges ahead—though they’ve been countless. After years spent working alongside A-list actors and brilliant film professionals, I now find myself taking lessons from sea lions, dolphins, and other marine mammals in the open ocean. Out there, where the horizon swallows everything, the world feels ancient… and honest.
Every day teaches me something new: about the planet we stand on, about the person I’m becoming, and about the fragile, miraculous source of life that sustains all of us—yet slips so easily from our awareness in the rush of modern existence.
Working with these extraordinary animals has humbled me in ways I never expected. Their grace, their vulnerability, their silent wisdom—they remind me just how delicate the balance of nature truly is. How deeply connected we all are. How essential it is to slow down, to listen, to see.
This is the heart of the stories I want to tell—stories that awaken something in us, that invite us to feel, to care, to remember our place in the greater tapestry of life on this extraordinary planet.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I suppose this is the question we all tend to avoid because it’s deeply personal. But I’ll be honest and share it.
I’ve never truly believed in myself. I’ve never felt that who I am inside is good enough for this world. I was always an outsider, someone who didn’t quite fit in.
But as I grew older, I realized that the only thing I truly needed to do — instead of trying to please others — was to believe in myself. When we immerse ourselves in nature, we don’t think about what we have or what we lack. We are simply surrounded by pure beauty. And, interestingly, we don’t share a common language with the animals around us. Birds chirp, dogs and sea lions bark, dolphins click. So what language do we have in common? Only our hearts.
I find this stunningly beautiful. Because in the end, all we do is listen. And suddenly, everything around us makes sense, coming together like the most exquisite painting, with the most perfect colors.
Now, I believe. I believe in myself, in the power of my heart, and in my higher self that guides me every day. I have learned how to listen — and that is how I know these films must be made. They are not just stories; they are opportunities to inspire change.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Hahaha, many times! But if we don’t hit the bottom, we would never know how to rise. I’ve hit the bottom many times in my life, yet I try to see it like a shark: it must swim down before it can swim up to catch its prey. I consider my goals as that prey, and I go after them every single day. I think it’s crucial to keep our eyes open — all three of them — including the one in the middle that guides us through life.
I began this journey with absolutely nothing—no camera skills, no roadmap, not even the faintest idea of the world I was about to step into. Just a spark. A quiet pull toward something I couldn’t yet see.
And then four months passed. Four months of early mornings when the ocean was still half-asleep, and late nights when the world outside faded but the work kept burning inside me. Four months of learning to fail, to rise again, to keep shooting even when I didn’t know if any of it would matter.
But it did.
Because somewhere along the way, the world opened.
Suddenly I wasn’t alone. I found myself surrounded by people who feel like they were meant to be part of this story—actors whose passion for our oceans is so fierce it feels like a force of nature, and contributors who lift this project onto their shoulders as if it were their own heartbeat. Like the SoCal Whale Watching Company here in LA, who takes me out onto the open water again and again, where the horizon stretches forever and the world feels impossibly alive. They give me the chance to capture images so staggering, so impossibly beautiful, that I still can’t believe I get to witness them.
And the Marine Mammal Care Center…
There, every day, I saw compassion in its purest form—rescuing, healing, fighting for lives most people never even see. They revealed a world I never knew existed, a world filled with strength, fragility, and an unspoken urgency that reshaped the way I see everything.
I started with empty hands.
Now I’m holding stories—real ones, wild ones, fragile ones—stories I could never have imagined being trusted to tell.
This journey has become so much more than a project.
It has become a calling.
And I am endlessly, relentlessly grateful.
A year ago, I was in a completely different place in my life. Today, I am working on the most beautiful and meaningful project of my life. I wouldn’t change a single moment of the past twelve months—or any of the years before—because every failure, every challenge, shaped me into the person I am today. And for the first time, I am truly happy to be who I am.
Now, I’m part of something so much bigger than me.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I have always admired Dr. Jane Goodall, Sir David Attenborough, and Gerald Durrell. Their knowledge was undeniably powerful, yet the true power they wielded came from love — love for animals, and love for our planet.
Sometimes, I think about the essence of the films I create, and I wish I could share them with people like them, because I know I would gain genuine understanding and insight. I work 10–12 hours every single day to create something that will last, something that can make a difference. When I look into the eyes of a sea lion who has suffered, like Rocky — the sea lion my film is about — and I think about the long list of tasks ahead to bring this story to life in a way that will impact audiences, I realize that every single moment I invest in my projects is worth it for the hope of making that difference.
All of these remarkable people shared a similar way of thinking, and I am honored to follow in their footsteps — if I may humbly call myself that.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
What a great question to end this interview with! 🙂
I feel most at peace when I am with my family, especially my two nephews, Vincent and Samuka. They have completely changed my world. In many ways, they’re like my sea lions—but on dry land. They’re playful, curious, full of love and depth, teaching me something new every day and showing me a side of life I often forget. They are still pure, connected to Mother Earth, and they remind me of the beauty of innocence.
I also find complete peace on the ocean or in the woods. I love to listen. In the quiet, I’ve learned to hear myself more clearly, to understand my being, and to connect with my purpose.
A message from Dr. Jane Goodall resonates deeply with me:
“Every single one of us makes an impact on this planet every single day, and we get to choose what kind of difference we make. Hold on to hope, never give up, and remember: you matter. Together, we can create a better future for all living things.”
This gives me peace.
Contact Info:
- Website: Website coming soon.
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linda.marian82/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/linda.marian.7
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lindamarian4315
- Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2725907/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_in_0_q_linda%2520marian
FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/LindaMarian
Image Credits
All photos of the animals were taken by Linda Marian.
