Today we’d like to introduce you to Nanea Miyata.
Hi Nanea, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story is all over the place. But I’ll try to summarize it. I am a Japanese-Hawaiian middle child with a severely handicapped older sister and was raised in a household that was no stranger to climbing uphill – fighting for inclusion, for opportunity, for the right to be seen and heard, and persevering for the things you believe. I haven’t followed a traditional career path for film directors, but I have been forging my way and trying to figure it out.
I grew up with a passion for the arts – music, dance, theatre performance and eventually even acted in some major film and television projects when I was a child, working with great directors like Rob Marshall. In my teenage years, I realized I preferred to be behind the scenes – writing/arranging music, choreographing and staging, etc. But I was raised with the mentality that the arts were just hobbies – so my education and early career veered a totally different way.
I graduated Magna Cum Laude from USC with a Bachelor’s degree in Business and worked as a senior project manager for a healthcare company. But my heart wasn’t in it, and after quitting that job, I began my winding road of discovery to where I am now: I co-wrote and produced an original stage musical with two of my closest friends that ran for six weeks in Los Angeles; I was a music teacher; I was an artist/songwriter manager; I was an event videographer; then I started professionally directing and shooting music videos and commercials.
In 2018, I wrote, directed, and independently produced my first feature film, “Christmas Harmony,” a musical holiday rom-com that sold directly to Lifetime. I have been writing and directing (and sometimes producing) features for television and streaming ever since and am currently in post on my 7th feature film that I wrote/directed.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been anything but smooth and is still an uphill climb. I’ve been banging on closed doors for a long time. It often seems like it’s a gatekeeping and fear-driven industry, and things like the pandemic, the more recent strikes, the constant consolidation of studios, and the general current state of things make it harder and harder. But my motto has always been “make it til you make it” – and so I keep making whatever I can. For example, when my feature film (a large ensemble cast rom-com) that was set to start production the third week of March 2020 was canceled due to the pandemic, I was devastated. Yet another door closed. But my film family was just as anxious to create, and so my co-producer and I came up with the idea for a micro-cast thriller that we could shoot safely in one location with the most skeleton (but most talented) of crews. I wrote the script in less than a week, and a crew of 7 of us with a 5-person cast made an independent feature film that also sold to Lifetime and debuted as their first-ever original feature for their new Lifetime Movie Club platform.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Right now, I specialize in writing/directing female-led feature films that marry fun and cheeky scripts with an elevated visual style – both rom-coms and thrillers. I always infuse heart into everything I do and often include original music (that I also write) to enhance the narrative. I’d say the music in my rom-com is often what viewers reach out to me about the most, but outside of that – I think what sets me apart as a film director is my love of the process. I’m hard-working and passionate, have played more or less every role on set at one time for another, and am an editor who also understands the post/delivery process and, therefore, how to shoot with the final edit in mind. I am also a songwriter, musician, and ex-dancer/choreographer, and believe these other crafts (along with a lifetime of caring for my non-verbal, disabled sister) amplify my skill in non-verbal storytelling.
I don’t know what it is to not put my whole heart into something. I lose sleep over the details and take pride in everything I do – not just because it’s my work, but more importantly because of the work others contribute to the project. My passion for bringing people together to create, to discover, and to put their full hearts into every take and reach an end goal we can all take pride in is what drives me.
What do you think about happiness?
Working with people who also take pride in their work and want to make something greater than the sum of its parts. Experiencing those magic moments on set where everyone in the room can feel that a take was undeniable and something special just happened – especially when it’s a surprise, and we all discovered something new together. Dreaming up the next big thing, Finding real and intimate human moments in big and brazen stories. Learning and growing and creating with those who love to do the same.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.naneamiyata.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naneamiyata
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nanea/
Image Credits
Seth Canterbury
Bryan Marchulatis
Tom Zmuda
