Today we’d like to introduce you to Anabel Romero.
Hi Anabel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m Anabel Manuela Romero, a first-generation Colombian-American creative producer, multimedia storyteller, and rider. I was raised between New York, Atlanta, and Colombia—constantly moving through languages, landscapes, and perspectives. That experience shaped the way I see, the way I listen, and the way I create. I’ve always been drawn to change—curious about it, sometimes afraid of it, but somehow willing to step toward it.
In 2010, I moved to Los Angeles to study Voice Arts at CalArts, imagining a future on stage. But what I found was another calling—to build story-worlds rather than perform within them. Upon graduating, my creative path expanded quickly. I joined the production team for Hopscotch, The Industry’s groundbreaking mobile opera staged across 24 cars and public locations throughout the city of Los Angeles, involving over 100 artists and immersive audiences in motion. Soon after, I collaborated with LA Opera, where I helped lead large-scale Community Opera productions that brought together hundreds of performers—from professional artists to community choirs—for multi-stage performances in iconic civic spaces. Over the years, I’ve worked with Beth Morrison Projects, Urban Voices Project, and other organizations that center bold, socially conscious storytelling. From cathedrals to street corners to black-box theaters, I’ve always gravitated toward work that invites audiences into deeper social presence and reflection.
In 2019, I began my MFA in Theatre Management and Producing at Columbia University, where I was honored as a Columbia Alumni Scholar, Seller-Lehrer Producing Scholar, and recipient of the Presidential Fellowship and Cody Renard Richard Scholarship. While at Columbia, I co-produced PLAYSONOS, the university’s first digital audio play festival in collaboration with playwright David Henry Hwang. During the pandemic, as performance shifted into the digital realm, I found myself captivated by the possibilities of audiovisual storytelling. For the first time, I saw the screen as a stage—one that could hold scale, intimacy, and impact all at once.
In 2021, I moved to Miami to be closer to Colombia and my family—to create a life where traveling home wasn’t a dream, but a rhythm. I also longed to live in a city where Spanish lived on every corner—a language I wanted to reclaim as a daily part of my life. When I was offered a position at Miami New Drama, the largest bilingual theater company in the country, it felt like alignment in every direction—personally, culturally, and professionally. I joined their team as Creative Producer and Content Manager, helping lead multimedia storytelling and strategy. That same year, I began returning to something I’d loved quietly for years: motorcycles. I’d ridden at different points in my life, but in May 2023, I made it official—I got my license and claimed riding as part of who I am. In the summer of 2024, I rode through the Himalayas—my first off-road experience—where I fell more times than I can count. It was humbling, brutal, and unforgettable. The snow was melting off the mountains, and rivers poured across the roads as we rode along narrow precipices with nothing but cliffs below. It was insane—and life-changing. Riding became a transformative practice—an act of full-body engagement, presence, and trust. It grounded me in my senses, sharpened my instincts, and reminded me to slow down and feel. On the road, I smell the heat rising from the pavement, feel the vibration of the asphalt beneath me, and notice the air shift as neighborhoods and landscapes change. As a woman rider, I’ve found connection through curiosity, and joy in the open road’s unexpected conversations. That sense of agency began showing up everywhere—especially in my work.
In February 2023, I co-founded FURIOSA Productions—a mobile multimedia production company dedicated to innovative, human-centric storytelling. We specialize in photography, videography, docuseries, and theatrical/multimedia experiences. Our clients and collaborators span the globe and include Art Basel, Florida International University, The Peace Studio, Miami New Drama, various agencies, institutions, and brands. With FURIOSA, I’ve worked across Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and beyond—creating work that is diverse, dynamic, and deeply intentional.
As I continue to grow FURIOSA, I’m excited to expand our presence in Los Angeles—a city that shaped me and continues to call me back. Whether behind the camera, behind the mic, or riding toward the next story, I remain fascinated by the poetry of daily life, the wildness of the natural world, and stories that move with honesty, rhythm, and purpose. My life is in motion—and so is my work.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the earliest obstacles I faced was losing my hair to alopecia at the age of seven. It shaped everything—how I saw myself, how others saw me, and how I learned to navigate a world that didn’t reflect me back. I became hyper-aware of image, perception, and difference. For a long time, I felt like I had to hide or perform a version of myself just to feel safe. But that experience also gave me something else: a heightened sensitivity to people’s inner worlds, to the quiet layers beneath the surface. That sensitivity has become one of my greatest tools as an individual.
I’ve also struggled with the tension of being a deeply curious, multi-passionate person. I’ve never fit neatly into one discipline or path—I’ve moved through music, performance, producing, community engagement and now… filmmaking and photography. For years, I felt like a master of none. I was distracted easily, often overwhelmed by possibility, and quietly haunted by imposter syndrome. Even my body has been an obstacle at times—calling for more care, more grounding, more attention than I always knew how to give. And like many first-generation children, I’ve carried the weight of belonging nowhere and everywhere at once. I was born in the U.S., but my heart has always felt called to Colombia. That in-betweenness—the ache of dislocation, the yearning for home—has shaped much of my creative lens.
During my MFA and the height of the pandemic, I experienced a profound creative crisis. I had entered the program to produce theater, but at some point, I felt like I no longer wanted to do just that. People would ask me what I wanted to do, and I had no answer. The only thing I knew—deeply, intuitively—was that I loved listening to people. I loved learning about their lives, their histories, their contradictions. And slowly, that clarity emerged: what I was truly drawn to was documentary filmmaking. Real stories. Real people. Real presence. That realization has become the foundation for the new chapter I’m in now. With FURIOSA Productions, we’re working towards building a body of work that leans into that calling—toward stories that are intimate, cinematic, and grounded in human truth.
We’ve been impressed with FURIOSA PRODUCTIONS, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
WHO WE ARE:
FURIOSA is a cutting-edge mobile multimedia production company grounded in the present and creating for the future. We are a team of interdisciplinary artists and strategists blending creativity, precision, and vision to craft powerful, human-centric narratives. Specializing in photography, videography, documentary, and theatrical/multimedia experiences, we approach each project as more than just a story to be told—we nurture it, allowing it to breathe, evolve, and connect organically with its audience.
WHERE WE ARE BASED:
Headquartered in Miami, FL
WHERE WE PRODUCE:
Worldwide with experience in places like Los Angeles, New York, Colombia, India and Spain.
MARKETS WE WORK IN:
Adventure, Agencies, Arts & Culture, Climate Sector, Non-Profit Sector, and Film Industry
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT:
We have been working with a concept called Commercial Documentary which includes a medium length video format that expresses the ideas of a brand in a non-invasive authentic way while using commercial mixed with organic/documentary style formats. We produce various multimedia deliverables in one production that contribute to the overall narrative and are designed to be used on different platforms.
OUR MODUS OPERANDI (M.O.):
We are researchers.
We are producers.
We are storytellers.
And above all, we are adventurers passionate about the journey.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is leaving the world better than I found it. Que tenga la oportunidad de aportar mi granito de arena. I care deeply about contributing something meaningful—through my work, my relationships, and the way I move through the world. Whether it’s through storytelling, collaboration, or the quiet integrity of showing up fully, I hope what I offer creates impact. It doesn’t have to be grand. Even if it’s small, I want it to matter.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.furiosaproductions.com
- Instagram: @furiosaproductions
Image Credits
1-4 by Camilo Buitrago Gil for FURIOSA Productions
5-6 by Camilo Buitrago Gil of Anabel Romero
7-13 by Anabel Romero
14 by Vanessa Diaz for FURIOSA Productions
