Today we’d like to introduce you to Arielle Noel. We interviewed Arielle as part of our collaboration with Platonic. You can learn more about the cast and crew here.
Arielle, we’d love for you to kick things off for us with a bit of background on yourself (personally and professionally) and how you got to where you are today.
Hi! My name is Arielle Noel and I was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. I became interested in the entertainment industry believe it or not in college. It wasn’t until I took a class that was required for my major that I realized I enjoy working behind the camera. You see I took acting classes as a child and I knew then anything in front of the camera was not something that I wanted to do. I never realized how much work goes into making a film. So, during the last few years of college I made a change and haven’t looked back. My career wouldn’t be where it is without my faith in God. He has literally opened so many doors for me. My first job working in TV was for ES TV as an Associate Producer. There I learned how to write court cases, cast actors, and prepare my actors for the cases I wrote. My experience at ES allowed me to get a glimpse of what it would look like working on a Network show on a smaller scale. Which prepared me for my next position as a Writers PA / Showrunners Assistant for the show Insecure. I worked on season 2 and had one of the most amazing experience’s working on this show. I thought it took a lot to write court cases but writing for a scripted show is a whole another ball game. I was able to work on the show from the writer’s room until post. This allowed me to see the start to finish process of creating a show. After Insecure I took some time off to produce and work on shooting Platonic. We shot all 7 episodes in one week, but prepping a show takes a lot longer than we thought. As soon as we wrapped Platonic, I knew I was ready to take on another project. I enjoy producing and writing when creating content. Which lead me to take a break from the writer’s room and join Monami Entertainment to learn how to produce. I was very fortunate to be a part of the development process of creating a show, especially reality shows. From there I joined the team for the show Black Monday. I was ready to get back into writing. On Black Monday I was the assistant to the Co- Showrunners. I plan to continue to create content on my own and to help make projects as unique as possible.
We’d love to hear about you experience working on Platonic. How did you connect with Moni and why did you decide to work with her on Platonic?
So, I met Moni at an Insecure release party. I’m not sure how we even got into a conversation about her show, but honestly that was all of Gods doing. I recall telling Moni that I was a producer and that I was looking for my next project. She sent over the scripts for TEN episodes, and after I read them all I was in love with the show. Moni told me that Winter was on board to direct the series, and we all met up to see if it was a good fit. That summer we decided to develop the plan of action to make her dream reality. We prepped the show as a team, and the goal was to shoot the top eight episodes. We ended up shooting 7 instead of 8. Which honestly, I believe was our lucky number 7. We shot Platonic with a very small crew, and we are so grateful for the everyone that joined our family. Moni, Winter, I was the main team making everything happen behind the scenes. When Lauren came on board to AD for us, is when our team became complete.
You graduated in 2014 and have had a series of exciting work experiences, including working at HBO. What’s been your favorite job or project since you’ve graduated?
Honestly, my favorite job after graduating was working on Black Monday on Showtime. The work atmosphere was very comfortable and inclusive. I feel like I was able to really be a part of the experience for all aspects of the show.
Do you foresee any interesting (or worrisome) changes in the industry? Any trends or changes in terms of how content is produced, funded, distributed, etc?
I actually do see some changes in the future for the industry. We are already seeing some of them now. A lot of people are able to move their way up by creating their own content. I believe that creating your own content is the way to go in order for you to make sure it is your voice that is being heard. I always say if you can make it happen with a tiny budget, imagine what you can do with a real budget.