Nazli Donmez of Los Angeles on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Nazli Donmez and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nazli , thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Few things rival the joy of reading for me, and lately, I’ve returned to the masterful storytelling of Jonathan Franzen. I’m endlessly fascinated by his ability to capture the friction between our private lives and the world at large, delivering painfully accurate insights into the human psyche. He exposes the arrogant vulnerabilities of the postmodern age and its children with such biting humor and psychological precision that torments, entertains and relieves you all at once.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Based in Los Angeles, I am a producer and creative project manager specializing in entertainment marketing for film and TV. My work involves crafting trailers and teasers—a high-stakes, fast-paced niche that requires a blend of creative vision, business strategy, and relationship management.

What fascinates me most about A/V production is the art of deconstruction. While a director spends years building a world, we spend weeks distilling its “soul” into a two-minute tease. By leveraging powerful audio structures and precise editing, we bridge the knowledge gap for the audience, turning a studio’s massive investment into a compelling first impression. It’s a demanding process that might require dozens of versions to reach a “perfect” cut, but the challenge of performing that “creative surgery” makes the work incredibly rewarding and never boring.

Additionally, I recently wrapped up production of She Has No Name, a short film adapted from Duygu Asena’s acclaimed novel with the same name, with an incredibly talented group of international creatives. The film follows a woman’s journey from childhood to adulthood, exploring how societal roles often erase female identity. To me, this story is a vital critique of the archaic structures women still navigate today. I am proud to bring this timeless narrative to the screen, sparking necessary conversations about our shared right to exist beyond gender roles.

I am also in the process of developing two feature scripts and fundraising for several upcoming projects slated for production within the next year.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
When it comes to who taught me the most about work, I can’t point to a single mentor. Instead, my understanding of work is a mosaic of everyone I’ve encountered over the years, a collective education drawn from observing the work ethic, vision and energy of people around me.

Beyond the people, I’ve found that living itself has been my greatest classroom. I’ve learned how to be—and how to approach my professional life—by navigating the rhythms of the world outside of an office. Life has taught me that work isn’t a separate compartment; it’s an extension of your character, your resilience, and your curiosity.

I’ve learned that work isn’t just about the output; it’s about the spirit you bring to it. My “teacher” is the combined influence of every person who took pride in what they did, coupled with the raw, unfiltered lessons that only come from experiencing life firsthand.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering is a heavy word. I have a hard time seeing it as the opposite of success in every case. You fail, you learn, you move on. Experiencing a kind of failure that leads to genuine suffering, however, definitely teaches you humility, self-compassion and resilience on a deeper level than success ever could. There’s something transformative about pain if you allow it to broaden your perspective on life instead of becoming bitter and avoidant to spare yourself more hurt. That is the name of the game.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
To me, it’s all about where the energy is coming from, the difference between a flash fire and a rising tide.

Fads are fueled by novelty. They’re fun, they’re “new,” and they make for great conversation, but they’re essentially just flair you add to your day. Take 3D films: they were an “add-on” that didn’t actually change how we tell stories or how we live. Once the “cool factor” evaporated, it just became a distraction that retreated back into a niche.

Foundational shifts, on the other hand, are about utility. They solve stubborn problems and change our actual rhythm -altering how we think, move, and interact. Streaming is the perfect example. It didn’t just add a feature; it removed a massive friction point by giving us control over what and when we watch.

While fads explode and burn out overnight, shifts are often slower and quieter. They stick around long after the hype dies down because they’ve fundamentally rewritten the rules – influencing everything from how scripts are written to how (and by whom) the biggest business deals are made.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
If you stripped away the labels, the titles, and the possessions, what would remain is my character.

It’s the rhythm I’ve developed through years of living—that internal engine of drive and creativity, my capacity to connect, and the collective influence of every person who taught me how to be.

If I laid everything down and was left with only the “silent witness” beneath it all, I think you’d find a curious, sensitive, and spirited kid, still hungry for more.

Image Credits
Ali Gokay Sarioz