Today we’d like to introduce you to Arestia Rosenberg.
Hi Arestia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I think I was born with a storytelling gene. As a child, I devoured books and begged my parents to take me every musical. As a young adult, I was excited about telling stories through film, so I went to film school at Boston University then headed off to LA when I graduated to pursue a career in film production. I started as an assistant in development at Sony Pictures then moved to Happy Madison Productions, where I was promoted as an assistant producer for behind-the-scenes/EPK material and discovered I really loved nonfiction storytelling. This led me to an associate and field producer role for several Animal Planet shows.
After I got tired of bouncing around from production to production, I started thinking how I wanted to use my skills to stay put somewhere to help build something in a forward-thinking way. I started telling everyone I knew I was looking for this unclear role which led me to an interview and job at Hill Holliday, an advertising agency in Boston. There, I produced award-winning short documentaries for brands at an exciting time when ‘content’ was an emerging discipline and becoming an increasingly important part of marketing strategy. I even started a group called “Boston Content” to bring together marketers and creatives that still exist today.
After a few years, I took my learnings to become the Creative Director of Brand Strategy at The Daily Beast in New York. This was a dream job, so you’d think my story would settle here for a while…but I felt called to become an independent consultant so I could travel the world. I went to 20+ countries over two years of nomading. It’s also what led me to discovering the story about a former refugee who founded a hip-hop and breakdancing school for underprivileged kids in Cambodia and directing and producing my own award-winning short documentary.
I landed back in Los Angeles a few years ago and continue consulting as a creative director for agencies, brands and production companies. I help them define their story, build a content strategy and produce the content they need to grow and build a community around their brand.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Landing that first job in Hollywood is always challenging. When I decided to leave traditional entertainment, that was a hard choice. Back then, the lines seemed very strong. Now, they are more blurred and I know now that my background in entertainment, advertising, and media actually makes me a pretty great unicorn. When I also decided to leave The Daily Beast to go freelance/independent and travel, it might have seemed like an easy choice to go travel the world, but it was an arduous one for me to make. I wasn’t unhappy at my job and I had built a very successful career that felt like I was giving up; but I got into the second-ever Remote Year group and it felt like if I didn’t take the plunge to travel at that point in my life (something I always wanted to do), I wouldn’t have another opportunity. I’m so glad I did too. I’m a mother now and am so happy I had that time for myself.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a creative director helping companies bridge the gap between creative strategy and production. I help my clients that include individuals, brands, agencies, and production companies tell their stories and produce creative, strategic work. While I have had a number of professional accomplishments, I’m most proud of building my own business that I know really helps people. My mission in life is to tell stories that make a difference. My clients feel relieved when they find and work with me because they’ve been struggling to actually define their needs and produce results. With me, I help with being both strategic and creative and helping them actually produce the work. I’m the shepherd they’ve been searching for. I become a real partner to help them develop their ideas and see them through.
I’m also proud of directing and producing my own award-winning short documentary. While I’ve directed some and produced many more short documentaries and other film and video projects for clients, this one was entirely my own. It was about a man who lived in the US as a refugee and was deported back to Cambodia and started a hip-hop and break-dancing school for underserved youth there. I learned about the school, called Tiny Toones, while I was traveling and in Cambodia and I couldn’t shake the founder’s story. I had to make the film and tell his story and hopefully, it would help the school too. The film, “Name Crew: Tiny Toones”, made it into several film festivals in 2020 (yes, that 2020) and won a few awards. It was a lot of work to direct and produce my own film, but I’m so happy I did it and am really proud of it.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I’m not afraid to try things. Or rather, I don’t let that fear stop me. I’m scared all the time to take risks and I do them anyway if deep down, I know it’s right. I was scared to leave the entertainment to go into the emerging world of ‘content’. I was scared to quit my full-time job to start my own business and give up my apartment to travel and live nowhere and everywhere. Hell, I was scared to become a working mother. But all of it has been the right choice for me and I never want to be a person that wonders, what if? I follow the advice of Hunter S. Thompson: “Buy the ticket. Take the ride.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.arestiarosenberg.com/
Image Credits
Tracy Bennett for the green screen one.
