We recently had the chance to connect with Rosa Costanza and have shared our conversation below.
Rosa, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: Have you ever been glad you didn’t act fast?
When I had to evacuate suddenly due to the fires in Los Angeles in January 2025, I heard my neighbors yelling out and the police sirens as they blocked off my street. I did not panic but instead took a few minutes to think clearly. My decision to stay calm helped me to pack up all my business related items – computer, hard drives, paperwork, other electronics. I didn’t take much more than that – but I secured my life’s work.
Thankfully I was able to go back home after a day and night of the Sunset Fire, and all was intact. But if the worst had occurred as it did for so many who lost their homes and businesses and nothing was left of my place, I would still have had all my life’s work and project’s data safe with me.
I have acted reactionary and impulsively, earlier in life. Mostly due to trauma, I paid a lot for my thoughtlessness. I took for granted that other people would understand the situations where I was triggered, or that they would apply compassion to me. I realized that people were more superficial than me, and that I should be aware that they did not have a capacity to extend me such consideration.
So, now wiser with years, I do not act fast in any important or emotionally charged situations – unless there is a true crisis or immediate action is required. In any case, I take time and practice detachment to stay calm.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I grew up around filmmaking as the third generation in my family to be in the industry. My maternal grandfather was the VP of Capt. Jacques Cousteau’s production company, Thalassa, in Hollywood. I grew up listening to conversations on filmmaking from my family and their colleagues. Stories about being on location on the ocean, or in remote parts of the world, creating documentary productions for television. After working with Cousteau, my grandfather began his own production and distribution company and he helped start Shark Week for Discovery.
I am an award winning filmmaker, like my grandfather and my mother. They were both Emmy award winners, and I am Emmy nominated, as well as having awards from other competitions and festivals. I am the one in my family continuing this legacy.
Today I am working on my first documentary project, a 4-Episode Limited Series titled WHITE LABEL. I have the first rough cut of our pilot episode now and am preparing to revise the edit with a fantastic team. It is exciting to create a documentary television series, and carry this legacy from my mother’s side of the family, too follow in my grandparent’s footsteps.
WHITE LABEL is a look into the world of Dance Music, specifically the creation of underground rave culture in the nightclubs and warehouses of New York City. I grew up as a clubkid in early 90’s NY, so I am doing this work to honor the culture that I love – Dance Music/ Rave culture. I have interviewed 50+ people and collected over 2 dozen hours of archival footage, plus stills and other media.
Besides WHITE LABEL, I have another production rooted in Dance Music culture called XING. This is a brand of cross-sector media that includes a feature film, a mobile app game, short form immersive media and soundtrack productions.
XING has been developed over a few years, since the short film proof of concept for XING got into the Festival de Cannes, Short Film Corner, and went into another two dozen festivals in two years in Europe and the USA. It was nominated for 14 awards and won 6 awards.
This short film’s success catapulted me into producing more pilot projects, being hired as a Screenwriter/ Director and Producer for clients on assignments for the last 8 years. Finally done with my assignments for external clients for now, I am focused on finishing up WHITE LABEL so I can shop the Pilot, as well as continuing the development of the XING brand.
Last year I was awarded prototype funding for the XING360 Dance challenge mobile app game, created with support from Northern Ireland Screen and team members based in Belfast as well as talents from England and America. This prototype is the proof of concept for the full production of the dance challenge game I created with NYC based choreographer, the MTV VMA award winning talent Matthew Pasterisa. We are on track to go into the next stage of production with this mobile app game and continue to develop the XING brand of multimedia.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
The first thing I identified as I believe I still am: an artist.
As a child I was constantly drawing and painting. After school from elementary through middle school I’d go home and make art. From middle school to high school I was more involved in theater, studied acting, leaned into performance arts. Later in life I studied screenwriting and now use my imagination that way.
Whether sketching and painting on canvas or acting on stage or writing scripts, I am always tapping and uplifting my creative spirit.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Irony and contradiction are fundamental parts of human experience. The contradiction of suffering is that, in the process of healing, there are lessons that cannot be learned any other way.
The choice to be a healing person and focus on recovery is the strength. We have miraculous regenerative mechanisms in ourselves. We can overcome nearly anything, and we can look at examples of extraordinary people who have done so to bolster our own belief in our inner abilities.
So, if you have the fortitude and courage to stand up to obstacles, you can engender qualities that are essential to success in life.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
In my core values, in my personal foundation, I hold to absolute truths. These absolutes are qualities that I believe are not negotiable in order to have success in any part of life.
They include:
– Unconditional love, pure loving energy, the most attractive vibration there is.
– Compassion and care for ourselves and be extension for those with whom we share this life.
– Honesty, a clear indiscriminate mind, ability to see and understand things as they are without manipulation of truth.
– Growth, evolution of consciousness, mental health, progressiveness, kinetic energy that creates flexibility & heals us.
– Devotion and dedication, discipline, the ability to see things through from beginning to end.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
Honestly I put myself in a state of gratitude every single day as I manifest my creative productions, and work towards my new career goals. I focus on letting go of expectations so that things work out better than I could ever imagine. The mantra is to create “this or something better than this” for all of my work. The point is to be open for the blessings that are beyond my own imaginings.
Some of my most exciting moments include:
– Screening my first short film at the Festival de Cannes: XING! We had a formal screening and the room was packed thanks to our promotions!
– Emmy nominations, attending the Emmy Awards and seeing my peers applaud at the clip of what I produced, when it was screened ahead of the award announcement.
– Every time my short XING or another production I created won an award, being in the ceremony when they call your name for the win!
– Receiving sponsorship to create my first mobile app game prototype, XING360, last year in 2024. Going to Ireland for the first time, setting up a UK company to work in Belfast with great team members! Bringing talents together to make the game prototype was such a highlight!
I feel gratitude for every production I have seen through to completion as I know how difficult it is to finish projects and watch them live their whole lifecycle.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.whitelabeldoc.com
- Instagram: @rosacostanza / @xingfilm / @whitelabeldoc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosacostanza?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
Image Credits
Photographer credits:
Rosa Costanza
Chris McKenna (Cricky)
