Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariah.
Hi Mariah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Yes! It’s such an honor anytime I get to share this story because it’s God doing the impossible for me over and over again, and when I think about the God of the universe caring about me that much, it’s humbling.
So before I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker, I was shadowing doctors and surgeons through a clinical program my high school offered. I love looking after people and taking care of them. It’s something I’ve always had a natural instinct for since I was really young. But when it came to deciding where I wanted to go to college and what I wanted to study, I felt uneasy about going into the medical field. Which sounds contradictory given that I love helping people, but I didn’t have the passion to do it in that field. It also could’ve been the eight years of school. That was a hard pass…totally kidding! Kind of. But something my parents always taught me growing up was to choose a career that I’ll wake up and be happy going to work, even 60, 70 years from now. I knew what they were saying, but part of me was still afraid.
I knew I wasn’t passionate about the medical field, but filmmaking was very unrealistic to me at the time. Until I heard a pastor speak on purpose and callings. That was the first time I felt like I could pick my dream career and not worry about the “what if’s” because if God called me to it, he would provide for me along the way. So between me and God, when I was 17, I decided to pursue filmmaking and from that moment on, doors of opportunity started coming out of nowhere and swinging open. One thing kept leading to the next and now I get to do this interview with you! That was supposed to be the short answer, sorry!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No way. Not even close. But honestly, it’s refined me as a filmmaker…and as a person. Some of the challenges I’ve faced are too good not to write a book about one day. They make some of my other challenges seem small in comparison, like not knowing where I would attend college until a month before school started, and then having it be some of the greatest, yet most difficult years of my life. Or my senior film project being a rollercoaster ride in every aspect – financially, personally, and professionally. Then I graduated college right into a writers strike. I have stories to tell for days.
But something I respect so much about filmmakers is their resilience and adaptability. I always say, in film, you have to have plans A through Z because you’ll use every single one. It’s how life goes. My first instinct when something unexpected happens is to find any way possible to keep pushing. Because “it” not working out isn’t even a last resort option in my mind. I’ve been able to learn these things from watching and working with other really great leaders and filmmakers. And the optimist in me will believe until the last second of the last hour that God can come through – because that’s just what my experience has been with him. And realistically, he doesn’t always come through in the way I imagined. But 100% of the time he’s already provided me with the resources I need, so it becomes as simple as moving to plan B and adapting.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a creative, I feel like we all wear a million hats, but to keep it simple – I’m a freelance filmmaker. I write, produce, and direct. Directing is my ultimate career goal. I’m also the Head of Business and Operations at a startup creative agency/production house called Optimist Brand Partners.
At Optimist, my job basically functions as a producer in film. I build workflows and gameplans for how we execute X, Y, and Z. I track the momentum of our productions, budget, timelines, and check-in on our accounts to make sure our clients are happy and healthy. That’s my 9-5 and I absolutely love it. I didn’t realize how ‘in my element’ I would feel until so much of what I knew to do as a producer started crossing over. I also love the people I work with. They’re some of the most creative, driven people I’ve ever met it’s contagious. I’m definitely way cooler because of them.
My 5-9 is the whole works. I’m either producing, writing, or directing which means I’m constantly developing stories, writing scripts, location scouting, meeting with my DP to build a shotlist, storyboarding upcoming spec projects, creating pitch decks, on set executing all of this. It hardly ever feels like work because I’m always creating something I’m super excited about.
And you asked what I’m most proud of…honestly, where I’m standing in life right now. Not because this what I envisioned when I graduated college – I never expected it to look like this. But I’m 24 and I’m doing more than I thought I was capable of. I also find a lot of peace in knowing I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be–otherwise, I wouldn’t be here right now. And I’m proud that I decided to study film because it wasn’t an easy decision by any means, but I didn’t let fear talk me out of it. And it tried. I remember a speech and debate professor teaching me to use fear as a tool and it stuck. Now I make it work for me. I think that’s something that sets me apart.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Oh man, I don’t even have to think about this one. Riding the backlot tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios when I was 6 years old. That has to be one of the most vivid memories from my childhood. And for most people, it was probably just another attraction, but to me it felt like the crescendo of the greatest movie of all time was playing while the finale of a firework show was exploding in my heart. I was beside myself the entire time, in total awe. I remember at one point the tram stopped under this cliff-like structure and we faced a tall mountain with an 18-wheeler parked on it. I heard someone yell “Action!” and rain started pouring out of nowhere. Then we see a fire spark in the distance and it catches the 18-wheeler on fire so it explodes! And then a flood of water comes rushing toward us at the bottom of the mountain and we heard “Cut!”. All of the special FX stopped on a dime. I was mind-blown. I remember thinking ‘what is this?’ and wanting to know how I could be a part of it. I was clueless. There’s zero trace of filmmaking in my family as big as it is, so I had no concept that filmmaking was even a career in the world of astronauts, doctors, and teachers. Elementary school is when I discovered Imovie – so classic. I would direct little short films with my friends and family without realizing I was directing. And there used to be a time where I enjoyed editing. So I would direct, edit, and then I’d rewatch it a hundred times. Sometimes, I’d even created trailers. I’m pretty sure I still have those saved somewhere.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mariahmolina.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariahmolinaa/
Image Credits
Cover photo and photos 1-4 and 7-9 by Juli Rangel. Photos 5-6 by Jessica Hood.
