We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Brasero and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I honestly don’t think I will ever find the perfect balance between work, personal projects and family; trying to find it has given more anxiety than just accepting that somedays, I put more energy into my work and others into my family and that’s ok. For instance, I’m a mom of a toddler, expecting again, and I know for a while, my work life will be on the rear seat because I’ll have other priorities and I shouldn’t work as if I didn’t have kids and raise kids as if I didn’t have to work. But we’re under this pressure of being a superwoman at all times and I do believe it’s healthy to recognize that it’s completely unnattainable and it;s ok to take breaks and ask for help.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve always been a storyteller, I just didn’t know I could make a living out of it until I was in my early twenties. It’s been a bumpy ride for sure, moving from Barcelona to LA, with absolutely no connections in the business and a thick accent, I had to face a lot of “no’s” and it took me a while to finally get my foot at the door. But there is a saying I really like “when there is a will there is a way and if not there is an excuse” and I just didn’t want my excuse to be that “oh, I didn’t make it because I’m an immigrant, or I don’t speak nor write perfect English, or I don’t know anyone who could help me…” the victim mentality doesn’t take you anywhere, so I probably had to work harder, but that’s when opportunity arises. My dad, who was a Philosophy and Latin professor back in Spain, would always tell me “Fortuna audaces Iuvat” (Luck favors the brave), and he was right, eventually things started coming to fruition. And always be nice to people because in the end your personable qualities might take you further than your professional ones.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love Temescal Canyon and a stroll around the Palisades. Checking John WIlliams at the Hollywood Bowl. eating some street tacos in Venice the first Friday of the month and chilling in a Korean Spa, would most likely be my top picks!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have a few shoutouts to give; to LATV, where I was given the opportunity to grow from talent booker to being a reporter, writer and executive producer of Get it Girl, the female empowering talk show of LATV. To my husband, who always has pushed me to write and thanks to give we gave birth to my short “AfterLife Vacation” which has opened both of us many doors (to him as a director, to me as a writer) to HBO Pa’lante for giving me a grant to develop my show L.A.tinas and to my parents for always supporting me even if they didn’t fully get what I was doing and to Bonnie Forbes, who not only gave me my very first internship at Fortress Features but has been a true friend all these years.

Instagram: mbrasero

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/maria-brasero-06bab219

Image Credits
Alberto Belli (the personal one) Robby Henry (the one from the I Am Mother premiere Juan Carlos Macias ( the one at the Golden Globes Nicole Alvarado (the Get it Girl one)

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