Meet Noelia Estrada | SVP of Production for Full Picture Productions

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

Hi Noelia, why did you pursue a creative career?
I knew I wanted to be a part of the entertainment industry as early as elementary school after I watched HOOK and tried to memorize all the names in the credits. I couldn’t believe there were real human people behind the making of such a spectacularly magical thing. I desperately had to figure out how to be a part of it. When I was about 11 or 12, my cousin, who was a teen actress in the 90s in California took me with her to set on the Warner Brothers lot and I couldn’t believe my little eyes. It looked like the coolest gig on earth to be on or behind the camera and I was hooked. The reason I was even able to pursue a career in entertainment is because I had the privilege of growing up in an immigrant family with parents whose sole desire for their children was for them to be whatever they wanted to be and I tried not to take that for granted.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been in the entertainment industry for 22 years. I’ve been an intern, a Hollywood assistant (many times over), a commercial/short film/feature film/music video and podcast producer, and now an executive at a boutique production company called Full Picture Productions. One of the lessons I’ve learned along the way is that there is no such thing as a straight line when it comes to a career in the industry. It can look so many different ways and take on so many different faces and that is ok! A really important part of my work life balance is about staying in touch with the content and art that I love no matter what my job is, in addition to nurturing other interests so that I can bring a well-rounded perspective to every aspect of my life, not just my career.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I LOVE this question! Ok ok ok…

Day 1 – Hollywood Reservoir or Griffith Park hike. I know it’s not a groundbreaking idea but seeing all of LA from above at the beginning gives your trip a nice cinematic tough. Lunch at All Time in Los Feliz for potential celebrity sightings. Shopping/strolling in Sunset Junction then dinner at Quarter Sheets (ending with a slice of princess cake DUH)
Day 2 – Visit Japantown near Sawtelle Blvd. Buy some cool Japanese souvenirs, get some insanely good ramen. Have a time.
Day 3 – Visit The Huntington Library Museum and Botanical Gardens. Super bonus if there is a corpse flower blooming that time of year. It’s a one of a kind experience! Dinner at hot spot Dunsmoor in Eagle Rock. Then dancing at Los Globos. Perhaps a street meat moment after you stumble out there door 🙂

If it’s summertime, book tickets to whatever is playing at Cinespia or Jazz Nights at LACMA. Uniquely LA experiences 🙂

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to my mentor, Stuart Cornfeld. Stuart was a prolific film producer (THE ELEPHANT MAN, THE FLY, ZOOLANDER) with an uncanny eye for emerging comedic talent—and always the funniest guy in the room. I met him while interviewing for an assistant role with a different executive at Ben Stiller’s production company, Red Hour Films, but after a quick conversation about the documentary Dig! by Ondi Timoner, Stuart knew we were a match. He hired me on the spot. From that day forward, he taught me what it meant to have taste. I watched everything he recommended, and it changed the way I saw the world. He got me back in touch with my love for independent films, punk music and important subversive art. Whenever he was having a particularly difficult day, he would often remind me, “The only thing worse than doing it, is not doing it.” That simple truth has stayed with me ever since.

Shoutout to my mother, Rocio, an immigrant from Uruguay, and my father, Daniel, an immigrant from Argentina, who came to America without knowing a word of English or having any idea what their future would hold. They worked incredibly hard so that I could go to college—something no one in either of their families had ever done so it was a responsibility I took seriously.

Website: https://www.fullpictureproductions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noeyjones

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noelia-estrada-3831745a/

Image Credits
1st image: Daniel and Rocio Estrada (parents)
2nd – 5th images: Video content I produced from Full Picture Productions