Meet Rafael Maiolino | Producer, Director & Business Manager

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

Hi Rafael, what do you attribute your success to?
To achieve success we can never stop learning and improving ourselves daily, as a creative person this is something that I wholeheartedly believe in and am heavily inspired by. Our jobs rely heavily on understanding the human mind, exploring its wonders and constant change; thus it feels impossible to fully master, it should be a never-ending learning experience and that’s how I approach my career. I started by majoring in marketing and taking acting classes at the same time, both of these giving me pivotal experience and serving as a foundation for not only me as a professional but also as a human being. Once I graduated from university, I decided to pursue an MBA and grow further into my professional career; during that time I met people from the industry that were meaningful in developing my vision of what it truly means to be a creative person, as well as gain a deeper working experience within the field. Once I graduated I found myself in a really good job and a career set ahead of me.
And that’s when I decided to challenge myself once more and completely change my life by moving to a foreign country. I came to the United States to improve my English language skills and to study Business Management of Entertainment at UCLA. Before long I started to work as a producer for a couple of film festivals, including the Beverly Hills Film Festival; I had a stable career and was working on my dream job, despite that I chose to go back to school and learn a new skill, so today I am studying Directing at UCLA.
As a result of these experiences in my personal journey, I learned that studying not only gives us knowledge, but it also helps us evolve as human beings. If you ever get the opportunity to study, travel and experience new cultures, please do. It will change your life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As an immigrant from Brazil trying to make it in an industry mostly composed of Americans, I have to work extra hard to prove myself on a daily basis. Like most things in life, it wasn’t easy, we have to take extra steps to make people trust us; I realized that to overcome this I’d have to make sure to always be friendly, polite, be helpful to my coworkers and work extra hard without putting myself or my personality to the side. I want the world to know that I am always ready to be an asset to their projects in whatever they need every step of the way, from creating a concept all the way to wrap day. It is an artist’s job to make art and try to shine a light on things close and important to them, for that reason I always aim to talk about Latino stories, focusing on Brazil, in my projects. I like to dive in and explore culture, society’s reality, and the struggles minorities face on a daily basis. Of course, I try to not only talk about these things but also act towards solving these problems we face in our society in every way I can, such as giving work opportunities to minorities.
I am in my third year of working as a producer at the Beverly Hills Film Festival and have worked on more than 30 projects for both television and film. I also faced one of the biggest challenges of my career, but also a dream come true when I directed “Recharging”, a short film about a Latin woman suffering from PTSD, due to both her childhood trauma as well as the moral abuse she suffered whilst a member of the army, almost giving up on life until supernatural forces give her a new perspective on life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
California is one of the most beautiful and diverse states in America, I feel so lucky to be able to visit many different types of areas within a considerable short drive. Living in LA is particularly incredible, it feels like there’s a never-ending amount of things to do, so it’s very hard to choose only a few. But, one of my favorite places around here is Pirate’s Cove over in Malibu, and that would definitely be the very first place I’d take someone who was visiting, it is absolutely gorgeous and peaceful, and it is my go-to point anytime I need to recharge my energies, so it feels fitting to start there. Since we’d be over at Malibu I’d also take the time to show them around the area, and go to Point Dume and the Malibu Pier. Then we’d follow that by visiting the other famous beaches around here, like Santa Monica, maybe have lunch on the pier and spend the afternoon roaming around Venice Beach. We’d end the day by going to Downtown LA and grabbing something to eat around there.
During their week here I’d make sure they visited all the “must-go-to” places like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills, Griffith Observatory, and of course the Hollywood sign. We would also make time to go to a few museums such as the Hammer, the Getty Villa, LACMA, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. As for entertainment, I’d take them to either, or both, Disneyland, and Universal Studios Hollywood, I’d also take them to spend a day relaxing on Laguna Beach. And if we still had time, surely a quick trip to Las Vegas is a must!
As far as food is concerned, I’d try my best to take them to all my favorite restaurant spots, a few that come to mind like Pizzarie da Michelle, BOA Steakhouse, the Ivy at Robertson, and Clifton’s Republic. We could also go to Thai Town, where they have really good and cheap places, a personal favorite is Patio Thai. Of course, like any good visitor, they would have to try the famous In and Out Burger, as well as some other local burger places, like Astro Burger and Bob’s Burger. We’d also try to hit some bars, especially Perch Rooftop bar, Sky Bar Rooftop, and The Edison, an underground bar with this incredible burlesque vibe.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am in life without my family. They are the basis of everything I’ve achieved. Growing up my parents were always by biggest supporters and always encouraged me to follow my dreams, as hard to achieve as they seemed at times.

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-maiolino/