NYWIFT Blog

Report from Tribeca: Isabella Olaguera on AD’ing, Celeb Encounters and Breaking into the Biz at 14

By Heidi Philipsen

New Jersey-based assistant director Isabella Olaguera has worked professionally on over 50 feature films, television shows and commercials since 2010 – including an Oscar-nominated short. She has every right to brag, but she’s been keeping a big secret: she’s only 20 years old! She may very well be the youngest member of New York Women in Film & Television.

Isabella sat down with producer, director, writer and actor Heidi Philipsen to discuss her work as the 2nd AD on the indie feature film All These Small Moments, a coming-of-age tale shot entirely in NYC, which premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival this month.

 

Heidi Philipsen: How long have you been an assistant director? 

Isabella Olaguera: I’ve been AD’ing for about six years now, on features, short films, commercials, and television shows. I have to always mention my parents when I talk about my beginnings. Throughout my childhood, my parents were prolific freelance graphic designers with backgrounds in film production, acting, fine arts and photography. From an early age, they always encouraged me to pursue my artistic endeavors. While other kids’ parents became worried about their kids wanting to be artists, or tried to convince them to treat it like a hobby, mine always treated every interest like the beginnings of a possible career.

 

Did you know right away that this is what you wanted to do?  

1st AD-ing is not only my full-time job, but it is also my main passion. I first learned about what an Assistant Director was when I was very young, because my brother was a SAG child actor and my parents always made sure there was also room on set for me while they were shooting. I remember watching them work, and being fascinated by how these AD’s could command their sets and kept everything in line.

 

Isabella AD My Nephew Emmett

Isabella Olaguera on the set of the Academy-Award nominated short My Nephew Emmett (dir. Kevin Wilson, Jr., 2017)

How do you navigate your career when you are surrounded by mostly older and mostly male colleagues?

Honestly, I was never hesitant or uncertain when it came to making my dream career a reality and I have to again thank my parents for putting that fearlessness and determination in my head despite so many things that could have discouraged me. I knew I didn’t exactly have it easy from the get-go, considering I’m not only young, but a woman, and a young woman of color to top it off. But I am also different from many of the people who came before me. I am born at the end of the millennial age, or the beginning of Generation Z, two of the first generations to be born after the trailblazers for equality in the age of technology. I was privileged enough to be able to grow up around the set life, with a female and/or POC role models of AD’s, producers and industry leaders.

 

What do you look for in leaders – in producers and directors with whom you work?

I guess the smoothest times I have on set are ones where everyone is sympathetic to each other’s plight. I like working for directors and producers who don’t see themselves above the rest of the crew, but a part of it—in short, in my opinion, the best leaders are the ones who care about the people they lead.

 

What hurdles – if any – have you experienced and how did you get over them?

Ageism is the largest hurdle I’ve had to overcome, even beating both sexism and racial prejudice. I have worked on over 50 professional productions, many of which have played at festivals, internationally, and one that was even nominated for an Academy Award this year.

A lot of people are surprised by my youthful appearance, especially when they’ve already had in-depth discussions with me over the phone, but by remaining composed, confident, and prepared, crew members gain a sense of respect for me that allows me to not only do my job, but get recommended for ones in the future.

 

All_These_Small_Moments_2.jpg

Brendan Meyer and Jemima Kirke in All These Small Moments (dir. Melissa Miller-Costanzo, 2018)

 

What were some of your favorite experiences working on the film?

All These Small Moments was one of my favorite productions to work on. The entire film, to me, captures the essence of a modern John Hughes movie — a teenager struggling with the concept of growing up, and his positive discovery within himself despite the trials that are set before him: A perfect, simple, slice of life- story.

I know they’ve been advertising Melissa Miller-Costanzo as a first-time director, but to me, there is nothing “first time” about her. She’s a seasoned pro, and a powerful woman who not only has clear vision but knows how to achieve it.

Our producers [Lauren Avinoam, Katie Leary, and Jed Mellick] were all strong forces, each bringing their own expertise to the table. Our crew was a little army. Our cast had lots of credits and prestige to their names, yet included some of the most down to earth people I’ve ever worked with.

 

Molly Ringwald is one of the stars!

Molly Ringwald has also always been in one of the top slots of my “celebrity bucket list.” There’s a scene in All These Small Moments where Molly’s character sits at the dining table by herself, picking at her mostly untouched birthday cake. We shot it on the day I [substitute] 1st AD’d, and for the first few takes, everything was very standard. Roll, Action, Pick, Reset, Repeat, Cut. But on the very last take, she kept going. She made larger and larger dents in the cake with her fingers, and then all of a sudden — BAM — she smushed both her hands into the cake and mixed it all up! Molly started laughing, and then Melissa was laughing, and video village was laughing, and the crew was laughing, and the cast was laughing — I could even see Adam, our DP, giggling behind the camera.

And suddenly my anxiety and nervousness faded away and here I was, this 19-year-old girl — who didn’t follow the beaten path and didn’t go to college and didn’t listen to anyone who told her she was too young, yet still didn’t let ANYONE on set know how old she was because she was afraid they’d fire her for it if they ever found out — 1st AD’ing this huge set and KILLING IT.

And we made our day. Everyone told me I did a good job and it meant, and still means, more to me than they could ever know.

 

Catch All These Small Moments at the Tribeca Film Festival through April 28, 2018.

 

PUBLISHED BY

Heidi Philipsen

Heidi Philipsen Heidi Elizabeth Philipsen-Meissner is a producer, writer, actress & director with 20 years of professional experience in international film, television and communications. Follow her on Twitter at @heidiphilipsen.

View all posts by Heidi Philipsen

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*

Related Posts

Tribeca Festival 2025 Recap: One Spoon of Chocolate World Premiere

Next stop on our Tribeca Festival recap journey: the World Premiere red carpet of One Spoon of Chocolate — a powerful new film that’s already got the industry talking. Written and directed by the legendary RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, One Spoon of Chocolate follows Unique (played by Shameik Moore), a wrongly imprisoned Army veteran seeking peace and a fresh start in Ohio. But when systemic racism, corruption, and cruelty resurface in the form of a violent sheriff and his band of bigots, Unique is forced to pick up his sword — literally — and fight back.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Kacie Newport

We are so excited to spotlight new NYWIFT Member Kacie Newport, the powerhouse behind BAM Management and BAMbooks. With two decades of experience in the entertainment industry, Kacie brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for supporting artists to the NYWIFT community. From her early days as an assistant director and producer to now leading a thriving talent management company, Kacie's journey is a testament to her dedication and drive. She's even pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing to further BAM Management's creative endeavors. In our interview, Kacie opens up about her motivations for joining NYWIFT, how she maintains positivity in a challenging industry, the importance of mentorship, and her vision for the future of acting. Get ready for some inspiring insights and a dose of much-needed encouragement from this new member!

READ MORE

NYWIFT at Tribeca 2025: In Conversation with Ruth Ann Harnisch

To say Ruth Ann Harnisch is a force in the independent film industry is an understatement. She has contributed to the production of almost 400 documentaries and several acclaimed narrative features. Her strategic investments in films, filmmakers, and organizations supporting them have helped open almost every aspect of the business to underrepresented voices. This is evident with each of the seven films featured at this year’s festival that she has supported: She Runs The World, Runa Simi, State of Firsts, We Are Pat, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, Move Ya Body, and Natchez. I spoke with Ruth Ann for The NYWIFT Podcast (listen here) about the importance of Tribeca, which she calls “arguably one of the most important festivals for any film,” how she picks her projects and what she has learned from them. Her wisdom could not be contained! So here is more from our conversation.

READ MORE

NYWIFT at Tribeca 2025: In Conversation with Carolyn Hepburn

Award-winning producer and NYWIFT member Carolyn Hepburn is making waves once again with the highly anticipated world premiere of Empire Skate at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. As part of the festival’s prestigious Spotlight Documentary section, the film captures the vibrant heart of New York City’s downtown skate culture — a world Hepburn remembers vividly and honors with deep authenticity. With a producing career that spans Emmy, Peabody, and Gotham award-winning projects, Hepburn continues to shape the documentary landscape with bold storytelling and emotional depth. In this exclusive NYWIFT interview, she reflects on her journey from Long Island to the global film stage, the power of community in filmmaking, and why Empire Skate feels like a personal love letter to the city that raised her.

READ MORE
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
css.php