Her Story
About Ava
Ava Madarieta has been working in film, television, and advertising for about five years. She recently completed an internship with the Television Academy Foundation, where she was placed with host company RMVistar, a global acquisition and distribution firm known for shows such as The Cleaning Lady. This opportunity allowed her to gain insight into the industry and build connections through the Television Academy's network, of which she is a member. Ava's passion for the field was sparked by her high school film teacher, Mrs. Armano, at Collinswood High School. She attended community college for two semesters, spent one semester at Arts Center College of Design studying film, and ultimately graduated from California State University Dominguez Hills. Throughout her studies and early career, she worked part-time as a beauty advisor at Sephora for two and a half years, gaining valuable interpersonal skills. Ava has also contributed to nonprofit work through a school project supporting No Easy Props, and she draws inspiration from mentors including her mother and professor Larry High.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ava
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Whatever room you walk into, you deserve to be there. When starting out in production assistant gigs and jobs in television and film, I would walk into a room full of men and feel intimidated. It took help from my mentors to understand that I deserve to be there, I know what I'm talking about. You're there for a reason. You know what you're doing. You are capable. You wouldn't be there if you weren't capable of doing the job. Even if it doesn't go your way sometimes, the door's locked and you can't get through on a certain opportunity, but you just kind of have to keep trying and jiggling other doors, and it'll eventually work out.
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