Pamela Carbonero

Why the seasoned Assistant Director Was Told Her Idea Would Never Work and why She Built It Anyway

Pamela Carbonero is a seasoned Latina director, producer, writer, and first AD with 15+ short films, a 12-episode mini-series, and a one-and-a-half-hour vertical series under her belt. Her genre sweet spot is cerebral, non-linear psychological thrillers, but she'll tell you herself, she loves all of it. When she's not directing, she's working full-time as a first AD across features, commercials, music videos, you name it. And she is a proud anti-gatekeeper.

But the thing I really wanted to bring her on to talk about is what she built from scratch out of pure necessity: the LA Director's Lab. In 2021, she had an idea for a space where directors could simply practice their craft. She started small: six directors, eight actors, a friend's bar, iPhones, zero professional gear. That was all she needed.

Today, LADL has grown into full two-day workshops with DPs, professional crews, screening days, and most recently, she executive-produced five horror short films in three and a half weeks with her community of artists.

Tune in!

xx cg

“Not every director comes from production and working on set and crew. They come from writing. They come from producing.”

- Pamela Carbonero

Episode Transcript