Contributor

Natalie Rodriguez

Writer. Director. Producer.

Natalie is an award-winning writer, director, producer, mental health and anti-violence/trauma advocate based in Los Angeles, CA. In 2014, she graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in TV-Film from CSU Fullerton. Her first entertainment job was an internship at the Conan O'Brien show and Peter Guber's Mandalay Pictures, where she worked at the offices of producers, Matthew Rhodes ("Men in Black 4," "Mile 22") and Academy Award-winner, Cathy Schulman ("Sharp Objects," "Crash"). Recently, she wrote, directed, and was the executive producer on her first feature film, "The Extraordinary Ordinary." The film is about young adults, their history with mental health, and how one can cope with it when triggers and old coping-mechanisms resurfaces. The film stars John Posey (ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" and Netflix's "Lucifer"); Maddison Bullock (Amazon's "Ice the Movie"); Alex Montalban (HBO's "My Dinner with Herve"); Ana Marte (YouTube's "Amigos," co-starring alongside, LeLe Pons). You can check out more details on the project @theextraordfilm. Some of Natalie's previous writing work can be found at the HuffPost Blog; Amazon Books; Anxiety Resource Center; Opposing Views; NowThis News; Zooey Deschanel's Hello Giggles; The Mighty; Short Kid Stories; GoDaddy; TheRichest; TheTalko; Writer's Weekly; and more. Her screenplays and films have been featured and placed in the final rounds at Hispanicize; HollyShorts Film Festival; NALIP: Latino Lens Film Festival; ShortsTV; Stage 32: Comedy Screenplay; Beverly Hills Film Festival; Culver City Film Festival; Indie Night Film Festival; Hollywood Screenplay Contest; Table Read My Screenplay - Austin Film Festival; YouTube; and others. Currently, she has multiple projects in development, including a TV sitcom, "The D," which placed in top-ten for best comedy screenplays at Stage 32. She is also an ambassador for Jen Zeano Designs (JZD), a clothing company in association with USA Networks and who donates $1 per sale to ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project. Many Hispanic actors and filmmakers, including "Jane the Virgin's" Gina Rodriguez and "Elena of Avalor's" Aimee Carrero, promote JZD. Her Young Adult manuscript, "Elephant," was also a finalist at Clare Books' the Binge-Watching Cure II contest for 'Best Novel.