Dayana Ariza is enamored with the sheer potency of narrative agency. Everyone has a role in the powerful and unique work that is the trademark of her career. “I think I love storytelling in general,” she says. “What makes me the most excited is just listening to different people’s stories and having the opportunity to be part of sharing those stories.”
Some gigs become a part of you. One woman lives large in Dayana’s memory. “I was working with a female dairy farmer and she was walking us through her day as the lead farmer. She was milking the cows and I think she had two children at the time and was also pregnant, if I’m remembering correctly. I just looked at her and I was like, ‘She is such a badass.’ What an incredible person. She’s just doing so much feeding her family, taking care of her children, while also managing the farm. I was so taken aback by all the things that she did, and the ways in which she talked about the work that she did. There was just a sense of pride and excitement and never a complaint.”
After lengthy stints in tech and marketing, Dayana’s first love started tugging at her heart strings. “I realized that if the world were to end tomorrow, and this is where my story ends, I was making money and making a living, but not necessarily feeling fulfilled. I graduated from The New School with a degree in media management. That program was very hands-on. You were doing a lot of the work rather than just sitting in a classroom and learning. I was a 30-year-old intern. You really have to have your eyes on the prize and be super focused on what you want to do and not let any obstacles or any negative feedback or chatter get in the way.” Years of hard work cultivated a sense of gratitude. “My background really lends itself quite well to the type of producer that I am now. I am deeply empathetic. I am so compassionate. I am helpful. These are all ways in which I would describe myself even before being a producer. I just think that working so hard to get to this point has made me exemplify those qualities that much more.”
Dayana has a career that many would dream of. “I’m working on a team here at Netflix where we focus on brand partnerships. It’s super exciting to me because I get to marry brands with really exciting titles here at Netflix. I’m really looking forward to partnering with more brands and titles that I can’t speak of yet. But there’s a lot of really great work coming out of this team and coming out of Netflix.”
Don’t allow hesitations to be a barrier to action. “I’ve wasted so much time thinking, ‘Well, I’m not prepared, or I don’t have the right degree, or I don’t have any knowledge of XYZ space.’ That made it harder. When I just started doing the thing – interning, working on friends’ films, working for free, doing all the things that just fed me that creative energy that I needed and that I was looking for – it really encouraged me to go deeper. That’s how I made it this far.”
You never know if your next ally is around the corner. Always advocate for yourself and your desires. “People want to help you, they just don’t know how. You have to be the one to say what it is that you need, and that’s something that really resonated with me. It’s because there were moments where I was reaching out to people and I wasn’t being very explicit with what it was that I needed. If you’re looking for help in any which way, say that, and I think people are a lot more willing. It’s stepping out of these cultural constraints. Growing up in a first generation Dominican American in a single parent household, I was always very quiet. I wasn’t the person that spoke the most. I was the listener, the nurturer. As I’ve gotten older, I really recognize that there’s power in saying what it is that you need. One piece of advice that I think that I’d share is just get out there. Do the thing. Don’t be afraid to ask for what it is that you want. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to rally around you and support you.” Everything you want may be a simple request away. Check out Dayana’s website HERE.
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Dayana Ariza Charts Her Own Destiny. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Dayana Ariza.
