Natalie Rodriguez

NATALIE RODRIGUEZ is an award-winning, Los Angeles based writer and director as well as a mental health and anti-violence/trauma advocate. In 2014, she graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in Radio-Television-Film. Her first experiences in entertainment were an internship at the Conan O'Brien show and a position at Peter Guber's Mandalay Pictures, where she worked in the offices of producers, Matthew Rhodes ("Cherry," "Men in Black: International") and Academy Award-winner, Cathy Schulman ("Sharp Objects," "Crash"). Natalie has been a panelist at events hosted by organizations such as Google, Hispanicize, and YouTube, where she has shared her story as a female writer and filmmaker working in the entertainment industry. She has written for publications including the HuffPost Blog, Thrive Global, Anxiety Resource Center, Opposing Views, NowThis News, Hello Giggles, and The Mighty. In 2017, she founded Extraordinary Pictures, a production company focusing on films, television, digital series, and social issue projects. The company has produced multiple projects, including development on a TV sitcom, "The D," which placed in the top-ten for best comedy screenplays at Stage 32. Natalie's second directorial feature film, "Howard Original," is set for a spring 2021 release. The film is based on an award-winning short film about a washed-up screenwriter named Howard, whose life is turned upside down when his pet cat comes to life. The film co-stars, Iliyana Apostolova, who has more than two million Tik Tok followers. Natalie's first feature film, "The Extraordinary Ordinary," which she wrote, produced, and directed, made its rounds through the festival circuit. The film stars John Posey ("How to Get Away With Murder" & "Lucifer"), Alex Montalban (the great Ricardo Montalban's grandson) in his feature film acting debut ("My Dinner With Herve"), Maddison Bullock ("Ice the Movie" and "Wives of the Sky"), and social influencer, Ana Marte (over 185K IG followers/"Need For Speed" and "Amigos"). The film deals with young adults, mental health awareness, recovery, and the aftermath of trauma. "The Extraordinary Ordinary" also won 'Best Film About Women's Empowerment' at the Glendale International Film Festival and scored nominations in Best Director, Best Female Director, and Best Picture. The film also had a sold-out world premiere screening at the Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival (LADFF) and won 'Best Performance' by a leading actor, Maddison Bullock. "The Extraordinary Ordinary" will be available nationwide on streaming platforms, including Amazon, Google Play, and more, on FRI August 28th, 2020 through Indie Rights. The project also premiered on Infobase's 'Films On Demand' and 'Access Video On Demand,' available to subscribers of the products for public libraries (Access Video On Demand) and colleges & universities (Films On Demand). Ask your library for details. Further details on the project can be found @theextraordfilm via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Natalie's other screenplays and films have also been featured and placed in the final rounds at 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, and others. She was also an ambassador for Jen Zeano Designs (JZD), a clothing company in association with USA Networks. While she continues to build her creative background, Natalie is always open to collaborating with other artists and advocates. Her first young adult thriller, fiction novel was published in June 2020, "Elephant," a story about four childhood best friends who uncover a family secret. The book was also a finalist at Clare Books' the Binge-Watching Cure II contest for 'Best Novel.' The sequel of the young adult thriller series, "Skeletons," was published in February 2021. For details on previous and upcoming projects, be sure to check out her social media pages by visiting linktr.ee/extraordpictures