About Natalie

NATALIE RODRIGUEZ is an award-winning writer, director, and mental health and anti-violence/trauma advocate based in Los Angeles, CA. In 2014, she graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in Radio-Television-Film. Her first experience in entertainment 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 (“Cherry,” “Men in Black: International”) and Academy Award-winner, Cathy Schulman (“Sharp Objects,” “Crash”).

Natalie was also a panelist at events, including Google, Hispanicize, and YouTube, where she has shared her story as a writer, filmmaker, and a female working in the entertainment industry. Some of her previous writing work can be found in publications such as the HuffPost Blog, Thrive Global, Anxiety Resource Center, Opposing Views, NowThis News, Hello Giggles, The Mighty, and more.

In 2017, she founded her production company, Extraordinary Pictures, focusing on both films, television, digital series, and social issue projects. The company has a list of projects in its roaster, including development on a TV sitcom, “The D,” which placed in top-ten for best comedy screenplays at Stage 32. At the moment, Natalie’s second directorial feature film, Howard Original, is in post-production and set for a January 2021 release date. The film is based on the award-winning short film about a washed-up screenwriter named Howard, who encounters more than just selling a story, a studio rejection, and writer’s block when his pet cat comes to life. The film co-stars, Iliyana Apostolova, who has more than one million Tik Tok subscribers.

Natalie’s directorial feature film, “The Extraordinary Ordinary,” which she also wrote, produced, and was the executive producer on, made its rounds through the festival circuit. The film stars John Posey (“How to Get Away With Murder” & “Lucifer”), the great Ricardo Montalban’s grandson, Alex Montalban, 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 most recently 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.’