Country and nationality
Portugal/ Portuguese
Professional role in the film industry
Filmmaker
Years of experience in the film industry
7 years
Carolina graduated in economics. For 17 years she worked in a bank, in the marketing department, and later as managing director of an investment finance company. At the age of 35, she realised that this was not the life she wanted to do forever. She decided to go back to school. As she was still working, she attended evening classes and during school, she realised it was the best thing she was going to do afterward because it was the video that excited her. She resigned and created Smile Stories.
This is her project, where she fully feels her life’s purpose “There are smiles that should last forever!”.
Challenges
She had no female role models in this area, as everyone knows it’s essentially a male industry. So, she had to write her story on her own and it was much more difficult. But it was also a very pleasant learning experience.
In the beginning, she felt insecure, she was working only with men who have very technical speech and loved gadgets. And she felt a bit lost in the middle of all this information. That was the biggest challenge to overcome.
Overcoming Obstacles
She still feels that people tend to trust men more on technical skills, but her experience has also taught her that there are many other strong skills that women have that are very important, such as empathy, connection, and focus, and that has actually been her driver of trust.
Recommendations
Carolina’s advice
“…Respect their values and the person they are.”
“Try to find a type of video work that is really aligned with who you are.”
“…trust your intuition, it always knows the right way.”
“…Follow people in this field who inspire you, women or men.”
“Being organised. …Organisation for me is very important in this area.”
“Finally, follow your heart.”
“…things I never dreamed of happened because I was aligned with myself, and I truly believe you can do it too.”
The WIFILM Case Study Library will provide VET providers, females interested in developing a career within the industry, or those working alongside females in the industry with a series of case studies on successful women in the film industry. The Case Study Library will highlight the barriers to entry for females in the industry, including deficits in role models, confidence, and career planning.
The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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