Esther Pearl

Entrepreneur and Producer at Nell Productions | Founder of Reel Stories

Esther Pearl is the President of Nell Productions and Founder of Reel Stories. She has spent over 20+ years working in Production Management in the entertainment industry. The majority of Esther’s film career was spent at Pixar Animation Studios where her feature film credits include Academy Award winning films The Incredibles, Wall-e, and Monsters, Inc. Outside her work at Pixar her credits include films such as Titanic, Starship Troopers, Armageddon, and What Dreams May Come. Nell Productions contributed to Boy Kills World which will be premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival this September.

During her time working in Feature Film Production she became deeply committed to closing the gender gap in the film and media industry. In 2012 she founded Reel Stories. Reel Stories is the first filmmaking and film training program for young women and female identified people led by industry professionals. Since Reel Stories formation in 2012 Esther has helped produce over 100 short films created by women and female identified people. Over 1000 people have attended Reel Stories film training programs. In 2020, with Esther’s guidance the Reel Stories programs became virtual and within one week they began training people across the country and internationally.

Esther has been honored for her contributions to Bay Area Women in Film, Television, and Media by the San Francisco Women’s Film Institute. She was a semi-finalist for the Echoing Green Fellowship awarded to a social entrepreneur addressing urgent issues in society today. In addition, she has received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Advanced Imaging Society.

About Nell Productions

No matter the type of project or the stage it’s in, we can make it better. Got a story problem? We can solve it. Challenges with concept art, character development, animation? We can help you overcome them. Tight timeline and budget? We can build an agile team that’s efficient and cost-effective. Let’s work together to bring your project to life.

www.nellproductions.com

About Reel Stories

In 2013, Executive Director Esther Pearl founded Reel Stories, the only female owned & run non-profit film program for women in the country led by professionals. Throughout her many years working in the film industry, Esther grew hyper aware of the severe lack of diversity, often finding herself the only woman in the room. Esther created Reel Stories seven years ago to build equity in the media industry, paving the way for women & girls to make their own content and enter media careers. Reel Stories empowers our participants with the skills, experience, and connections to succeed.

As Reel Stories’ popularity and partnerships grew, what was initially a one-week summer program expanded into an organization with year-round programming, weekend workshops, and various events, including film screenings and fundraisers. Reel Stories transitioned from “Camp Reel Stories” to “Reel Stories” to emphasize that we aren’t simply a camp, but an organization that provides opportunities for women year-round to succeed in not only the film & media industry, but in any field they choose to pursue. Reel Stories doesn’t just teach filmmaking- we teach women to create their own media, view current media critically & thoughtfully, and aspire to leadership in their field.

The young filmmakers we work with are brilliant and courageous. They come from diverse backgrounds and hold strong opinions. It’s an honor that they choose to spend their time with us and as much as we are training them to be content creators they are training us to see the world through their eyes.

In January of 2021, Reel Stories officially merged with Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), a community hub for media makers in the Bay Area and across the country, providing access to media making training, technology, and mentorship, and platforms for diverse and engaged makers and producers to collaborate, build their careers, and to support social change. Reel Stories continues to provide our programs & events, including our flagship summer filmmaking programs, but now our devoted community will also have access to the incredible resources BAVC has to offer!