Nathalie Zagar Abitbol is a bilingual producer and script supervisor with a passion for storytelling, cultivated by her multicultural upbringing in Mexico City. Raised by French parents, she thrives on communication, creativity, and curiosity. Fluent in French, Spanish, and English, Nathalie pursued an arts-filled childhood, excelling in ballet, piano, figure skating, and musical theater, before studying Communications and Performing Arts at Universidad Iberoamericana.
After earning her degree in 2020, she moved to the U.S., where she graduated Summa Cum Laude from the New York Film Academy in 2023. There, Nathalie discovered her true passion for producing and script supervising. Mentored by industry veteran Randi Feldman, she honed her craft, working on over 30 projects, including feature films and award-winning drama mini-series. Nathalie’s expertise has earned the trust of directors and producers, making her a sought-after collaborator in the film industry.
Outside of film, Nathalie continues to develop her skills, completing a Motorsports Marketing program, and is proud to be part of the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival review team. With hands-on experience at Universal Studios Hollywood and a love for expanding her worldview through travel, reading, and motor sports, she embraces every opportunity to learn and push boundaries.
Nathalie’s journey has taught her that life’s unexpected twists often lead to the most rewarding outcomes, and she strives to live authentically, with ambition, and a relentless pursuit of passion.
Hello, Nathalie Zagar Abitbol. Welcome to Blackbird News! What got you into producing and made you realize that it was your chosen path?
Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to work in the film industry. First of all, I was convinced I wanted to be an actor, but as time passed and I learned about all the different positions and important jobs there are within each film production, I started to explore different departments. I started looking into camera department, but it was way too technical for me. I deeply admire all my Director of Photography friends because that area has a lot of talented, disciplined and creative people. Then I shifted into the Production department. This is where I found the love for producing, because I have always been very interested in logistics and communications and these merge perfectly with the film industry in this position. I love to make connections, talk to people and reach agreements where everyone will win and have a good experience working together, and most of all, I enjoy so much taking somebody’s personal project and make it come to life. The way I like to work is under the phrase “if there is a will, there is a way”.
Recently, I had the honor of working with a great crew and cast in a proof of concept project called “Sins of the Guilty”, it was one of those cases where a horror film has lots of practical effects, lots of makeup tricks, light and camera positioning to make the film look as creepy as possible. Seeing the process of making the shot and the rehearsals for it to be perfect and then seeing how the final product looked on the monitor makes me realize how much it is I love this job and how it is definitely my chosen path.
BTS of the Proof of Concept “Sins of the Guilty” by Production company Tiny Bot Entertainment
What sets you apart from other producers?
I always like to keep good vibes both on and off set, I believe that the work environment is one of the most important things to consider when doing a production. There are some producers that make sure that everything flows smoothly but people are not really creating memories from working on those sets. It is just go in, do the job, get paid and leave. For me, of course everything has to go as smoothly as possible, and also, we all have to feel comfortable and enjoy what we are doing. My objective when working on a project is to always make sure that people feel like they are not working and they enjoy themselves. There’s always a lot of communication with what people’s needs are and there is always a way to accommodate and make everyone feel happy.
What kind of training have you received in your field of choice?
I studied in my home country (Mexico) a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Performing Arts. The program in Mexico is basically two years of general knowledge and the other two years are for specializing in a certain area, I chose to go down the path of Theater and film production and logistics. In this branch basically we learned everything that had to do with pre-production all the way to post- production in different projects, whether in Film or Theater. After that, I studied the Associate’s in Fine Arts in Acting for film at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. This was because I believe that every single filmmaker and working person in the industry needs to have knowledge of all the areas possible, we all need to be involved as much as possible. So, getting acting preparation seemed appropriate and nourishing for my craft. Even though I studied and learned all I could about my field of choice, I believe that the best training I have had was to be physically working on set and learning from each experience and growing from making mistakes. That is the absolute best way to perfect your craft and become the best you can be.
What are some of your favorite producing roles you’ve played recently?
The most recent work I have done was the feature film ‘We Want the Virus’. Official production ended near the end of the year and then we had some pick up sessions. Now the film is in post-production, being edited, color corrected, adding sound design and of course starting to commercialize the film. There is still a lot of work to be done before the big premiere of the film, but I am looking forward to seeing where this amazing project goes, and I am certain it will be big! This was my last big project before coming back to my home country. Back in Mexico I was lucky to be a part of a project that was a very sweet and heartfelt story. We all went to a little village outside Mexico City and shot for four days, it was a great experience because it was the first time I was working on a set that was being run in Spanish instead of English. There were many terms and situations going on that I was not completely understanding as it is very different in Mexico, but I learned so much from it and enjoyed every minute of the project.
Has there been one particular moment in your career that you’re most proud of?
There have been a few to this day. The first one was when the short film ‘Alpha 27’ screened at the HollyShorts Film Festival. I had so many high expectations on that film that once the final product was shown on the big screen at an Oscar-qualifying festival, I was absolutely moved and felt so proud of the team. I imagine it had a special sentimental value because everyone on that team is so talented and they are the best people to work with, but also because I had worked logistics at that festival and seeing that film be selected meant a great deal to me. Another moment that I cherish and keep very close to my heart was the last day of shooting for the film ‘We Want the Virus’. I remember perfectly that it was a short scheduled day, and once the martini was called out everyone felt a mixture of emotions; excitement and sadness, all together. We had finished this whole movie, and it was looking fantastic, but at the same time, the project came to an end and there would be no more call sheets expecting us to come in for a day of work. I am really proud of that whole team and the passion that everyone put into this project, and I am so eager to see the final product at the first ever screening.
Can you tell us a fun fact about yourself?
All of my stuff is pink. My favorite color is green though, but my watch, phone, laptop, iPad, backpack, camera, video game controller, all my work stuff, is pink. This all started as a joke, because being on set I was told that it was a great idea to have everything one same color, that way if anything pink is left behind they know it’s mine. Now, everything is pink!
What’s coming up next for you?
I’m currently working on several exciting projects that are still in the brainstorming phase, but I’m confident they’ll come to life. I’ve been fortunate to be part of three short films that have absolutely thrived in the festival circuit, winning numerous awards and gaining a lot of recognition. After every screening, without fail, we’d have people asking, ‘When is the feature coming out?’ So, we decided to listen to that feedback and are now developing feature-length versions of these short films. I’m truly excited about these projects, especially because of the incredible teams we’ve built around them. If the shorts were so successful, I have no doubt the features will be even better.
Additionally, I worked on a feature film last year, which is currently in post-production. Once it’s completed, we’re looking forward to its big premiere and screening at various festivals. From there, the next steps will be a festival run and focusing on distribution. I’m especially excited about this one, it’s a heartfelt comedy, and in times like these, I think a little laughter is exactly what we all need to keep pushing forward and enjoying life.
That’s amazing! How can people get in touch with you?
I post all of my work on my IMDB and upload some highlights to my Instagram @dailyscriptie.
