Get to know: EP Veronica Diaferia

This month we are featuring Veronica Diaferia, Executive Producer at tinygiant.  She began her career as an assistant to the EP at hungry man, and recently has launched her own production company.  We asked her to share a few career highlights with us.  This is what she had to say…

You’ve worked on many spots, but one of them had you shut down Time Square – tell us about that.

Shutting down Time Square is not as hard as one would think. Mainly it’s because we have a wonderful Mayor’s office for Film with dedicated coordinators and really great location managers that work very hard to ensure everything goes well. There are a lot of moving parts starting with coordinating with NYPD, the traffic control unit, making sure everyone is safe on set and…somehow it all works out. It takes attention to detail and a whole lot of people to secure the premise to make sure you get that iconic shot that everyone around the world will recognize.

This past year you’ve gone from freelance producer to building your own production company – to Super Bowl. What are some of the highlights? 

The list of amazing moments and terrifying moment is endless. I am lucky to have an amazing team behind me so everything is just much easier. Out of the past 365 days if I close my eyes, I see a whole lot of all nighters, falling asleep on the floor of Shenzhen airport because it was so late everything closed…The first time we were bidding against a really big production company and then awarding the job, the first time our work was published on a major publication… When I picked representation for the company, it meant someone else saw what I had seen at first and I wasn’t crazy… It’s been an amazing journey so far and I can’t wait to see what’s next for tinygiant. When you start a new shop the possibilities are limitless and that’s what excites me the most.

Favorite recent project 

We’ve just released a little gem of a video directed by Charlie Mysak with 360i NY. The video will help raise funds to upscale the production of voice-activated toys so that disable parents all across the country will be able to play with their kids. It’s going to have a real impact on people’s lives. You can check it out on www.adaptoys.org

People would be surprised if they knew ___ about you. 

My first job ever was entertaining kids at birthday parties. I’d dress as a clown and everything…

The internet shuts down in America, list three things you do as a result. 

I’d read a lot more books, I’d start playing soccer again and I’d probably teach my kid how to play chess. Basically I’d be a better person all together.

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tinygiant Founder/EP Veronica Diaferia was born the night of a pivotal World Cup qualifying soccer match between Italy and France. She has always considered it an omen of her future success and sense of timing. The Italian doctors had a different opinion and from the get go told her mom “that girl is a pain.”

Veronica fell in love with New York when she moved to the US to pursue her directing career in 2003. Despite winning several awards for her first documentary, she quickly realized her talent was in production. Getting an early start at Hungry Man as assistant to the EP, Veronica moved up the production ranks and became a producer. Since then, she has worked with major production companies on national and international spots, and with unrivaled directors. After a decade in the field, Veronica sought to create her own production company that could fill the voids in the industry, and tinygiant was born. Known for her unstoppable work ethic and taste for a challenge, Veronica is a proud mom who calls Brooklyn home. It turns out the doctors were right. She is a pain, but she says a tinygiant needs to elbow her way into the world or else she’ll have to sit and watch others have all the fun.

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To learn more about tinygiant click here!

Stay tuned for the next interview with Director Andrew Wonder from Station Film!

If you’d like us to feature someone in the industry on an upcoming Q&A, just let us know.