Biography
Emmy nominated TV Producer; Award winning Director & Screenwriter.
Rosa has built a career in physical production for film & TV for over two decades. She has a diverse roster of production credits in various roles; her administrative role as a Producer and in her creative one as a Screenwriter & Director.
Rosa has also produced music videos, Grammy selected music albums and international events.
Rosa has over 50+ awards as a Producer, Director & Screenwriter. Rosa's Emmy nomination (2017) was for a PBS TV series produced with the LAUSD, SPOTLIGHT ARTS, highlighting fine art and performance as a proven rehab for inner city youth.
Her first short film, XING, screened at Cannes and gained global distribution with a French company. XING was programmed into over two dozen festivals from 2017-2019, was nominated for 14 awards and won 6 awards.
Rosa's expert level knowledge of filmmaking was gained in the 11 years that she spent as a Y-1 job class member of IATSE Local 695, with A-List production credits doing Production Sound and Video engineering. Some of her credits: SULLY, TEEN WOLF and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.
Rosa has hosted filmmaker panels and runs a Diversity & Inclusion Program at the Ojai Film Festival since 2021, and she has been lead judge for the "Social Vision & Impact Award" sponsored by Panavision.
Rosa also assisted the Commercial Directors Diversity Program (CDDP) for the DGA & AICP from 2023-2024 as Workshop Coordinator; She facilitates participation & sets up panelists for workshops, and judge entrants.
Rosa comes from two generations of family members who have worked in entertainment and who are award winning TV and documentary film producers. Rosa's grandfather Thomas Horton was Vice President of Captain Jacques Yves Cousteau's production company Thalassa, who created the "Cousteau Odyssey" and "Undersea World" TV series.
Rosa was first immersed in the behind-the-scenes processes when she started to intern on film sets with 16 years of age: these experiences endowed her with intrinsic knowledge as well as below-the-line perspectives that have strengthened her above-the-line pursuits.
Following the internships, Rosa transitioned to filmmaking by working as a technician; she worked as a member of IATSE Hollywood Local 695 as a Production Sound Mixer (2007-2018). Past employers have included Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Fox, NBCUniversal/ Telemundo as well as the following networks: Hallmark, Lifetime, Discovery, NatGeo, and more. Cumulatively, Rosa earned credits on over one-hundred film & TV projects ranging from across the globe: the USA, Canada, India and Africa. Her professional highlights include: Video Utility on (2016) SULLY (Dir: Clint Eastwood); Video Coordinator on (2015) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: The Ghost Dimension (Dir: Gregory Plotkin); and Recordist for (2011) THE FUTURE (Dir: Miranda July).
In addition, she has a music production background, which she attained after receiving a certificate in Recording Engineering from the Institute of Audio Research in Manhattan.
Rosa recorded traditional and contemporary East African music in Tanzania for a three-year ethnomusicology project from 1998 to 2001. Subsequently, Rosa served as a Voting Member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) for over 16 years.
Rosa was a panelist at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) annual Career Summit 2016. She has presented lectures on Production Sound and Audio Post Production for the Ojai Film Society, for whom she has been a Guest Speaker annually since 2016. In 2015, Rosa mentored female film students at Utah Valley University's FEMME program. In 2012, Rosa gave Master Classes in Production Sound for Film and an Industry Overview seminar for film students at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, CA. In 2010, Rosa presented a lecture on Sound in Documentary Filmmaking as part of an event at Yale University's Film Studies Center.
Rosa enjoys mentoring individuals who aim to establish a lifelong career in the entertainment industry, and she firmly believes in volunteering her time for the arts.
Memberships: Producer Member, Emmys/ TV Academy (ATAS); VIP Member, Women In Media (WIM); Advisory Board Member, Ojai International Film Festival; Member (Honorary Withdrawal), IATSE Local 695.
Author: Rosa Costanza
