Interview with Athena Portillo

Hey, everyone!

    Katie here! So, a few days ago I posted saying I had something excited coming, and here it is! A few weeks ago I reached out to Athena Portillo, one of the producers for Star Wars: Resistance and just the other day I had the opportunity to chat with her for a bit!

    Athena is one of the sweetest people I've ever talked to and I was so grateful to her for making time in her busy schedule to talk with me! Fun fact, I actually didn't really know much of anything about Athena until Star Wars Celebration Chicago, while there I attended the Sisters of The force panel (Which was fantastic and inspiring and if you haven't watched the video of it I would definitely recommend going and looking it up!) But anyway, after hearing Athena talk on the panel I really began to grow more and more interested in talking to her and learning more about her, her story, and her job. So, I was very, very excited when I was able to talk to her a bit last week! I hope you all enjoy the interview and learn something new!

You are currently one of the Producers for Star Wars Resistance, correct? What is your favorite part of your job right now?

As one of the Executive Producers on Resistance I have the opportunity to set-up the show from the very beginning, whether it be on the business-side which includes scheduling, budgeting and contract negotiations, or on the creative end which entails collaborating with the other EPs on casting/writing/composing, as well as partnering with our internal supervisors and directors on look development and shot production. So to answer your question of “what is my favorite part of the job,” is it cliche to say “All of it?” :)

Which Resistance character do you most connect to?

That’s a very good question! And I always find it hard to just pick one, but, this time, I will…hahahaha

I feel that I resonate with Neeku because he’s always at the ready to assist anyone in need. Typically someone who inherits this trait of enjoying problem-solving is because he/she believes anything is possible so of course if you are approached with a topic, regardless of how outrageous it may sound, you immediately go to, “oh, okay, well then, let’s see what I can do.” I know, it’s a bit funny. It happens with me at work sometimes. For example, on Rebels, we had just wrapped Episode 104 and our partner at Disney TVA pulled me aside and said “I know that we just delivered the As Broadcast version of Episode 104, but I just reviewed it again and I have some notes.” To which I said “Okay sure, let’s discuss so that I can assess what we can address and come-up with a plan to redeliver” My Disney partner then said “Athena, I wasn’t serious.” And why I did I believe him? Because again, anything can happen and anything is possible! 

What is the most important thing you have learned in your journey from when you first started as an intern to now, as a producer?

Staying focused. I believe in setting realistic goals and taking the time to learn your craft. It should not be a race to achieve a certain position. I also do not believe in asking for anything. I believe that your work speaks for itself and others will recognize your passion. I will always believe in putting in the time, being present for your team and always thinking about your co-workers first before yourself. I believe in never saying “that’s not my job” when a request is made. I believe in mutual respect of all team members.

When you first decided to apply for that internship where did you expect to end up and how is that different from where you are now?

I applied for an internship at Lucasfilm Ltd. back in 1996 when I was a Senior at San Francisco State University. My major was Journalism with an emphasis in Magazine Writing (with a minor in Speech and Communications). I wanted to write for Entertainment Weekly or Teen People, then eventually make my way to writing for Vogue or Bazaar. The internship at LFL was to contribute to the Star Wars Newsletter, which was distributed internally to the Licensing division. I saw this as a great opportunity to learn to write about Entertainment. Previous to this, I had an internship at Macy’s for their Westbound Newsletter where I wrote about fashion, so as you can see, I was always interested in Entertainment and Fashion. During my LFL internship I met Steve Sansweet and Dan Madsen and they gave me the opportunity to write for the Star Wars Insider Magazine. This was definitely one of the highlights for me in my career. I was a freelance writer for about a year and even had one of the cover stories for the magazine so believe me, I was in heaven! However, during this timeframe, I was exposed to Product Development as well as Visual Effects. Once I had an opportunity to witness the process for VFX I became more curious about this path and that’s when I moved on from Licensing to VFX. My ambition to learn more led me to Lucasfilm Animation and I couldn’t be any happier with this decision. I love being a part of LAL and I can’t believe it’s been 13 years already. 

I think it's safe to say that while your job is just as important as that of the actors and actresses job's they probably get a little more recognition. Do you prefer having a more "behind the scenes" job?

I absolutely LOVE being behind the scenes. However, I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to be invited to speak at Panels as it’s allowed me to meet a lot of great people that I have deeply connected with and so for that I’m very thankful. 

What is the best part of all the things you get to do?

I truly love having the opportunity to mentor the production staff that I have come across within my career. The proud moment for me is when I see them grow and rise in their profession, whether at Lucasfilm or at other entertainment partners. The best part is when we have the ability to meet again and just catch-up as if it was just yesterday that we were all on the same show together. Gosh I sound like a mother don’t I? LOL! 

Thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoyed this interview! What part was most interesting to you? We would love to hear from you or answer your questions! Leave a comment down below, email us here or chat with us on Instagram here! And thank you again to Athena for taking the time to talk with me!

May The Force Be With You

~ The Rogue Fangirls ~