Meet IDA Development Team’s newest member: Veronica Montreyro. Starting in August 2020, she will be joining us as the Membership & Individual Giving Manager.
Welcome to the team! Tell us a bit about your journey before the IDA.
I’m an LA transplant from New England and have been living in LA since 2017. For the last six years, I’ve been in the world of marketing and fundraising for “do-good” based companies. I’ve sought to specifically work for organizations whose mission is to better the lives of the people they are serving by holding strong moral values and creating tangible differences. It’s allowed me to work in various industries such as healthcare, child care and fashion. I also run a community outreach project called “My Nanay’s Kitchen” that provides home-cooked meals to the unhoused community in LA. I’m excited to use the unique experience I’ve had so far and apply it at the IDA!
What documentary has had the biggest personal impact on you?
This is probably super cliché, but when I was 17, I watched Food Inc. and it flipped my teenage world upside down! It was so eye-opening to see how the food and agriculture industry could be so grossly corrupt and astounded by the treatment of animals being terribly inhumane. This film was the start of me becoming a vegetarian. Growing up Filipino-American, food has always been a huge part of my culture and vegetarianism was unheard of. Thankfully, my family was super supportive and tried their best (and still do!) to accommodate my new diet!
If you could quarantine with one filmmaker (documentary or narrative, dead or alive), who would it be and why?
This is tough! Right now, if I could, I’d love to be quarantined with Ava DuVernay. I admire the way she has been consistent in her storytelling of Black struggles in America. Especially in this moment of history we’re at right now - the role she plays in shedding light on the criminalization of Black people is incredibly important. Currently with the Black Lives Matter movement, studying up on anti-racism is crucial and many of Ava’s works are accessible for folks to learn and educate themselves on how to be an activist and better ally. From her films Selma to 13th or from the mini tv series When They See Us - she emboldens the viewer to get up and want to learn more, and more importantly, do more. I have immense respect for her.
Let’s play “Two Truths and a Lie.” We’ll leave the answer at the end of the article.
Once, when I was vacationing in the Philippines, I stepped on a sea urchin and had to go to the hospital.
About ten years ago I was interning at a record label and Kanye West retweeted me.
I’m a total cat person. Since I was a kid, my family has owned over a dozen cats.
What IDA experience are you looking most forward to?
I can’t wait for the IDA Documentary Awards! I can just imagine the energy in the room - feelings of excitement and nervousness all bottled in! I feel like it’ll be so inspiring to witness everyone’s accomplishments, especially after a year of being quarantined and facing so many challenges.
To the IDA Member community: I can’t wait to work with you all! I’m looking forward to learning more about the ins and outs of this role and how I can better support the membership program. I want to meet as many of you as I can and learn from each of your experiences!
The Lie: I’m a total cat person. Since I was a kid, my family has owned over a dozen cats.