Ella Mielniczenko

(Forbes 30 Under 30)

20 June 2019 7 Min Read

Ella Mielniczenko: Power of Digital Media and Authentic Storytelling

Meet Ella Mielniczenko, the Producer and Video Editorial Director of BuzzFeed. She launched BuzzFeed’s flagship channel on Snapchat Discover and their Latinx content brand Pero Like. Consequently, Ella’s hard work and creativity earned her a spot on Forbes’s 30 Under 30 US & Canada 2019: Media list.

How did she get there? Well, Ella graduated from Emerson College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Cinematography and Film/Video Production. However, she decided to focus on digital media rather than traditional media. Ella then joined BuzzFeed right before she graduated college, with the intention to stay for three months. However, she has remained for over six years to date.

Indeed, her story has taken interesting turns. So, I welcome you to hear from Ella what it’s like working in the digital industry, her future milestones, and how she stays creative, manages stress, and pushes through tough times.

The Logician

Hi Ella, and thank you for being a part of this mission! Do you mind introducing yourself? Who is Ella Mielniczenko? How did you choose the career you have today?

Ella Mielniczenko

Hello! I’m a producer and I’m currently the director of editorial video for BuzzFeed.

I’m from Los Angeles, my family is Brazilian and Mexican American.

I consider myself Queer or Bisexual — whichever people feel more comfortable using.

I’m a creative person and I love melding two sides of creativity — one side in “ideating” and the other in “process” and trying to make projects happen through bringing the right people together.

Originally when I was a child I always gravitated towards being creative — whether it was art, music, or writing.

As soon as I could pick up a camera I began making little videos.

College/Education was, is and always has been important to my family — both in the traditional sense and also in the self-exploration sense… through reading, food, and travel.

But College and higher education have always been on my mind and the ability to study and perfect a craft in the creative field has really been my only goal since a very young age. So I worked towards going to film school and working in a creative field.

I ended up being able to go to Emerson College in Boston. I studied film production with an emphasis on producing and photography.

I went to school during the transition between shooting on film and new digital cameras. Web video was taking off and I made the choice to work in digital media rather than traditional. It was an exciting time and still is.

There was really no blueprint to success and I thrived with that sort of creative environment. I joined BuzzFeed right before I graduated — I thought I would only stay 3 months but now it’s been over 6 years.

The Logician

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on being among Forbes 30 under 30! How was that experience for you? What do you think most contributed to this success?

Ella Mielniczenko

Thank you! I can’t really point to any one moment.

I’ve worked very hard every single day and pushed myself to take new and sometimes scary challenges.

I think that lists like 30 under 30 are cool because they really just highlight people who do good work over the course of years and years rather than one project or moment.

So I’m happy and proud that I can contribute something to this industry.

The Logician

What would you say are the best and the worst parts of the industry you are in? What do you love about your job?

Ella Mielniczenko

Ah, this is a hard question. The worst parts are often the best parts. Digital media is often in flux because the business models are so new.

We are trying to pave the road while also using it. It’s draining. But on the flip side — anything can happen… I’ve watched platforms die and I’ve watched platforms rise.

As creators, we have to be flexible and adapt to new ways of telling stories and reaching audiences.

The Logician

How do you maintain your creativity? What are some ways that a person can be creative?

Ella Mielniczenko

I really think that being creative is a lot like working out or taking care of your body. It’s about consistency and self-care.

Much like staying in shape — you need to be active a little bit each day. Even if all you can do is go on a walk.

Being creative is the same. To maintain creativity you need to be a little creative every day.

It’s hard when your job and your creativity are mixed — you can become cynical or tired. But the only thing that has brought me back is pushing myself to continue to make things.

Whether it is painting, or writing, or even coming up with little songs.

Being creative every day has helped me sustain my creative abilities and given me a reserve of ideas that I can rely on.

The Logician

According to you, what are the three best habits all people should have? Why? Please explain.

Ella Mielniczenko

Take care of your body. This is connected to mental health and of course physical health. If you don’t feel well, it will be a struggle to do simple things. Make time for yourself. Take breaks, go on walks, meditate, eat balanced meals, drink water, spend time with friends. Whatever it is you need to do that is best for your body. This is very subjective and individual.
Be creative every day. As I mentioned before — creativity is a muscle. You can hone it. You can cultivate it. But you need to stay in practice.
Read, watch, listen, to things that inspire you. We are inundated with passive media and media that numbs us. Which isn’t always bad. Sometimes you need that. But take time to experience things that inspire you to create things that inspire you to make a change or things that prompt conversations with friends, family or your community.

The Logician

When did you consider yourself a success? What is your definition of success?

Ella Mielniczenko

For a long time, I had a hard time considering myself successful because as a kid the big dream was making movies. In many ways, that is short-sighted. Industries change. And so do people. I still struggle with a sense of feeling successful.

I’ve learned to take a step back and feel grateful for the things I’ve accomplished, the friends I’ve made, and especially the growth I’ve felt personally in how I handle change.

Comparison and social media can really hold us to a standard that is not possible and I try to focus on smaller day to day things.

Right now my relationships with people (family and friends) and my own creativity are the most important things to me. I don’t want to lose sight of that.

I don’t have a good definition of success… maybe, freedom is it?

The freedom to openly be who I am, to create, to cultivate a life that is balanced. That feels good to me.

A lot of that is the circumstance and chance of being in the right place at the right time and the confidence to trust myself and others. So I’m grateful.

The Logician

How do you push through tough times? How do you ensure that stressful situations in your personal life do not affect your work performance?

Ella Mielniczenko

I’m a big proponent of therapy. If you have the ability to do it, I would suggest everyone give it a try.

I’ve been able to manage anxiety, stress, and big life changes by both therapy and medication. I don’t think I would’ve been able to maintain my career without it.

I’ve also learned to recognize when I’m burned out. I’ve learned to speak up when I need to delegate or hand something over and know that it isn’t a flaw but more of a strength. Also having a strong group of peers that you can talk to.

Reaching out to people and talking through difficult things is hard but necessary.

The Logician

What hard thing are you not doing enough? What easy thing are you doing too much?

Ella Mielniczenko

For me, it’s hard to say no to things and take breaks. So right now I’m taking on a lot. We recently went through layoffs at my company and it’s been a difficult time. I’ve been taking on a lot of responsibility and I can feel burnout creeping up. So I’m going to need to find time to recover

I’m drinking too much coffee! I quit last year and felt amazing. But recently I’m back to having a couple of cups a day!

The Logician

Where do you see yourself and your work 5–10 years from now? Are there any milestones you want to reach by then?

Ella Mielniczenko

All I hope for the next 10 years is that I can just sustain my career, keep working, keep being creative.

It’s intimidating to be able to balance family life and work in a healthy way.

I hope I can do it! Next year, I’m getting married and trying to focus more on my family life — the last 6 years I only thought about my career. So I hope to find a healthy middle ground.

The Logician

Lastly, what is the best advice you can give to everyone reading this interview?

Ella Mielniczenko

Surround yourself with people who hold you accountable and who inspire you.

Cultivate relationships built on mutual respect.

The Logician

Thanks, Ella, for sharing your advice! It was great hearing how you’re contributing to the digital industry. Your advice on maintaining creativity by being consistent and taking care of yourself is something that I hope to put to use in my everyday life. Also, making sure to reach out to people for help is something I hope resonates with people. Finally, I wish you luck in your future career and family goals!

The Logician

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