Isabel Machrone began her career in the Santa Monica, CA, office of bicoastal/international Headquarters – one of the world’s leading production companies – where she worked her way up from receptionist to production manager. During her 8-year tenure, she collaborated with some of the most celebrated directors, producers, agencies and clients in the industry. “HQ was my film school,” says Machrone, now a veteran producer and production manager on commercial projects for Burger King, Dodge, Pepsi, USPS, Walmart and more.
Raised in East Los Angeles, Machrone pursued acting (and worked at an acting school), before finding fulfillment behind the scenes. She has served variously as a freelance producer, 2nd unit producer, and a production manager on countless projects, working extensively with production companies such as Caviar LA, Bullitt and Bodega. For the latter, she PM’d HBO promos “Feels Like Home” (Jason Zada, director) and “Seeing is Believing” (Mike G, director) via Mr. Wonderful. Highlights from the past few years also include an HP Reinvent campaign (in-house), directed by Bodega’s Kevin Osgood; the short film “Ties” (in-house) for production company LiveTribe and directed by Laura Stabilini; Ford’s “We The People” campaign (GTB Advertising), produced by Reset and directed by TwinTaoers; and the video for Jay-Z’s “Moonlight” – produced by Caviar and directed by “Master of None” co-creator Alan Yang – which re-created the opening of “Friends” with Jerrod Carmichael, Issa Rae, Lakeith Stanfield, Lil Rel Howery, Tessa Thompson, and Tiffany Haddish.
Machrone closed out 2019 with RAM Trucks “Way of Life” and “Done Right” (via The Richards Group) produced by LiveTribe, and directed by Karen Lavender & Gary Ravenscroft. The project contributed to Lavender’s inclusion in the May 2020 SHOOT Up-And-Coming Directors issue.
Pre-Covid, Machrone completed a string of projects for USPS (Knucklehead/director Siri Bunford); Hot Pepper (Spark Pictures/director Toshiyuki Yagi); Sony – DDG f/ Neen Williams (Plastik/director Max Gutierrez); and Steinmart (Bodega/director Sophia Banks).
As production slowed during the pandemic, Isabel pitched in and started making masks. As a means of helping out family and friends and to support her community during a crises.
Production remains her first love. “Any time I see our work onscreen,” Machrone says, “it reminds me how much I love this industry.”