From Still Frames to Moving Stories: Spotlight on Community Producer Celina Flores

When Celina Flores first picked up a camera, she saw the world in still images. A trained photographer with a background in fine art, she has years of experience behind the camera and technical expertise with lighting and composition. Now she’s making the transition to video and narrative.

“I’m circling back to the kind of storytelling I originally wanted to do, like journalism and documentary work,” she shares. “I knew I had a story to tell, but I didn’t have the skills or confidence to make it real.”

Enter Open Signal’s Production Cohort. “I was hired by Open Signal to photograph the cohort screenings, and that really inspired me. I thought, ‘I could do that.’” She applied and was accepted into the Fall 2024 cohort with a project close to her heart and community.

Though Celina is confident behind a still camera, she came into the program with limited video experience. “I had some background in editing, but lighting for video? Frame rates? DaVinci Resolve? That was all new. It was so valuable to learn from people who really knew their craft.”

As her skills grew, so did the story she was telling.

Her project follows Daisy, a mother and activist, as she navigates the education system to advocate for her son, who is on the autism spectrum. The more Celina filmed, the more themes emerged: disability justice, mutual aid, and the urgent need for more inclusive systems.

Now, she’s collaborating directly with Daisy, who has stepped behind the camera to interview other parents. Whether the project becomes a short film, a feature, or a series, it has already grown into a powerful example of community-centered storytelling. As Celina puts it, “I want people to feel seen.”

Her time in the cohort also offered more than technical training — it built connections. “The cohort has created a whole network of people supporting each other and sharing resources. It’s exactly what creative communities need right now.”

Open Signal’s Production Cohort is designed to nurture creative growth and build community. “So many ideas get left behind because people think they can’t do it,” Celina says. “But with Open Signal, you can. And that matters.”

See more from Celina at her website and YouTube channel. 

And check out new work from the Spring 2025 Production Cohort at our screening this Saturday, July 26th! Register for tickets here.