Mercedes Palomo
MERCEDES PALOMO – Twenty years after founding the highly acclaimed production company Pigeon Productions together with her brother Luis in Miami, Executive Producer Mercedes Palomo decided to open her own company, Ondafilms to bring a fresher personality along with an updated roster of directors to a new generation of commercial production professionals.
Besides TV commercials & music videos, the companies have produced a feature film, Feliz Christmas, Merry Navidad, a coming of age feature shot in Mexico. The Palomo’s have also shot and continue to produce stock images for Getty Images. Ondafilms produces TV shows and longer format projects such as the 1-hour documentary Raising Hope: The Equal Voice Story which aired on PBS in 2010.
Mercy as she is known by most served as the President of the Florida Chapter of the AICP (Association of Independent Commercial Producers), with the distinction of being the first Hispanic person to hold that position. She continues her active role in the South Florida production community, producing TV commercials for Colgate Palmolive, The Home Depot and Walmart among other fortune 500 companies.
Mercedes graduated Cum Laude in Communications from the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. She is fluent in English and Spanish. Her interests include fine art, travel, real estate as well as mentoring women in the film industry.
Maria Bures
Maria Burés is a television producer with vast experience ranging from commercials to series. She has mastered every part of production including directing, budgeting and the infinitely complex logistics of high-end commercial spots.
For the past six years, Maria helmed two social engagement initiatives at Univision, Health Week and Education Week, which integrated content across all of the network’s platforms – television, digital, radio and social media. Health Week was a health and wellness effort designed to engage and inform the US Hispanic community on important health topics. Similarly, Education Week was designed to cover the educational continuum from early childhood through college completion. The award-winning initiatives featured 25-40 original packages, as well as the integration of live guests and live Town Hall meetings.
For over twenty years, Maria was an executive producer at Pigeon Productions/Onda Films where she produced and directed a wide variety of television, corporate and commercial content. Highlights include Raising Hope: The Equal Voice Story, a one- hour documentary that follows the Marguerite Casey Foundation’s Equal Voice for America’s Families campaign, a family-led movement to improve the economic well- being of working class and poor families in America that aired on PBS; Casas, a thirteen-part television series on Latin American architecture and interior design for the Discovery Latin America; interstitials for Discovery Health; promotional content for Disney Latin America and Care Plus Health Plans and educational films for diverse clients such as the Wein Center for Memory Disorders, the South Florida Water Management District and many others. Additionally, Maria executive produced over 600 commercial spots collaborating with top advertising directors and director of photographers where she had an opportunity to hone her artistic vision and develop a command of imagery and graphics.
A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute in filmmaking and photography, Maria has produced personal films that have been exhibited in film festivals and art galleries. She is also a community activist involved in political and LGBT organizations.
Giselle Yiya Garcia
Giselle Johnson’s career as Producer began in 1998, as a Production Coordinator for Ilumina Films, when a summer job turned into a full-time job. While in Ilumina, she had the opportunity to develop budgeting and management skills working with projects in both the American and International markets.
She soon extended her wings and started freelancing as Production Manager for companies like Ilumina Films, Chakra Films, AFI Filmworks, and Peliculas Ponder among others.
In 2004, she was hired as Executive Producer at Letca Films. In the three years she worked with Letca, she produced shoots for brands like US Navy, Home Depot, Time Warner Cable, Visa, Nestle, and Chevrolet. She traveled extensively overseeing projects in New York, Los Angeles, Mexico, Argentina and the Caribbean.
For the last 10 years, she has made a name in the industry as a freelancer producer for her work ethics and engaging personality. She has managed broadcast, interactive and print projects, as Line Producer or Print Producer. She has worked for Agencies such as
Alma DDB and Macias Advertising. She has worked with many well-known directors and Brands.
She lives in Miami and It’s married and has two kids.