Daniela Apodaca is a DACA-recipient director and storyteller from Mexico City. Her work resides at the intersection of pop, subculture, and the underground. Her creative journey began at Santa Monica College, where she studied Broadcast Production and fell in love with the art of storytelling through college radio and podcasting. Over time, that passion evolved into visual storytelling and social media direction—a space where she can blend emotion, rhythm, and identity into something that feels alive.

She works closely with her husband and creative partner under their production company, 8984 Storyworks. He handles the cinematography, while Daniela directs, and together they shape each project in the edit, their favorite part of the process.

Her work often explores themes of emotion, identity, and resilience, always with a touch of humor and heart. Her recent directorial works include “Cinderella,” a music video by JaiRo Raps that explores cycles of trauma and loss, and the proof-of-concept shorts for “BRUJITAS,” written by Natalie Garcia.

At her core, Daniela believes storytelling is a form of reclamation—a way to turn struggle into art and remind others that their path, no matter how uncertain, is still worth following.