Hello everybody! I'm Gina, and I'm a mature and sane photographer and makeup artist. I'm non-union, so I do indie and low-budget features and shorts. I've also added long-term house and pet-sitter to my repertoire, since a lot of my friends are in the industry too. I can save you a lot of pet-sitter fees, since I do "sitting for accommodation" exchanges. PM me if you know someone who needs someone to watch their pets, plants, etc.
Introduce Yourself : L.A. - Based set photographer, makeup artist, and now....HOUSESITTER! by Gina Ortiz
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That’s quite a combination of skills, Gina! The sitting-for-accommodation idea is clever too, especially in an industry where people are often traveling for shoots and projects. Hope it leads to some great connections.
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Hi, Gina Ortiz! Welcome to the community. What animals do you pet-sit the most?
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Any animals! Dogs and cats, of course, but I have extensive experience with reptiles, birds, and horses too!
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Sounds like an Ace Ventura: Pet Detective/Dr. Dolittle story with a housesitter, Gina Ortiz.
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Welcome to Stage 32, Gina Ortiz! My name is Ashley Smith, and I’m the Head of Community here at Stage 32. So glad you jumped into the Introduce Yourself Lounge!
Set photographer and makeup artist is a great combination for indie work, since low-budget productions rarely have room for two people when one can cover both. And you’re in the right place, since a lot of our members are producing exactly the kind of features and shorts you’re describing.
We also don’t have many photographers or makeup artists talking about their side of a set in our Lounges, so your perspective would be genuinely welcome.
Here’s where I’d point you:
Be active in the Filmmaking (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/directing), Producing (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/producing), and Cinematography Lounges (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/cinematography). That’s where the people crewing up indie projects spend their time, and consistent presence in those rooms is genuinely how crew gets hired here. Browse all of them here: https://www.stage32.com/lounge
For the housesitting offer, the Your Stage Lounge is the right home (https://www.stage32.com/lounge/promotion). That’s our designated space for members to share services and offers, and people actually go looking there, so you’ll get better results than in an introduction thread.
Jump into Week 2 of our Creative Army Drive. It’s a month-long member event, and this week’s mission is simple: personally invite two friends or collaborators to join Stage 32, then comment on the post telling us about who you brought in. Every member who completes it gets a FREE Stage 32 Pitch Session. Closes Sunday: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/producing/Why-Your-Creative-Community-Is-...
Register for our next FREE Community Open House on Wednesday, September 23rd at 12pm PT. Great way to learn how to navigate everything here, ask questions live, and meet other members: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32s-september-2026-comm...
Welcome again, Gina! Would love to hear what you’ve been shooting lately.