About
Nadia Sarmova
Producer · 1st AD · Strategic Partner
I've built productions on three continents, run sets in extreme conditions, and delivered work that's landed on the world's biggest platforms. What drives me is the same thing it's always been: making sure the story gets told the way it deserves to be.
15+
Years in production
3
Continents worked
5+
platform credits
The Story
Built for complexity.
Driven by story.
I came to production through the floor, not the office. My early years were spent learning how sets actually work: the rhythm of a shooting day, the way departments communicate under pressure, the moments where a production either holds together or starts to unravel. That experience shaped everything about how I produce now.
I've worked across feature films, branded content, reality, and digital series for Netflix, Prime Video, Discovery, Hallmark, Sundance Now, A&E, Tubi, YouTube and Instagram. The projects have ranged from intimate single-location shoots to large-scale international productions involving multiple countries, languages, and cultural contexts. Every one of them has taught me something I carry into the next project.
What makes me different from most producers is that I've done the 1st AD job at a high level too. I know what it costs - in time, money, and morale - when the floor isn't run well. That understanding is baked into every production plan I build and every set I run. I protect the creative because I understand the operational, and vice versa.
I'm based in Los Angeles and work internationally. The projects I take on are chosen carefully - I'd rather do fewer things exceptionally well than spread thin across work that doesn't challenge or fulfill me. If you're building something that requires both creative integrity and operational discipline, that's the conversation I want to have.
On location - West Africa
Los Angeles, California, USA
BASED
Available worldwide
Feature Film · Branded Content · Commercials · Docu-Series · Social Series & Campaigns · International Co-productions · Mental Health Content
SPECIALTY
Netflix · Prime Video · Discovery · Sundance Now · A&E · Hallmark · YouTube · Instagram
PLATFORMS
CAA · AT&T · FitBit · Google · YouTube · Amazon · Lilly Toyota · Samsung · NBA · USC · NAMI · Aura · The Shift
PARTNERS
Africa Movie Academy Award Winner
RECOGNITION
Anthem Award Winner
English · Bulgarian · Spanish (Intermediate)
LANGUAGES
WHAT I BELIEVE
Three things that don't change,
regardless of the project.
01
Story First
The story is the brief. Every other decision flows from it.
I've never met a production problem that couldn't be traced back to a story problem that went unaddressed. I start every project by getting the creative clear - then I build the road to get there.
02
People Always
The crew makes the film. How you treat them shows in the work.
Sets where people feel respected and heard produce better work. That's not a philosophy, it's an observation I've made across hundreds of shooting days. How a set feels is a leadership choice, and it's one I take seriously.
03
INTEGRITY is Key
Comfortable reassurance costs more than honest conversation.
I’ll always tell you what I actually think - about the schedule, the budget, the creative, the risks. The productions that go wrong usually had someone who knew something was wrong and didn’t say it early enough.
Three continents. Dozens of locations.
I've produced and directed on location across Africa, Asia, and North America navigating different regulatory environments, cultural contexts, crew structures, and logistical realities. That breadth shapes how I approach every production, wherever it happens to be set.
International Experience
Floor to boardroom. Both directions.
My career started on set and grew through every layer of production - from PA to Cam Op to 1st AD to Line Producer to Producer to EP. I understand what every department actually needs because I've worked alongside most of them. That context makes me a better partner at every level of a production.
Industry Background
Stories that earn their audience - every time.
The projects I’m most proud of are the ones where the story was hard to tell and we told it right anyway - with honestly, with care and without cutting the corners that mattered. That’s the standard I hold every project to, whether it’s a Netflix feature or a branded campaign for a global brand.
What Drives the Work
Work Together
The right producer
changes what's possible.
I take on a small number of projects each year. If what you're building demands both creative clarity and operational precision, I'd like to hear about it.
recognition & Press
VoyageLA Spotlight
2026
AwareNow Magazine
2023
Anthem Award Winner
2022
The Shift Wellness Rally - LA
Africa Movie Academy Award Winner
2020
Joseph · Best Diaspora Feature