She's an inspirational woman of colour and a true testament to succeeding in life. Danielle Vassell has come a long way from the early days defying the odds and surpassing expectations . The Derby-based creative has been making waves across the border.
The British film producer and motivational speaker joins us to chat about her latest endeavours such as her BRAND NEW Podcast : Tiny tots defying the odds which explores the journey of premature babies and all things NICU. Her documentary film Women of Impact and also her new upcoming film project.
Stream the podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Podtail
1) Greetings Danielle, welcome to our platform, you’ve just released your new podcast
‘Tiny Tots defying the odds’ .. Could you tell us more about it ?
Danielle : Greetings! I appreciate the welcome. Sure! My podcast Tiny Tots Defying The ODDS is a podcast that sheds a light on the personal and medial experiences of parents and preemies in the NICU. In a series of heartfelt and informative conversations. Having
defied the odds weighing 1lbs 4ounces 26 years ago, this is special to my
heart. I released it last month and already it’s made impact and has 5 star ratings
from various listeners and platforms.
2) What was the inspiration behind starting your podcast and how many episodes are there ?
Danielle : The inspiration behind it was firstly I am passionate and love creating platforms for others to be a voice and share their stories. Furthermore I have a passion to shed a light on the Special Baby Care Unit and NICU community. Being a former preemie myself I wanted to spread hope and create a safe space in this podcast for others to be a voice and for parents in the NICU to know if these parents of preemies and former patients can Defy The ODDS then so can we.
3) You’ve come a long way from the early days. You also starred in the documentary films Women of Impact and Road with Sika . how was that experience working on those projects?
Danielle : Definitely. It’s not been an easy journey but here I am. So I was the executive producer and main interviewee in my film Defying The ODDS which was cool. It’s a short film about young women of colour together to share our journeys of defying the odds in our fields. That also topped the Apple Charts for short films released from 2016-2020 in April 2021. I was so happy! As a first time producer it taught me a lot about what it took to work and launch a project successfully against all odds! 4) What do you hope fans and listeners take from your new podcast, what do
you want them to feel or learn?
Danielle : I want the listeners to take away that from each episode there was a bounce back from my guests and they turned their pain into power. If my guests can overcome the ODDS against them then so can they and that’s the message I want them to take away.
5) What advice would you give upcoming creatives coming up who want to
start a career in the entertainment industry?
Danielle: I would say stay true to yourself because if you don’t stay true to who you are then you just won’t be authentic so just be YOU and also keep working hard and it will pays off. There will be times where discouragements will come and rejections as it’s part of this business but if you keep working hard and not give up you’ll see the fruits of your labor I’m a testament to that. Hard work pays off! 6) Finally, What’s coming up next from you this year, more podcasts, some
film projects or events coming up?
Danielle : I am working on season 2 of this podcast in the spring so I’m excited about that! It will take a different approach to season 1 in terms of premature births it will still have the film Defying the odds but will focus on those who have defied the odds in their careers, professions and more.
I also got a few speaking engagements lined up for this year so looking
forward to that! I also will be working on a short film in the Autumn on how COVID-19 impact NICU parents and tiny tots in the NICU and how they triumphed through that!