Meet Nefeli Soteriou of Nefeli Soteriou

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nefeli Soteriou.

Hi Nefeli, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Growing up in Limassol, Cyprus, I was a creative child, and my parents encouraged that creativity. I also began writing plays based on observations of family life and performing them for my relatives. It was wonderful to make them smile and laugh at my jokes.

Summers were spent in the village, where life felt safe, free, and creative. Together with other children, we organized experimental theatre performances on a rooftop and staged our own productions. Those memories remain very special to me. Fast forward to graduate school years in the US. While printing large murals in the darkroom, I discovered film production and began writing. I took courses and started making films of my own.

Today, I live in Brooklyn, New York City. As a certified creativity coach, I specialize in helping digital artists find their path, complete meaningful work, and embrace their individual approach to life. Drawing on my experience in mental health, I also support clients around the world in navigating a wide range of personal and professional challenges.

As a filmmaker I have steadily produced independent projects since 1999. I began with short-form and gradually moved into feature-length work, progressing from a 40-minute mini-feature to 60-minute feature films. Through my work, I celebrate life and the human experience.

I am always interested to collaborate with filmmakers on stories and topics that inspire mutual passion and curiosity.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Great question. It has been a great road; I carved it for myself. Smooth? Not so much. However, I don’t regret it for a minute.
Along the way, I faced my fears. For example, early on, I stood up to a mentor who asked me to quit the filmmaking program because he believed I could only become a great photographer. I didn’t listen, and I transferred graduate schools in a different state. It wasn’t easy. I remember walking around unfamiliar neighborhoods after moving from the Midwest to the East Coast, trying to find a place to live while preparing to attend university.

There was also a lot of rejection from film festivals until I eventually found my audience. There was work instability too, and discipline in managing work and personal projects.

Through it all, I learned the importance of prioritizing what matters. It works for me to wake up early and spend an hour working on my film before I do anything else.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Committed to the arts from a young age, I played the mandolin and sang in a children’s choir. I earned degrees in Photography and Film and Media Arts, and also completed coursework in design and animation. A seasoned university educator, I became a certified Creativity Coach in 2016, and during the pandemic, I also worked as a behavioral coach in the mental health field. For over 10 years, I have specialized in helping creatives accelerate results in their lives.

Coaching has a focus on taking care of challenges in the now. We work on a variety of life issues with clients. In a private and supportive environment, we may work together on the systems they need to put in place to move from chaos to balance. Other times, it is about looking at the artwork or discussing new ideas. And sometimes, it is about helping a client with impairments organize. I wear many hats during a coaching call, always being a human being who listens deeply and without judgment to the human experience.

On the creative side of my business, I consult in software and freelance on a variety of digital projects. In addition, I am the founder of Intent Pictures, where I produce independent family-genre films. These films are gems of independent thinking, offering healthy alternative perspectives on a variety of contemporary issues. My work is distinctive because I combine filmmaking and animation techniques while integrating my passion for music. In fact, music becomes a character in all of my films.

Readers can learn more about the services I offer by visiting my website, https://www.nefelisoteriou.com
Other ways to connect are:
YouTube for Story and Film content: https://www.youtube.com/@Nefeli_Soteriou_Filmography
YouTube for Coaching content: https://www.youtube.com/@strongermindsbrighterpaths
Instagram @nefelisoteriou

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
From my parents, who did not discourage me from pursuing an education in the arts, to the many artists I interviewed and learned about through their unique paths, to the amazing teachers, coaches, and mentors, I cannot thank them enough. At the Limassol Art High School, my teachers included Stelios Karamallakis (Graphic Design), Stelios Hatzinikolaou (Interior Design), and Adamos Adamou (Architecture). Then, in Greece, I studied with excellent teachers in photography, such as Kostas Goudis (Fine Art Photography), Athanasios Aravantinos (3D Holography), Grigoris Vlassas (Street Photography), and Dr. Fotios Kangelaris (Psychology). During my time at MCAD, inspiring teachers included Tom Schroeder (Animation), Stevie Rexroth (Photography), Deborah Littlejohn (Motion Graphics), Rik Sferra (Photography), Robert Lawrence (Sound Design), and Sandy Malliga (Video), as well as the Women’s Art Institute in Minneapolis (Fine Art). At Temple University, I studied with Michael Kuetemeyer (Film and Media), Allan Barber (Filmmaking), Michelle Parkinson (Film Producing), David Ingram (Theatre Acting), and Eran Preis (Screenplay Writing). Lastly, in Creativity Coaching, I worked with Dr. Eric Maisel. There were many galleries and film festivals that showed interest in my work; I cannot remember them all, but I am grateful to each one. And, of course, my influences are many—filmmakers such as Robert Altman and Jane Campion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nefelisoteriou.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nefelisoteriou/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HolistiConsultant/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nefelisoteriou/
• Twitter: https://x.com/IntentPictures
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Nefeli_Soteriou_Filmography
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/nefeli-soteriou-new-york-2
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/@strongermindsbrighterpaths