Listen
/
Writer and producer Sierra Teller Ornelas learned some of the skills she needed to succeed in Hollywood in an unlikely place: growing up working "in the booth" at Native American art markets.
"Just being at art markets and being able to sell, and trying to quickly distill the story of your nation, your family, this piece that you're selling and explaining the importance of it, it really did help in terms of pitching," she told NPR's
Ask Me Another host Ophira Eisenberg.
In addition to her career as an accomplished television writer, Ornelas is a sixth-generation Navajo weaver. Her mother's art has been displayed all over the world, and each piece could take years to finish. To help pass the time while she worked, Ornelas's mom would send her to the video store.