REEL WOMEN: Portal A’s Michelle Farhang

Michelle
(Reel Woman: Michelle Farhang)

Michelle Farhang is the Director of Project Management at the award-winning branded and original content company, Portal A. She oversees all branded projects across the studio, with experience in managing video production, talent partnerships, visual identity systems, and 360-degree advertising campaigns. Michelle has led award-winning work for clients like Target, Google, Equal Justice Initiative, got milk?® and more.

Prior to Portal A, Michelle held account management roles at Meta, Vault49, Turner Duckworth, and Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

Let’s meet Michelle!

What’s your origin story, Michelle?

I’ve never really felt identified by one box, and I think a big part of that comes from growing up in a big, multiracial family in the Bay Area. I am first, second, and third generation, by way of Iran, El Salvador, and Ireland, and was always a creative kid juggling a variety of interests.

I ended up heading to Southern California to study a range of topics at Chapman University, including broadcast journalism, television, art, political science, and conflict resolution. During that time, I worked as a mediator in the local courthouse, was a part of my school’s live weekly news broadcast, spent afternoons in the darkroom developing film, and was really just trying to find a career that would merge all of those interests and passions in a way I could really feel excited about.  

How did you get into advertising?

When broadcast journalism didn’t feel like the right fit after college, a friend recommended I consider advertising. I got my start at Goodby Silverstein, & Partners and loved the creative-first mentality of the agency, the opportunities to dig into strategy, and the opportunities to work on everything from Super Bowl ads to “got milk?” campaigns.

Since then, I’ve worked at design studios like Turner Duckworth, as well as with the Creative X team at Meta, which all led me to my current role as the Director of Project Management at Portal A, an award-winning content company, where I oversee the project management team and all branded projects across the studio.

Who were your mentors?

I’m grateful to say that at every single job, I’ve had amazing female managers and mentors that I’ve looked up to and learned from, which has been incredibly empowering. To me, the best leaders balance both strength and empathy, and I’ve been really lucky to have some badass, caring women to look up to every step of the way in my career. I really work to embody those characteristics as a leader on my team every day.

While there will be others, what do you consider your biggest achievement to date?

The “Let’s Target” YouTube series holds a really special place in my heart. I’m just so proud of how the series came to life during such a challenging production period at the peak of the pandemic, and how well we were able to set up a foundation where Talent could have really meaningful conversations that resonated with so many people. 

What drives you to create?

The creativity of those around me inspires me to create my own work. There are so many creative people at Portal A doing everything from writing scripts and developing their own film projects. It’s ultimately inspired me to team up with an independent production company, Schmeh Films, and get into screenwriting myself. I wrote my first pilot last year, and am continuing that screenwriting journey this year. 

Award you crave, but haven’t won.

An Emmy 😉 

What shows/movies/songs are doing the best job of portraying strong women on TV?

My favorite portrayals are ones that feel like real journeys of imperfect characters as they make mistakes, learn, and grow — like Issa Rae and Yvonne Orji’s characters in Insecure, Lizzy Caplan and Clare Danes in Fleishman is in Trouble, Jean Smart in Hacks. There’s a real strength in each of their journeys and imperfections. 

Is there still a boys club in advertising?

In the industry at large, I think there can be, but I’m inspired by the passion and action I see teams taking across the board to break through those barriers and empower all voices to have space to be heard. 


REELated:


Coffee, Lunch or Happy Hour. Name a famous woman (living or dead) you would like to attend each function with.

An all of the above with Quinta Brunson, please! I’m so unbelievably inspired by her work across writing, producing, and performing, particularly the balance of confidence and thoughtfulness she brings to her work. 

Last year, the Supreme Court ruled against Roe v Wade. What can women in your industry do to defend a woman’s rights?

In addition to staying informed on how to take action, it’s so important to stay vocal. As an industry, this means supporting and working with brands and talent that believe and support foundational human rights, as well as applying our abilities as an industry to spread crucial information in an engaging way whenever we have the opportunity.

I don’t believe in a hard boundary between politics and work when it comes to any basic human right, the right to choose included.

What keeps you up at night?

Unfortunately, doom scrolling. Working to break that habit this year! 

What’s up with Beyoncé being nominated for 4 Best Albums of the Year but never winning?

The only possible reason I can think of is that she’s become so iconically talented that her excellence is now expected or unsurprising, and those expectations get raised to a level that’s unfairly impossible to achieve. Can you tell I’m still bitter about Lemonade? 


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Michelle
(Reel Woman: Michelle Farhang)

Michelle Farhang is the Director of Project Management at the award-winning branded and original content company, Portal A. She oversees all branded projects across the studio, with experience in managing video production, talent partnerships, visual identity systems, and 360-degree advertising campaigns. Michelle has led award-winning work for clients like Target, Google, Equal Justice Initiative, got milk?® and more.

Prior to Portal A, Michelle held account management roles at Meta, Vault49, Turner Duckworth, and Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

Let’s meet Michelle!

What’s your origin story, Michelle?

I’ve never really felt identified by one box, and I think a big part of that comes from growing up in a big, multiracial family in the Bay Area. I am first, second, and third generation, by way of Iran, El Salvador, and Ireland, and was always a creative kid juggling a variety of interests.

I ended up heading to Southern California to study a range of topics at Chapman University, including broadcast journalism, television, art, political science, and conflict resolution. During that time, I worked as a mediator in the local courthouse, was a part of my school’s live weekly news broadcast, spent afternoons in the darkroom developing film, and was really just trying to find a career that would merge all of those interests and passions in a way I could really feel excited about.  

How did you get into advertising?

When broadcast journalism didn’t feel like the right fit after college, a friend recommended I consider advertising. I got my start at Goodby Silverstein, & Partners and loved the creative-first mentality of the agency, the opportunities to dig into strategy, and the opportunities to work on everything from Super Bowl ads to “got milk?” campaigns.

Since then, I’ve worked at design studios like Turner Duckworth, as well as with the Creative X team at Meta, which all led me to my current role as the Director of Project Management at Portal A, an award-winning content company, where I oversee the project management team and all branded projects across the studio.

Who were your mentors?

I’m grateful to say that at every single job, I’ve had amazing female managers and mentors that I’ve looked up to and learned from, which has been incredibly empowering. To me, the best leaders balance both strength and empathy, and I’ve been really lucky to have some badass, caring women to look up to every step of the way in my career. I really work to embody those characteristics as a leader on my team every day.

While there will be others, what do you consider your biggest achievement to date?

The “Let’s Target” YouTube series holds a really special place in my heart. I’m just so proud of how the series came to life during such a challenging production period at the peak of the pandemic, and how well we were able to set up a foundation where Talent could have really meaningful conversations that resonated with so many people. 

What drives you to create?

The creativity of those around me inspires me to create my own work. There are so many creative people at Portal A doing everything from writing scripts and developing their own film projects. It’s ultimately inspired me to team up with an independent production company, Schmeh Films, and get into screenwriting myself. I wrote my first pilot last year, and am continuing that screenwriting journey this year. 

Award you crave, but haven’t won.

An Emmy 😉 

What shows/movies/songs are doing the best job of portraying strong women on TV?

My favorite portrayals are ones that feel like real journeys of imperfect characters as they make mistakes, learn, and grow — like Issa Rae and Yvonne Orji’s characters in Insecure, Lizzy Caplan and Clare Danes in Fleishman is in Trouble, Jean Smart in Hacks. There’s a real strength in each of their journeys and imperfections. 

Is there still a boys club in advertising?

In the industry at large, I think there can be, but I’m inspired by the passion and action I see teams taking across the board to break through those barriers and empower all voices to have space to be heard. 


REELated:


Coffee, Lunch or Happy Hour. Name a famous woman (living or dead) you would like to attend each function with.

An all of the above with Quinta Brunson, please! I’m so unbelievably inspired by her work across writing, producing, and performing, particularly the balance of confidence and thoughtfulness she brings to her work. 

Last year, the Supreme Court ruled against Roe v Wade. What can women in your industry do to defend a woman’s rights?

In addition to staying informed on how to take action, it’s so important to stay vocal. As an industry, this means supporting and working with brands and talent that believe and support foundational human rights, as well as applying our abilities as an industry to spread crucial information in an engaging way whenever we have the opportunity.

I don’t believe in a hard boundary between politics and work when it comes to any basic human right, the right to choose included.

What keeps you up at night?

Unfortunately, doom scrolling. Working to break that habit this year! 

What’s up with Beyoncé being nominated for 4 Best Albums of the Year but never winning?

The only possible reason I can think of is that she’s become so iconically talented that her excellence is now expected or unsurprising, and those expectations get raised to a level that’s unfairly impossible to achieve. Can you tell I’m still bitter about Lemonade? 


Nominate Someone You know For Reel Women