News & Press

Some people stumble into their passion. Julissa Padilla walked straight into a film vault. For her, entertainment was never just about the movies themselves. It was about the history held inside them. “Film is the perfect form of communication towards the masses,” she says. “It creates stories that can connect anyone together.” For Julissa, loving film naturally extends into preserving it and helping others discover why movies matter.

Her path hasn’t been paved with industry connections or family ties. She built it year by year, entirely on her own. “I know a lot of people who have family ties within the industry,” she says. “I was able to get through it without any entertainment connections before going to college.” That kind of scrappiness? That’s the story of someone who earned every badge they’re wearing.

And she’s wearing quite a few.

On any given day as a studio page, Julissa might park at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, walk onto the historic Paramount Studios lot, and lead a VIP tour through one of the most storied places in film history—past retired silver nitrate film vaults and around the legendary B-Tank where Paramount films water scenes. Then, after that shift, she drives over to the Beverly Public Library, where the Paley Center’s archives live, to check in researchers and field questions about the collection. “Ha, I don’t even have a typical workday,” she laughs. She also recently completed an archival research gig for a Netflix documentary, and she runs a YouTube channel on Los Angeles history called Vidstorical Films that’s earning real, positive reception.

She came to the Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP) program through community: after attending HPA-hosted events, she never imagined applying until former YEP Nikki Jee encouraged her to. That nudge changed things.

Her biggest inspiration is historian Marc Wanamaker, whom she proudly calls a friend—a fitting influence for someone whose career ethos is built around archiving, restoration, curating, and above all, introducing new audiences to what makes movies unique. “My favorite aspect is introducing a whole new audience and generation to what makes movies unique,” she says.

Her guiding quotes span generations, just like the films she loves:

“Be yourself; everyone else is taken.” — Oscar Wilde
“I dream of things that never were and ask why not?” — Robert F. Kennedy
“There’s no place like home.” — The Wizard of Oz

Ask Julissa about her favorite works and prepare to clear your afternoon. She’ll take you through Greed, City Lights, Back to the Future, Harold and Maude, Waking Sleeping Beauty, and The Catcher in the Rye. She’ll insist on the greatness of Mickey Rooney and Charles Bronson, and declare Judy Garland the greatest singer of all time. “There is no comparison.” You believe her.

What she wants people to understand above all is the work behind the work. The early mornings. The double shifts. The years of building without a safety net. “I wish people knew how difficult it has been” achieving the level of success that I have without any connections in this industry. The best preservationists aren’t just caretakers of history; they’re makers of it.

Industry Impact: The Guardian of the Archive

Film history doesn’t preserve itself. It takes people like Julissa—part historian, part storyteller, part tireless advocate—to ensure cinema’s artifacts survive long enough for the next generation to fall in love with them. As studios and institutions face mounting pressure to digitize, restore, and manage growing collections, archivists who pair technical rigor with genuine passion are more essential than ever. Julissa represents a rising wave of young professionals who see preservation not as maintenance, but as a creative act by keeping the past alive for audiences who haven’t yet discovered it. The industry needs more people who treat a silver nitrate vault like sacred ground.