# Vanessa Esteves Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248/vanessa-esteves Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248/vanessa-esteves.md Podcast: [First Time Go](https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248) Published: 2026-05-08T09:00:17+00:00 Episode link: https://redcircle.com/shows/9ddc691d-2273-47d5-a1b9-5a4acb0670f5/episodes/3deff852-e461-4aef-9843-2c0be76a7bf1 Audio file: https://audio4.redcircle.com/episodes/3deff852-e461-4aef-9843-2c0be76a7bf1/stream.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-time-go-6464248/episodes/vanessa-esteves Duration seconds: 1313 ## Resource The kind of filmmaking that my guest, Vanessa Esteves, does is all encompassing -- job, hobby, passion. And that shows through in her latest work, CHRISTOPHER & THE BUG (2025), a "heartwarming short film about a reclusive owl whose peaceful solitude is disrupted when a tiny bug unknowingly moves into his home." We talk about why we don't see the bug, what college roommate inspired her to write this story -- not in a good way!; animated films and screentime for kids, and more. If all of our films were given the thought and love Vanessa gives her directorial debut, we would be in such a better place. In this episode, Vanessa and I discuss: do we see the bug in CHRISTOPHER & THE BUG? how she got started in filmmaking and why she decided this would be her directorial debut; what is it like producing animated films and if it is an easy jump back to live action; the lessons she's learned from producing films that she brought to CHRISTOPHER; how to tell the story on a run time of 11 minutes!; the challenges of specifically an animated film; why sound design and score were so huge for this film; the idea that animation is just for kids and how it is different in the short film world; how we can improve families and filmmaking; her day job at Boatrocker Studios as a senior director for creative affairs, kids & family, and how she feels about screentime for kids; what it's like being a filmmaker in Toronto and what's next for her. Vanessa's Indie Film Highlight: GYMNASTICS (2025) dir. by Nikki Buziak and Leo Fafard Memorable Quotes: " We call it a bedtime story for adults." " The reason that you never see the bug is because I don't want it to necessarily just be a bug, right? If we showed the bug, then it's a film about an owl and a bug, and then it definitely feels… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-time-go-6464248/episodes/vanessa-esteves/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248/vanessa-esteves.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.