ENDLESS HORIZONS

Anything that Nuria Brillembourg touches turns to gold. The former jewelry designer, turned writer, turned sitcom director turned film producer is currently in the process of bringing her published novel Meet Me in Italy to the Big Screen. A project three years in the making, the story captures the elements of Brillembourg’s life that make her as diverse as her work.
“The book focuses on the relationship between two countries, China and Italy, and the co-existence between families of different cultures,” she explains. “It’s the story of a couple who is afraid to get married and break barriers, but its message is that when two people get along it is possible to overcome any differences.”
And if there’s one thing she understands, it is cultures. Brillembourg grew up in Barcelona until she was 16, later moving to Italy and then Mexico where she earned her degree in Interior Design, which she says has played a strong role in every aspect of her career. “I have designed just about everything,” she says. “I’m not sure if there is anything that I haven’t designed!”
She started with jewelry, making handmade pieces that she sold in Venezuela and abroad. “For 14 years I gave the most of myself as a jewelry maker,” she says. “I was a bit of a pioneer, with my designs and expositions.”
Moreover, she designed a small clothing line, which she described as classic and functional. “I love to create concepts,” she says. “It can be anything — from clothes to a home — but there’s always a concept to it, a functional reason to everything I do.”
And that’s a notion that carries over into her career as a writer and producer. The idea of Meet Me in Italy was born seven years ago when she decided she wanted to change careers. A dear friend, she says, suggested she translate her experiences and connections to world cultures into a book. And just like that, she turned the page. “The book started off as a screenplay, turned into a book, and back to a screenplay,” she says. “The plans are to start filming this summer. Almost everything is in place including the actors and the rights. Of course, it’s all very unpredictable.”
While the film is in the works, Brillembourg is pleased with the outcome of her book, which was published early last year. “It’s a book that all women should read, and that they will read at some point in their lives,” she says. “There’s an interesting, fun element to the story. Deep down inside we are all people, regardless of where we come from.”
While the book was in the works, Brillembourg was Executive Producer of the 2006 film Friendship Hotel. In 2007, she created, wrote and directed the Spanish TV sitcom Tomalo Suave, which is scheduled to air this year. “This career can make you very passionate or can drive you crazy,” she laughs. “There are no set hours or days and you have to always count on the unforeseen.”
You can bet the job has its challenges. The biggest challenge, she says, is finding financing for each project to be executed to perfection, while the rest, she assures, is manageable. “The most important thing is to keep going, because it’s very easy to become discouraged in this field.”
While it’s a lot handle, discouragement is not an option for Brillembourg. “To succeed in this field you must have passion, patience and perseverance. It’s a cocktail of all of those things, and on top of that, you must be very humble,” she says. “After all the time I’ve spent writing and producing, I realize that the more I know, the less I know.”
Still, we think that one of the biggest factors to her success is her tendency to stay young at heart. It’s why she jokes that she stopped aging at 35, while it works to her advantage that her bright smile and lighthearted spirit radiate 25. “In 10 years, as long as I’m doing whatever I like, I will be content. I may still be working, I may dedicate myself to being a grandmother,” she says, with a glow about her expression. “Whatever it is, it’s important to live for today and I’m absolutely in love with what I’m doing, and I will give all I can for as long as I can.”
For now, Brillembourg wants to write more books. Currently, she’s almost done with her second, and already getting started on a third. “It’s a process,” she says. “I would say you need a minimum of one year to develop an idea and write it well.”
And where better to do that than in Key Biscayne? “There’s a certain place where every writer does his or her best work,” she says. “For me, it’s my bedroom where everything flows and I can tap into each character. It’s a sort of refuge.”
A resident of Grand Bay, Brillembourg’s apartment overlooks a breathtaking span of Key Biscayne and the Coconut Grove coastline, with more than enough natural beauty to inspire her work. “This is a paradise for my family, and it’s an ideal city within a city. We are so lucky to have the ocean and the beautiful sunsets so close.”
The only thing she is more grateful for is her two sons. She calls them her greatest accomplishments — and they sure are making mama proud! The older of the two, now 22, is a songwriter and singer who recorded a track for Brillembourg’s film. The youngest, 20, is pursuing a career as a professional tennis player.
With that said, it’s more than just creativity that flows through Brillembourg’s veins — it’s a passion she reiterates while carrying out every aspect of her multi-faceted life. And that alone is plenty of reason for all of us to stay tuned!