Daniela Huerta thinks outside the Letterboxd in film-focused podcast

This post was updated April 10 at 7:24 p.m.

Daniela Huerta is unboxing people’s personalities one film at a time.

The fourth-year political science student – who is also known as DJ frootgummie – is host to the UCLA Radio show “Letterboxd Unboxed,” an hourlong podcast that dissects guests’ four favorite movies. Huerta said the “Four Favorites” feature on the film logging platform Letterboxd offers a good representation of what people value and want to discuss in movies. She added that having conversations around film informs people about their relationships with others and with themselves.

“I think that’s what’s been so gratifying about the show experience has been how holistic conversations can be,” Huerta said. “I’m able to learn about someone else that maybe they didn’t even think about when they thought about their top movies and how they see themselves.”

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Huerta said she was inspired to start her podcast after taking a film and history class fall quarter. Centered around World War II, the films presented in the class broadened her understanding of real events through their translation onto the big screen, she said. Huerta added that she was amazed at how films can transport audiences into historical events they have not experienced. Though Huerta had an existing love for film outside of the classroom, she said her appreciation for film heightened after the film class.

Letterboxd gave Huerta a platform to exercise her new appreciation for film, she said. Huerta said the app was recommended to her by a friend who took her to the movie theater for her birthday several years ago. Letterboxd, she said, enlightened her about films, including classics she had not seen before. She was interested in the diary format for reviewing movies in seeing how and why people rate films a certain way, she added. The social aspect and top four favorites format, she said, were elements of Letterboxd she valued and implemented in her podcast.

Radhika Singh, a fourth-year neuroscience student and the very first guest on “Letterboxd Unboxed,” said Huerta conducts much research on guests’ favorite films before they appear on the show. Singh said Huerta watches one film from each guest’s list every week if she is able. Having been featured on the podcast, Singh said Huerta creates easy, natural conversation and validates people’s personal connections and perspectives on their favorite movies.

“Daniela’s really easy to talk to, so I feel she also gets to joke around with it and bring a little bit of unseriousness,” Singh said. “Films can be very personal to a person, so I think she does a good job of blending why that movie or something is special to you, even though it might not be the best movie.”

In preparing for an episode, Huerta said she typically invites friends and seeks creative people interested in film to feature on her podcast. Though she tries not to dismiss certain types of movies people are interested in, she said she looks for films that can produce fruitful conversation that can fill up time. Huerta added that she features movies she can connect with and that speak to guests’ personalities and interests. In a society that seeks instant gratification, she said she appreciates being able to dissect her likes and dislikes about a film and how movies reflect reality.

“We want the instant, immediate ability to have something, to enjoy it, and then just to dispose of it when we’re done,” Huerta said. “What I really enjoyed about it for movies that, even if they’re just passion, not super thoughtful movies, … I still sit with it for quite some time. I’ll think about it.”

While Huerta has been developing as a podcast host, Singh said challenges occasionally arise in her role. She said Huerta faces issues with scheduling and finding guests to feature on her podcast. Huerta’s responsibilities as a student can result in decreased attention in watching a film that will be discussed in an episode, Singh added. Despite the conflicts, Huerta maintains a low-pressure environment and conversation that flows and engages with her guests, said Faith Corlett, a fourth-year gender studies student and former guest on “Letterboxd Unboxed.”

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As she continues to host “Letterboxd Unboxed,” Huerta said she hopes listeners learn about films unfamiliar to them and enjoy movies without feeling they need to be experts. She also plans to expand her guest list and feature people outside of her circle, she added. Finding a creative hobby in watching and discussing film, Huerta said she values how films make people feel and spark reflection on a person’s perspective.

“It’s necessary to talk about media,” Huerta said. “It’s necessary to think about it and to fully engage with it in ways that can actually either challenge your mind or just engage in a conversation that you’ll either come away with it feeling really great or coming away being like, ‘Maybe I should rethink about something that I’ve watched.’”