Her work includes two Second Life installations, GONE GITMO, a virtual representation of Guantanamo Bay prison that was funded by the MacArthur Foundation and MAUERKRANKHEIT/WALLSICKENSS, an Annenberg Public Good Merit Award winner.
A former correspondent for Newsweek Magazine, she has written for the New York Times, Premiere Magazine, Texas Monthly, Time Magazine and others. She has written multiple episodes of dramatic television, including penning two pilots for CBS.
She has also directed and produced four feature length documentary films exploring human rights issues which have been shown on national television and screened at theatres, festivals and special events in more than fifty cities around the globe. The Los Angeles Times wrote that, “de la Peña expertly personalizes the stories” in her films and the New York Times called her work, “a brave and necessary act of truth-telling.”
De la Peña is currently exploring how non-fiction storytelling and journalism can be produced using first person immersive experiences in virtual environments.