SOME NEWS…I’m starting a podcast!
I’m taking the plunge and launching a new podcast that hopes to create visibility around different roles in the film industry, and a platform to spotlight successful women in it. I listen to a lot of film podcasts, with screenwriters, cinematographers, directors and actors featuring frequently, but I want to shine a light on the names and jobs we might not know. I also want to foster a space where women can talk about the realities of making ends meet whilst working in a creative sector.
From distributors and marketers to programmers and talent executives, to upcoming producers, filmmakers and editors I’ll be chatting to brilliant women from across the industry to hear how they began their careers, what it is they actually do, what keeps them motivated and what their ambitions are.
A new ‘Celluloid Ceiling’ report from San Diego State University concluded that only incremental gains have been made in gender representation in behind-the-scenes roles throughout 2018. I believe this can be improved with greater transparency about the types of careers that exist and to quote that much repeated refrain – you can’t be what you can’t see.
Well you might not be able to see these women, but I hope that in hearing their stories, their successes and sometimes their setbacks, it will become apparent that there are lots of different ways to the ‘top’ and there are lots of definitions for what that looks like.
Why best girl grip?
There’s a role on a film set called ‘Best Boy Grip’, serving as the key grips assistant and whilst it applies to technicians of both gender, the lack of a female equivalent seems to hark back to the days when the film set, and by extension, the film industry was deemed an unsuitable place for a woman.
It’s long been the name of my blog, and seems an equally appropriate fit for a podcast designed to give a voice to someone killing it in their field, who you might not have heard from before.
LAUNCHING AT THE END OF THE MONTH…
Nicole Davis 