Nicole Franklin, Winsome Sinclair, Nancy Giles,
Pat Weber Sones, Michele Steckler, and Amy Sewell
were on hand for Women in
Entertainment: Behind the Scenes. Photo courtesy of
MOFTB.
March 23, 2010 - An enthusiastic crowd gathered at the
Apollo Theater on March 22 to hear from talented women working in New York
City’s entertainment industry. Presented by the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre
and Broadcasting, the Apollo Theater’s education program, and New York Women in
Film and Television, Women in Entertainment: Behind the Scenes
provided the audience with personal accounts of five women’s experiences behind
the scenes in film, television and theatre.
Moderator Nancy Giles, a
contributor to the “CBS News Sunday Morning,” started the night off by
introducing clips that showcased the panelists’ credits before she delved into
their backgrounds.
Independent filmmaker Amy Sewell recounted how her
first job in the industry was non-traditional. After writing an article about a
public school program that taught students how to ballroom dance, Sewell, a
mother of two, teamed up with a few filmmakers to produce Mad Hot
Ballroom, learning along the way how to be a producer by reading
books.
Many of the panelists got their first break through
unpaid internships. Working for no pay when you’re just starting out is common,
said Winsome Sinclair, a casting director whose credits include Malcolm
X and Precious, “but work like you’re being paid.”
“There
was always a healthy representation of women [working in my field] when I came
up,” said Sinclair, explaining that because of that she always believed she
could achieve success. “They took me under their wing lovingly.”
Sinclair
recalled that her most ambitious project was Malcolm X. Twenty-two hour
days were not uncommon, and the most she could hope for many days were two hours
sleep. “I wasn’t earning a lot of money, but I believed in what I was
doing.”
“Integrity is key,” said Sinclair. “Be who you say you
are.”
Sewell’s advice for the young people in the audience was to like
what you do and to trust your gut. Sinclair echoed that sentiment, “If you’re
not passionate about doing it, sixteen hour days are going to be
hard.”
Michele Steckler started out as a stage manager intern because she
was determined to work in the theatre. Now she’s the senior vice president and
senior producer for Disney Theatrical Group, having worked on productions like
Mary Poppins and The Lion King. Her advice to the audience was
that it’s important to be patient. “You have to trust the journey and the path,”
she said. “Everything you do gets you to where you are.”
Another piece of
advice she wished she had when she was younger was to understand that she’d
learn just as much from the challenging experiences as she would from with the
fun ones.
When Giles asked the panel if they ever had any bad experiences
working with women, Nicole Franklin spoke about a time when she was nineteen and
working in an internship with a difficult boss who was female. “I realized she
was a bad apple,” she said. “Don’t turn it into ‘I won’t work for this gender
ever again’ because of one experience.”
Franklin, who’s worked as an
editor, producer, filmmaker and director, recently took on the challenge of
being a fill-in stage manager on “The Today Show.” “It’s four hours of live TV,”
she said. “You meet heads of state and Britney Spears. You learn not to take the
elevator because you could get stuck.”
Pat Weber Sones became a location
manager after years of working as an actress. “I had enough experience in
something else which made it easier when it came to making the transition,” she
said. “It’s all about showing up.”
The schedule of a location manager is
constant, she explained. Every eight days they have a new episode to prep for,
looking for places where the characters live, eat and work. Currently she’s
working on the NBC series “Mercy.” Her previous credits include “Lipstick
Jungle,” Across the Universe and The Interpreter.
“I do
run into a lot of women [doing location work],” she said. “Women are helpful to
other women, helping each other to succeed.”
Click here to
watch a “That's So NY” recap of Women in Entertainment: Behind the
Scenes.
Women in Entertainment: Behind the Scenes
took place at the Apollo Theater.
Photo courtesy of
MOFTB.
At the conclusion of the discussion, audience
members were able
to ask the panelists questions. Photo courtesy of
MOFTB.
