Like many people around the world, my life was turned upside down by the pandemic. Overnight work dried up; the phone barely rang, and at times during the spring and summer of 2020 I felt like my career had been cancelled.
The country was at a standstill, but communities were banding together to support each other. Amongst the gloom, inspiring stories of community collaboration and kindness filled the news. People delivered food and medicine to isolating families. Perfume and beer businesses pivoted to produce and distribute hand sanitiser. Hotels housed key workers for free. At the weekly clap, we built enduring friendships with our neighbours, and in those sunny yet spiritually dark days, I spent a lot of time thinking about my future and how I wanted to build back my career in a way that could harness the power and creativity of people coming together to collaborate.
Women drive up to 80% of all consumer purchasing decisions
I decided that when the pandemic was done (and yes, I think the end is in sight!) I wanted to start a new production agency that could build a community and confront an industry challenge that had endlessly frustrated me: gender bias and the lack of other women in senior creative roles.
As a director, I have long felt a sense of unease that most of the above-the-line jobs I get hired to create involve boobs, bums or lady bits. My partner and I literally joke that I am the fanny woman! And although I am grateful to my vagina for bringing me these opportunities, I also drive a car and am a keen surfer and licensed drone pilot. I am so much more than just my womanhood, and it baffles me that in the established see-it-to-believe-it culture, you’ll only get a look in to direct a spot if you already have that exact creative or product on your reel.
How will things ever change if this approach stands firm going forward? We need senior men in creative agencies to actively champion women by acknowledging we can contribute so much more. Without clients being convinced to give us a shot, these systemic barriers will continue, and women will be kept in place as the organisers, coordinators and facilitators of male creativity.
Meanwhile, the way women are depicted in advertising is still out of touch and annoying. I have lost count of the times I have screamed at TV ads that portray us as the queens of domestic life, wrangling kids’ dinners, pets and vacuum cleaners (all while smiling!). Where are all the bold, strong female protagonists who my fearless five-year-old daughter can look up to and dream of being one day? In my opinion, these one-dimensional portrayals of women will only evolve and improve if women have a strong hand in conceptualising and executing the creative in the first place.
And there is a strong business case to support my thinking. Women drive up to 80% of all consumer purchasing decisions (source: Bloomberg), so making authentic content that speaks more directly to and engages them better will sell more stuff!
Since our call for talent on International Women’s Day, I have been inundated with brilliant women who feel like I do that things have got to change. My producer Claire and I are plugging all of these names into a database and spending time working out how people could fit together to form creative teams and women-led crews. We are confident and excited that we can make life easier for agencies and brands to tap into our zeitgeist and make a positive cultural shift.
The other thing I’ve sensed over the last few weeks of reading emails and speaking to talent is just how willing women are to support each other, suggesting and tagging friends even at the peril of being overlooked themselves. This has been heartening, as professional women have long been portrayed by the media as catty, judgemental backstabbers who are deeply suspicious of women outside our circle. From what I can observe, community is triumphing over competition. As we have seen during the pandemic, when people come together to collaborate and celebrate each other, magical and unexpected things happen.
Lastly, to all the men reading this: I want you to know you aren’t excluded from joining our collective. We live in an integrated society and if you have courageous ideas and understand and respect our mission, your talents will add value and make us stronger.
Sister Motion is ready and waiting. I know we can make a difference
Lastly, to all the men reading this: I want you to know you aren’t excluded from joining our collective. We live in an integrated society and if you have courageous ideas and understand and respect our mission, your talents will add value and make us stronger.
