Another Insightful Cinegirl Club Event: Parenting, Job Sharing and Freelancing in the Film and TV Industry
The Cinegirl Club has been established in partnership with industry-leading motion picture equipment company Panavision to carve out a place for authentic, industry-inspired events designed to bring talent and industry together, and to provide a platform for insights and discussions from professionals across the film industry. Cinegirl Club enables members to unwind, receive industry guidance, and network to nurture genuine contacts and relationships - relationships based on mutual respect and a shared passion for the meaningful advancement of women and underrepresented voices in the film industry.
We held our second Cinegirl Club Event on the 9th of June partnering up with CVP & ARRI Creative Space in Soho. Providing home to meetings, events, trainings, screenings and many more, the Creative Space also offers an exclusive free membership for industry professionals to utilise this magnificent central London venue for these purposes. The location has provided a warm and cosy networking space for our Club Event and delicious canapés and drinks were served.
The focus of this event was on parenting, job sharing and freelancing in the Film and TV industry. The panel was joined by five incredible parents from the industry: producer-director Ashleigh Ashley, writer-director Neil Ben, Production Finance Manager Chika Anisiobi, the founder of Cinemamas Valeria Bullo, and camera operator Agnieszka ‘Aga’ Szeliga. They were not afraid to share their point of view and advice on managing work-life balance, as it can be challenging at times, especially in the fast-paced environment of Film and TV. The panel was led by Francesca Zerenghi, our Editor-in-Chief.
Finding the right time to have children is an on-going question for a lot of us in creative industries. It is challenging, because it’s already difficult to stand out and build the sufficient networks to rise in the industry, and parents are often required to take a break to raise their children, which could be detrimental to future promotions. Firstly, panellists were asked the question of how they managed the evening childcare arrangements for this event. The discussion went to elaborate on the different strategies of childcare during jobs. Neil made the point that “kids benefit from different homes” if they are, for example, spending time with other family members while the parents are away working. The other participants agreed that it is also even more exciting for both parents and children to meet each other after some time apart.
In the next sections, Valeria was reflecting on her struggles of changing the workload during and after her pregnancy, and Aga reminisced about her time being afraid of not getting jobs after having a child. Chika expressed how she had to be firm about her hours upon getting back to work after having children, and stressed the point that the industry needs to be more understanding about caregivers’ hours, whether they are caring for children, elderly parents, or others. All of the panelists enthusiastically mentioned job-sharing as one solution to these barriers, as it allows more flexibility. Ashleigh also pointed out how the Covid-19 pandemic was remarkably beneficial for some people in the Film and TV industry, as it allowed the industry to see how flexible the working conditions can be, such as some roles being able to work from home and others to be shared between multiple people.
Now, despite every obstacle, all of them are proud to be parents and to share their experiences with others, because something that is of paramount importance is that parents in creative industries support each other and have a strong network. Some emotional moments were shared during the talk, as other parents in the room could relate to certain challenges, as well as the pride of being a parent.
Ideas were debated on negotiating workload with managers and worries were expressed on fulfilling the responsibilities of being a parent while concentrating on career development as well. The discussion was insightful for those members who are not parents yet. Some people may not be planning to have any children because of the demands of the industry they work in, but job-sharing and freelancing were offered as a viable option, to allow more flexibility in work-life-balance and focus on mental health. The panel was followed by a friendly networking mix and mingle, where old and new members were able to connect and network, to grow what is ultimately the most important in this industry: community.
Stay tuned for details of our next event, coming soon!
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Cinegirl Club is proudly sponsored by @panavisionofficial Panavision
