Production Manager Joanna Osborn has been interviewed for the RTS Working Lives feature. Joanna discusses her experience on projects such as ‘Black Doves’, ‘Landscapers’ for Sister Pictures, and her current work on series 3 of ‘House of The Dragon’ for HBO.
Jo also advocates for work-life-balance and working parents.
Read an excerpt here:
Is it hard working in TV as a mother?
Work-life balance in the industry needs to change. For the first 13 years of my career, I worked long hours and sacrificed my personal life for the job – until I hit burnout. The Covid pandemic made me reassess and, after having my first daughter, I knew I had to make changes. The industry isn’t structured for working parents, especially mothers. When we started Black Doves, my daughter was 18-months-old, and our line producer had six-month-old twins. We supported each other throughout the shoot to maintain that balance. That was invaluable and rare.
What changes have you made?
I advocate to work 9 to 5 in prep, which we largely achieved on Black Doves. I stagger my team’s working hours to cover the full day, without working excessive overtime. Lack of flexible working options drives many women away, especially those in on-set roles; there’s a huge drop-off when they enter their 30s and want families. We’re losing so much talent. If you read the recent Looking Glass survey on mental health in film and TV, it’s clear we need to change the culture throughout the industry and support alternative ways of working, like job shares, compressed hours and hybrid working. Too many young people are leaving because they’re unwilling to work our unsustainable hours.
Read the full article here and contact Lucy for bookings.