1. What does a typical Thursday look like for you, starting from when you wake up – to heading to bed?

The first, and most important thing I do is walk my dog.

I’m currently working as a producer on a TV show called World’s Greenest Homes which is in pre-production so I’m spending most of my time in the production office which looks like this:

9:30am: arrive on the scene, settle in and check emails.

Talk to the Researchers and my Supervising Producer to get a sense of where we’re at with our stories and what we need to accomplish for the day. Then I start doing my own research: making calls and sending emails the people we’re hoping to interview. The show is about the world’s most interesting and spectacular eco-friendly houses so I spend a lot of time on the internet trying to find the angle on a particular story, then calling the architect or the homeowner to introduce myself and the show and assess both their interest and the validity of the project. This occupies the majority of my day.

Mid-afternoon the entire team sits down for a production meeting. At which point, the producers and researchers present their ideas and update the group on our progress.

Then we get into a lengthy debate about the format of the show and begin trying to piece together the stories that will work best together to make up each half hour segment.

After that, we sit down with the show’s Production Manager and Coordinator and update them regarding travel as it is their responsibility to arrange our flights as well as to make sure we have crews and permits for each of the cities we’re going to be filming in.

At around 6:00pm I call it a day, head home, walk the dog, try to make it to a yoga class, eat whatever I can manage to scramble together for dinner while checking my emails one final time, looking at my mountainous laundry pile with disdain and then crashing into an exhausted heap on my bed at midnight.

2. What was your first job out of school?

Executive Assistant for a Venture Capital company. I hated it.

3. What are the 3 skills you require most to do your job well?

Dedication, creativity, thick-skin.

4. What do you love most about your career?

The fact that it is always changing and evolving. Working in a routine environment puts me to sleep. When you’re producing, you may be in the studio one day, out doing interviews another, then reading scripts, taking meetings- it changes from one day to the next so I’m never bored!

5. If a woman wanted to get into this business, what are your recommendations of how they should start?

There really aren’t any rules in this industry… you generally have to start at the bottom and claw your way up. That can mean working as a volunteer at a TV station as I did, or working as a Production Assistant, a Producer’s Assistant etc. It also helps to have a few great ideas of your own to pitch for when the opportunity presents itself.

6. Do you have any warnings?

This industry can be very tough on women. A lot of the power players are men and there are always people willing to go to any length to get what they want… meaning, decide who you are and what your value system is, because I can guarantee there is definitely the chance that somewhere along the way, somebody will try and see just how badly you want that great job…

7. If you could try a different career on for a year, what would it be?

Doctor, hands down.