The pandemic has impacted us in far-ranging ways, reflected in SHOOT’s Midyear Report Card Survey–which is featured in this issue—as respondents shared their experiences. How far ranging? Well feedback contains adjectives that run the gamut from “agnostic” to “transformative” while underscoring that those seemingly different words share the common bond of belief–in our ability to adapt, collaborate, and to be positive and productive in the face of adversity.
Elena Robinson, head of production at OKRP, observed that the pandemic “showed us that we can be location agnostic. We don’t have to be in the office everyday to make it work. It also showed us that we can still enjoy our families and get a lot of things done.”
Lisa Setten, SVP, executive director of integrated production at MullenLowe U.S., added, “The past year and a half have been completely transformative for us all, both professionally and personally. We have learned to collaborate in new ways. We have built a new kind of confidence that we can overcome any challenge put in front of us and continue making work we are proud of. I don’t think we will ever go back to working the way we did.”
Danielle Tarris, head of production at CPB, related, “After taking a pause to raise my son, then unexpectedly going through breast cancer treatment, I stepped back into the industry as head of production at Battery Agency during the height of the pandemic. Even relegated to Zoom, we got to know each other fast during a three-night virtual shoot spanning four time zones–the director in Canada, crew in Bulgaria, client in Shanghai and our team in L.A.–making each other laugh in the wee hours when little things start to kill your schedule and the talent gets tired. That chemistry and collective work ethic finds its way through the toughest situations.
“When an opportunity arose to join CPB as head of production and I met the team here, I knew I had to make the leap,” she continued.. “Again, the interview process was virtual, and again it came back to chemistry and connection. Even meeting in a virtual space, your intuition fires. The beautiful thing from this year and half is that we all now know how to work together, find team spirit and make amazing work remotely. It’s brought down barriers and opened the opportunity to work with more amazing talent all over the globe.”
Robert Goldrich is an editor for SHOOTonline
