by Rachell Shapiro
I have been in the film/video production industry for 14 years. As a woman in a male-dominated industry I have faced everything from chauvinism and overt bias to subconscious underestimation. It’s not everywhere and it’s not everyone – but it is prevalent and I can’t imagine there is one woman in the industry who hasn’t faced some sort of discrimination or been impacted by this sometimes misogynous culture. I’ve faced this obstacle as just that, an obstacle that I had to overcome. I would have to work a little harder, deal with a little more crap, prove myself over and over, and fight harder to get what I want. But, I never championed it as an issue I needed to be palpably vocal about. Maybe that’s because unfortunately, it seemed so ingrained in the culture that it was normalized.
When my partners and I created FLOWSTATE Films we were very conscious of the fact that we were creating a female-owned production company in a male-dominated industry. We promote and tout that aspect of our business because we are proud of the fact that we are three women who have succeeded and excelled in our careers in the field. However, it wasn’t until a life changing event occurred when for the first time, I viscerally felt the significant career impact of being a woman in the production industry.
I had a baby.Click here to continue reading
