Inspiration from female director and producer
Males generally dominate positions in advertising for Directors and Producers but with over 80% of consumer decisions being made by women, we’re proud to work with the very talented Sophie Wardle and share Q&A as part of International Women’s Day 2024 #inspireinclusion
Q/ What inspired you to become a producer and director for advertising?
A/ I’ve always loved moving image. I was passionate about TV and film when I was little and loved photography too. As I grew up, it was expected I would go to university and become a doctor or lawyer or similar, but after university, I realised I needed to follow my passion. After copious amounts of “work experience”, I finally landed my first paid job on Channel 4’s the Big Breakfast, after which I moved to a production agency which handled both TV and advertising. It was here I got to work on a wide range of content and as my skills developed, I became in demand on the agency side, as both an account manager and producer because it turned out, I was naturally, very good at it.
As producing almost became second nature, directing felt like a natural career progression and another skill I wanted to develop. I started directing small corporate jobs and the jobs grew, so did my directing skills until I was directing large-scale TV commercials. Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Q/ What challenges have you had to overcome?
A/ As a woman, back in the early 2000’s, I kept being overlooked as a director, I saw many of my male peers get chosen to direct their first gig before me, but I have the patience of a saint and was able to eventually prove my skills.
Q/ What type of campaigns do you like working on?
They say never work with animals and children, but if I could I always would! Jokes aside, I love working with people and telling great stories. A recent branded content campaign series, I produced and directed for Prod, told real people’s stories. I love meeting new people and pride myself on being able to put people at ease and get the best performance out of someone who has no to little experience in front of the camera.
