What It’s Like to be a Woman Starting Off in the Media Industry

Interviews compiled by Erin Valentine

Ryan, Production Associate, Network news organization

Q: What do you do?

A: In the fast-paced news world that I work in, my main job is helping all the producers get their stories on air by deadline. This basically sums up to (on a daily basis): gathering the best footage or pictures for his/her story, picking out music to fit the theme of the piece & double-checking copy to make sure there are no mistakes. There are also long-term projects that I work on, like editing some of my own pieces and keeping a digital archive of the best moments from our shows.

Q: Why did you choose to work in media?

A: I’ve always been one of those people who gets bored easily with doing the same thing every day and I think the media industry is something that’s constantly changing in a way that you can’t ever really do the same thing twice. The department that I work in always has new projects coming through its doors, so it always keeps me on my toes. I enjoy working in the media industry because I feel like I’m always learning something new because I’m constantly doing something new.

Also, with media in general, I feel like its an exciting field to work in because its so prevalent in everyday life. People are more connected through media now than ever before and working in this industry you feel the pressure (in a good way!) to keep pushing boundaries to reach the most people in the most effective and creative way. And for me, it’s just so fascinating to be a part of a field that feels like it is evolving at a rapid pace and has room to grow.

Q: Have you noticed any gender inequality in your workplace or in the media in general?

A: Not in my workplace, which is awesome. The super old-school stereotypes of the news/journalism industry being a “boys club” seem to really be fading away. In the environment that I work in, everyone, no matter the gender, is expected to be a team player and is held to the same standards. We wouldn’t be able to get what we do done every day if everyone wasn’t expected to pull equal weight.

Also, in general, I think in the news industry, from the creative side to the editorial side, you need equal representation from all genders because they give totally different (and needed) perspectives on all kinds of issues.

I will say in my specific department there are fewer females than males but more women seem to be coming in over time- the two newest members of our team have been females. And I also see more women filling in roles that could have traditionally been more male dominated, like video editors or producers. SO KEEP IT COMING!

Katie, Production Assistant, Popular comedy television show

Q: What do you do?

A: I’m in an administrative position, coordinating the day-to-day activities of our production office. I work closely with interns and various departments to fulfill requests and address specific needs as they arise!

Q: Why did you choose to work in media?

A: For me, media is the ultimate connector. It brings people and content together in a way that can both inform and entertain. I love that. Although I’m currently in an entry-level position, being in the same room as some of these people is thrilling in itself.

Q: Have do you feel about the representation of women in the media industry?

A: The representation of women in media needs work. Have we made incredible, massive strides recently? Absolutely. But there are still gaps. Huge gaps. We have the token wife, girlfriend, manic pixie dream girl, etc. All the stereotypes that women so easily, cozily fit into make it easy to classify women and the way they’re represented in scripted television. There are dynamic characters like The Good Wife’s Alicia Florrick, The Walking Dead’s Carol Peletier and Mad Men’s Peggy Olson that push that mold as complex, intricate characters…we just need more.

Q: What would you change, if you could?

A: On the news end, I would change the way female journalists and personalities are judged on the way they look, not their content. Despite how you feel about Fox News and Megyn Kelly, the way she’s been scrutinized and torn apart based on her appearance and comments completely undermines her skills as a journalist. Who cares? Who actually cares? I understand people want someone appealing to look at. I can’t necessarily change that, but I would love to make people pay attention to CONTENT. To what these creative, intelligent, successful women are doing and putting out there into the media world. We’re so much more than a face, a body, and a head of hair.

Kathleen, Freelance writer/reporter, HollywoodLife

Q: What do you do?

A: At HollywoodLife I write stories on celebrities, construct celebrity bios for our site, and reach out to celebrity reps about news. The tone at HollywoodLife is very “young” so we write stories in an upbeat, conversational way in order to reach our millennial and younger audience. My favorite part of the job is when I get to write fashion stories.

Q: Have you noticed any gender inequality in your workplace or in the media in general?

A: I haven’t noticed any gender inequality in my workplace. HollywoodLife does attract women writers more than men though because our audience is predominantly female. In media in general I guess I would say that there are a lot of men — I know my roommate works with all men and she’s in the media industry as well. It’s just harder for me to see though because I’m in a niche category — fashion — that has ALWAYS been dominated by women. So everywhere I look there are women. I obviously know that that’s not the case everywhere. In the news industry there are a lot of men.

Q: Have you feel about the representation of women in the media industry?

A: I feel like women are overly sexualized in the media a lot of times. They’re made to look dumb as well, which I find offensive. People think of male anchors and weatherman as intelligent professionals while they view women anchors and weatherwoman as just a pretty face or a bimbo.

Q: What would you change, if you could?

A: It’s hard to say because it’s really just people’s attitudes that need to change but you can’t just change someone’s way of thinking — it’s a process that can take years. But I think we can start by giving women equal representation in the media and taking them seriously. Us women need to stick together and stand up for each other as well. That can start with equal pay!

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