January 29, 2024 • 23 mins
Dive into the captivating world of entertainment production with our distinguished guest, Vibika Bianchi, an esteemed award-winning Executive Producer with over three decades of industry experience. Discover how she has masterfully brought to life both her own visions, and those of others. From pioneering hit shows like 'Property Brothers' and 'Love It or List It' to her latest production, Carolyn Taylor's 'I Have Nothing' on Crave, Vibika’s journey is nothing short of inspiring.
Listeners will be captivated by:
- The challenges and breakthroughs in her journey, including the production of the Gemini-winning 'David Milgaard Story.'
- Her insights on advocating for innovative projects like 'Love It or List It' and 'Property Brothers.'
- The evolution of decision-making in the industry, blending creativity with business acumen.
- Vibika’s current focus on empowering women in content creation, highlighting her work with Catalyst and the Docs for Change initiative.
This episode is a goldmine for anyone interested in media production, leadership, and the empowerment of women in the entertainment industry. Join us as we explore Vibika's remarkable career and her profound insights on navigating and leading in the world of entertainment.
Follow Vibika on Instagram
Learn more about Catalyst: https://www.catalystforcreators.com/
Learn more: aftermetoo.com
For us for actionable tools & tips for your leadership journey
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
How do you advocate for something that's risky that
hasn't been done?
Joining me is Vipica Bianchi,an award-winning executive
producer.
She's pioneered lifestylepowerhouses like Property
Brothers and Love it or List it.
Her work has been seen aroundthe world on platforms such as
HGTV, Food Network, Own and manymore.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Our goal really is to help give opportunities to
women creators and help them gettheir ideas made, and often we
look at it as ideas thatwouldn't otherwise be made.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
In this episode, we explore the importance of female
storytelling, gain insightsfrom her career arc in the
entertainment industry anddiscuss leadership perspectives
that come with age and wisdom.
Let's dive in.
So, Vipica, first of all, thankyou for coming into the studio
and being with us here today.
You have been entertaining theglobal audiences for three
(00:57):
decades now and you have been apowerhouse for shows that I
personally love PropertyBrothers Love it or List it.
The list goes on Hockey Wives.
Your latest project has been onCrave, Carolyn Taylor's.
I have Nothing, and I have somany questions about this one
for you, so thank you so muchfor being here.
(01:17):
Thank you, it's a pleasure tobe here.
Well, my first question, as wejust kind of go through that
backdrop three decades in theentertainment industry.
What was the early start likefor you?
What was that journey like?
Speaker 2 (01:30):
What I think was really important in a kind of
pivotal moment was when I wentto school.
I went to Ryerson now TorontoMetropolitan University and when
I went there and got the chanceto really try out the craft, I
knew I was in the right placeand it was very exciting.
And you know, I was a decentstudent prior to then.
(01:51):
But then I became a really goodstudent because I was doing
something I loved and I knewthat it just was my thing, so
got a degree there and then whenI got out of school I was ready
to produce.
And you know, you just don'tget a job producing right out of
school.
So I had to work my way up, andI actually think that was a
gift.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
What I'm curious about, because those of us who
might not be that close to whatdoes it mean to produce Like?
When you say I knew I wanted toproduce like, what does that
actually mean?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Well, I mean the truth of producing is that it
kind of is a catch-off phrase.
It covers so many differentthings, but producing is really
seeing something to fruition.
I think it's ultimately,whether it's your idea or
someone else's, it's taking thatand seeing it come to life.
Yeah, so that is really whatthe essence of producing is is
(02:41):
like taking something, that youhave the instinct or you know,
just the gut feeling thatthere's something to this Seeing
, believing in the visionwhether it's yours or someone
else isn't understanding thatvision and then bringing it to
life.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
When you look back and through your childhood, were
there any early influences thatyou were naturally creative
Like?
Did you have just kind of aknack for it?
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I think one of the major influences and this is
funny to me still when I say it,but is the Mary Tyler Moore
show.
Yeah, she was an associateproducer and I just thought
that's so cool what she's doing.
And she just, you know, she wasbasically glorified secretary,
but she did get to produce andwhen she did, it was really neat
.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
And I liked her as a character and I think that was
sort of the early motivation.
I knew I wanted to do it.
I didn't know how to get there.
How do I, this person with noconnections and you know, you
really kind of get that messagea lot that you need to know
somebody to get somewhere inthis business.
And I didn't have that.
(03:40):
So I I kind of just lookedaround for opportunities, I
volunteered, I did, I worked inas a production assistant on
corporate videos.
I did a whole bunch of things.
I did Rogers cable 10.
We would go in and record thecity council meetings and that
was a painful, painfully long.
That's commitment to the craft,yeah, but it was.
(04:03):
It was again.
It was building that kind ofbelief that I knew what I wanted
to do and understanding thebusiness more, because I think
that's part of my process is Ineed to.
In order to do something, Ifeel like I have to get a good
understanding of it, and thatwas my way of doing that.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
What was the arc like , from, you know, being an
assistant to really starting tohave a level of influence and,
you know, a seat at the table?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
There were a couple of women that hired me at my
first job and they were verymuch motivated to see me succeed
, and so, as they were, you know, progressing in their careers,
they were looking foropportunities for me.
After a while I started to say,like, can I join?
And you know, can I read thatscript?
Speaker 1 (04:43):
and whatever it was, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And I think for me, I just I don't know.
I think a lot of people feelthat way.
When you're starting somethingnew, you got to kind of build
confidence first.
But also I was frustrated fornot being able to do it and I
think that is a motivator whenyou see it happening around you
and you're not part of it.
Yeah, I just was motivated bythat kind of hunger to get
involved, and so it would take arisk every once in a while and
(05:07):
say, can I join, and you know?
And then eventually I wasleading.
You know, and what was thatfirst project that you didn't
lead?
I think the one that reallystood out for me was it was the
David Milgaard story.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
It was a TV movie for CTV.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Yeah, I got to be involved in producing capacity
and quickly kind of discoveredthat I knew what I was doing
because I've all those years, Iguess, of building towards it
and I took charge to a largedegree and, you know, oversaw
the kind of execution through tothe end and you know we won a
Gemini.
You know that was exciting, itwas an exciting time and I
(05:43):
really felt that that was againsort of reinforcing my gut that
this is where I'm supposed to be.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
When you were starting to get you know that
spot in your career, and nowyou're like no, I'm going to
pioneer for new and I'm achampion for new concepts.
Right, how do you advocate forsomething that's risky, that
hasn't been done?
Yeah, yeah, like, let's go tothat moment.
And I don't know if it wasproperty brothers or if there
(06:10):
was a concept before that.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Levered List came before property brothers and
well, I think there's you know,it's interesting because there's
sort of different eras of thatrole, of that commissioning role
, where you are the one that issaying, yes, I'm going to take
this forward and get by ininternally and, you know, let's
see if we can get it made.
But early on Levered List itwas this project that came
(06:34):
around because somebodyinternally at the channel not in
the programming department hadthis idea essentially and that
became the nugget of it.
And then the team, theprogramming team, myself and two
others, really sort of dove inand tried to turn this into a
concept that made sense and itfeels fairly straightforward now
(06:56):
.
But it was one of those thingsthat was quite complex to work
out.
Some of those details, yeah,that kind of fell together in a
really nice way.
It wasn't.
This wasn't met with anyresistance.
We just were like we're doingthis and we know there's an idea
here.
And it was a different eraBecause we really got to play a
little bit, we got to kind ofuse our gut and you know we've
(07:17):
been doing a ton of propertyprogramming at that point.
So we certainly knew themarketplace.
So, yeah, that's that's howthose evolved and again, part of
that was also selling thoseprojects both to HGTV US,
because those originated onDelby network.
Then once it got the USpresence, they blow up, of
course, right.
Yeah, it's sort of later onwhere there's that period of
(07:39):
time where suddenly it was a lotmore people wanted to be part
of those decisions and wanted totalk about ROI and wanted to,
and you're going.
You know, the truth of thematter is there is no guaranteed
ROI on these things.
You never know what's going towork.
So it's always an experimentand I think you know I'm going
(08:00):
to speak frankly and just saythere was a point where that
ability to trust the programmingteam to really go with what
they knew it was sort of verymuch shifted to a, to a bottom
line focus.
And how can we guarantee you ahit?
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Was it a reflection of the times or do you think
it's a function of success?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
To be honest with you , I think it's a mixture,
because I think the successbrought more attention.
I think it also was, you know,just a shift in terms of how the
business was run.
All of those things kind ofconspired to create a little a
different model for how we madedecisions In my last couple of
years.
There we were doing math aroundthese green light decisions.
(08:40):
Right, and okay, I'll do yourmath, but it's not going to tell
you anything.
No guarantee there's noguarantee.
No guarantee.
I mean, I will say, just goingback to your previous question,
on one of the projects that wasreally kind of that took a
little bit more work to sellthrough and that was undercover
boss Canada, which we did theCanadian version of and it was
actually a CTV that had theAmerican version and so they
(09:02):
would have been the incumbent tohave the Canadian version and
they passed on it and I thinkCBC had also passed on it and
you know this little cablechannel was like got this
opportunity to do thisrelatively big, you know,
network show, and the way to dothat for me had became to build,
buy in individually, okay,Before you have that meeting,
(09:25):
understanding their concerns,making sure we say, yes, we will
have that will happen.
We'll do that, we'll take careof that.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
So what's fascinating about what you're talking about
is this kind of consensusbuilding and then having the
courage to kind of present in alarger team meeting.
Was there ever a point in yourtenure where you didn't feel
like you needed to do that thatmuch?
Speaker 2 (09:49):
I feel that way now in my career, but it became
trickier to do that in thatcorporate environment where,
again, we were doing math thatis light on green lights.
It just wasn't to me that was.
You know, that's part of thatis main reason why I left was
that it was.
It felt like it was getting inthe way of the creativity, of
the art, of the instinct, and Ireally I've stressed instinct
(10:10):
and I think instinct issomething that you earn and you
gain over years of doing thething and studying and just
knowing your craft so well.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
I want to kind of evolve a little bit and talk
about what you're up to today.
Can you share a little bitabout some of the work you're
doing today as it relates tocatalyst?
We'll talk a little bit aboutkind of women and content
creation for women, Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Yeah, I'm going to give a little bit of background
first, which is that when I was,when I was at E1, I started
also working for this nonprofitorganization called After Me Too
, which was advocacy for womenwho were women and people in the
workplace who had experiencedsexual harassment and sexual
(10:57):
abuse and misconduct.
And it was a brand new charityand I helped kind of build it
and turn it into a charity infact, and it's gut wrenching
work and you know you'recompeting against this vast
array of charities that needsthe money, you know, but it's
rewarding in the sense that it'snow a wonderful website where
people can go to and get into it, and I think it's a great way
(11:18):
to work with people and get helpif they're experiencing that,
and not just in theentertainment business, by the
way.
So I was doing the TV work andthe charity work and then the
pandemic hit and you know Ifound myself trying to figure
out what I wanted to do next andcame across this fellow
producer, Julie Bristow, thatI've always wanted to work with
(11:38):
and we actually the very lastmeeting before the pandemic was
the two of us that are, you know, having coffee, saying we
should work together, and thenlockdown happened.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
So we were like oh.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
So we stayed in touch and we kept talking, and she
had this idea to start a companythat was about creating content
made by women and givingopportunity to women, and
because in this industry itstill is a disadvantage, and so
I was like I am in you knowwhatever like count me in.
(12:09):
So I've been with her since theearly days and it's been three
years now that we've been inbusiness and our goal really is
to help give opportunities towomen creators and help them get
their ideas made and like andoften we look at it as ideas
that wouldn't otherwise be made,you know, and that's such a
(12:29):
rewarding and exciting place tobe.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
When you do give women a chance.
Is there anything in thatdynamic that you have a unique
perspective on, Like I see it inentrepreneurship?
But I'm just curious of whensomeone does say, oh my goodness
, you believe in our ideas, Likewhat has been your experience
believing in a female contentcreator?
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Honestly, I feel like there is a lot of gratitude,
just appreciation for thisopportunity that is giving women
a kind of advantage thatnormally doesn't exist.
So I see that I think I see alot of women kind of going up
and dying to take this tosomebody, but didn't know who it
(13:10):
would be until I heard aboutyou.
That is definitely coming up.
People are feeling like there'sa place for them and I think
that's part of what we want todo as a company, as an
organization, is creatingsisterhood and being there for
each other and supporting eachother.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Well, I was on the website and I was checking out
the Docs for Change initiativethat you have in partnership
with Nix.
Would you mind just kind ofgiving a bit of a backdrop on
what that is and where you guysare at in the project we're?
Speaker 2 (13:37):
working with Nix on this initiative that is really
geared towards futuredocumentaries by women creators
again, again, a space wherethere hasn't been a ton of
opportunity.
It's also really tough to makefuture documentaries and you'll
talk to any woman who makesfuture documentaries, even if
(13:58):
it's their 10th one.
They're often doing it on theirown dime and you know, just in
their spare time and trying tofigure out how to make that
happen, because you have to kindof prove it before it's bought.
It's often the case that menare given the chance by just
(14:21):
talking loud about the idea andknowing the right people.
Women have to prove it.
We are.
Well.
We can't completely eliminatethat need to prove.
There still needs to be somework to be pitching something.
What.
We're looking at it as anopportunity to say I believe in
you, you know you have a greattrack record, you've done some
amazing work.
Your idea, you're verypassionate about it.
(14:42):
You know your idea, let's go.
Yeah, no, you don't have tomake it first and then we'll buy
it after.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Like it can actually be there from the beginning and
help a filmmaker make theirproject from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
So with a lot of these submissions, have you
noticed a kind of culturalthemes on what's coming in?
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, first off, I'll say we had over
50 submissions and from allkinds of creators, and it's
really exciting and such greatwork.
So it was really really verymoving to see the amount of
ideas that were coming in, andthe level and the quality of the
work was also really impressive.
Yeah, there were four themesthat we kind of could see
(15:27):
throughout the varioussubmissions, and the first was
women's health Everything from,you know, mental health to
reproductive health, yeah,women's rights and advocacy.
So, again, abortion rights,everything you know to do with
women, and various rights thatare still not granted to women
(15:53):
in a lot of cases, yeah.
The third was climate changeand again, I think we've seen
that a lot of women are very, um, yeah, kind of concerned and
motivated to help in that cause.
And then the last was wisdomand aging and, uh, and that was
(16:15):
really interesting, there was alot of kind of really
interesting ideas about howoften women are are kind of
sidelined over 50.
And that there is a whole lotmore there that we are just not
tapping into.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Well, this is the one we're going to tap into I am.
I've been itching to talk aboutthe wisdom.
So I'm 45.
I think I am feeling the share.
I am feeling like I am movinginto the chapter of 30s.
For me was there was a lot ofambition, I would say proving
energy.
Something changed for me at 45.
(16:55):
Right, I found that I was like,well, if it's not now.
When Right First thought, if Idon't do it now, wait, what am I
waiting for?
That was kind of this rising up.
Then I had this, you know,realization that I think I've
been caught in this pattern oflike well, somebody else must
know more and better.
But I think you get to start anage of like, no, I'm kind of
(17:17):
the adult here.
Like then, you've seen enough,it's time to step into it.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
This is why we're here.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
We can talk about wisdom for you.
As you think about aging andwisdom, what are some shifts
that you found inside ofyourself that have impacted you
professionally?
Speaker 2 (17:36):
I'm sure I'm not even going to begin to scratch the
surface, but I'll do my besthere and say that there are a
few things that stand out for me.
One is is kind of knowing whatbattles to choose, knowing where
your energy is best spent andnot like just walking away from
(17:57):
the stuff that's just not worthit Because you're not going to
win every battle.
I think that's been really,really important for me is just
and not also putting thepressure on yourself to know
everything, to completeeverything, to succeed at
everything, to whatever.
It's just not going to happen,and if you do that you start to
(18:19):
spread yourself tooth in.
So it really is about focusing.
I think it's about givingyourself that permission to
choose and to be selective aboutwhere your best results are
going to be.
Results are going to come fromwhere you're more.
The biggest reward is going tocome from where your
satisfaction is going to comefrom, where you're going to feel
(18:40):
like you're going to succeed.
In the sense, of this matchesmy the gifts that I have to give
.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
I keep hearing the word in my head, discernment, as
you talk about that becausediscernment is the art of being
able to see many, many things atthe same time.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Right, your ability to really put the energy and the
right kind of energy intothings.
I think you get so much betterat that and why wouldn't you
want to use that?
That's a gift and I think alsowe're really good at.
I think we just have a betterunderstanding at this age.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
I guess we don't underestimate the power of
charisma and passion as wecommunicate and narrate our
visions and tell our stories.
If you were to kind of lookback on that early PA assistant
and think about your arc, whatwould you have?
Speaker 2 (19:35):
told her First, I would say you'll get there.
Hmm, trust, trust, keep going,move forward, You'll get there.
Don't resent the seeminglymenial jobs that feel like they
are slowing down your progressto getting there, because, as I
was saying before, producing isa job that really covers so many
(19:58):
different things, and the moreyou know about how, what it
takes to make something, I thinkthe better producer you are.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
You just have a better understanding of the
picture and what it takes andhow people's roles work and all
of that, and I think you know,just value each of those
experiences as part of abuilding block to what you're
going to be.
And then I think the otherthing I say is that you're going
to when you're in your earlycareer, you're going to be given
(20:27):
projects before you get to makeyour own that you're not
getting.
You're like no, find somethingto love in it.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
If you can find something to love in it, you're
going to make a great show.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
And what's exciting you about what's next, like,
what's in the horizons, what'sthe vision for you for 2024?
Well, you did such a loadedquestion when I asked people.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Well, you know what I mean.
The truth is, we want to doanother season if I have nothing
.
Oh yeah, it's going to be atotally different adventure, and
so so we're in the process oftrying to see if we can get that
happening.
I've got some other projectsthat I'm really excited about in
the documentary True CrimeSpace.
Yeah, really, what I feelexcited about just personally,
not just the projects is just, Ifeel more connected.
I feel like at this stage in mycareer I'm more connected to
(21:16):
these projects.
I am very hands on, I'm veryinvolved, I'm very collaborative
, I'm part of that process morethan maybe I had previously been
helping to elevate otherpeople's projects.
Now I feel like I'm part ofthat team more, yeah, and my
voice is part of that, what youfinally see on screen.
And so there's something aboutfinding ownership, I think also
(21:40):
happening at this point.
How does it feel telling yourstory here today.
That's good, Actually a lotless scary than I thought it
would be.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
It's like I'm afraid, I'm like the executive producer
is like on the show and oh mygosh, not at all, not at all.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
You guys have a great thing going here it feels,
really good and it feels likethank you for making me feel
comfortable and because you'redoing a great job and I really
do like I've been listening toyour show and it's like you've
got a lot of wisdom to share too.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
So I know doing this every week, I feel like I'm in a
masterclass of growing andevolving as a human to do this.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
So, yeah, I can only say and I'm genuinely mean this
that you belong here.
You are doing what you shouldbe doing and you're doing an
incredible job and you arenatural.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Oh, thank you, Vivica .
If people wanted to find you,where's the best resource for
them to follow along?
Speaker 2 (22:31):
So you can reach out on our website, which is
catalystforcreatorscom.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Instagram okay, vivica B.
Okay, and we'll link everythinginto the show notes.
Well, that's a wrap.
Thank you, vivica, for being onthe show.
This has been an amazing treat.
Thank you for joining us.
Don't forget to follow us onInstagram and LinkedIn, where we
transform the wisdom from ourpodcast into practical tips,
tools and takeaways for yourleadership journey.
(22:59):
Find us at gritgracepodcast.
See you next week.
How do you advocate for something that's risky that
hasn't been done?
Joining me is Vipica Bianchi,an award-winning executive
producer.
She's pioneered lifestylepowerhouses like Property
Brothers and Love it or List it.
Her work has been seen aroundthe world on platforms such as
HGTV, Food Network, Own and manymore.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Our goal really is to help give opportunities to
women creators and help them gettheir ideas made, and often we
look at it as ideas thatwouldn't otherwise be made.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
In this episode, we explore the importance of female
storytelling, gain insightsfrom her career arc in the
entertainment industry anddiscuss leadership perspectives
that come with age and wisdom.
Let's dive in.
So, Vipica, first of all, thankyou for coming into the studio
and being with us here today.
You have been entertaining theglobal audiences for three
(00:57):
decades now and you have been apowerhouse for shows that I
personally love PropertyBrothers Love it or List it.
The list goes on Hockey Wives.
Your latest project has been onCrave, Carolyn Taylor's.
I have Nothing, and I have somany questions about this one
for you, so thank you so muchfor being here.
(01:17):
Thank you, it's a pleasure tobe here.
Well, my first question, as wejust kind of go through that
backdrop three decades in theentertainment industry.
What was the early start likefor you?
What was that journey like?
Speaker 2 (01:30):
What I think was really important in a kind of
pivotal moment was when I wentto school.
I went to Ryerson now TorontoMetropolitan University and when
I went there and got the chanceto really try out the craft, I
knew I was in the right placeand it was very exciting.
And you know, I was a decentstudent prior to then.
(01:51):
But then I became a really goodstudent because I was doing
something I loved and I knewthat it just was my thing, so
got a degree there and then whenI got out of school I was ready
to produce.
And you know, you just don'tget a job producing right out of
school.
So I had to work my way up, andI actually think that was a
gift.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
What I'm curious about, because those of us who
might not be that close to whatdoes it mean to produce Like?
When you say I knew I wanted toproduce like, what does that
actually mean?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Well, I mean the truth of producing is that it
kind of is a catch-off phrase.
It covers so many differentthings, but producing is really
seeing something to fruition.
I think it's ultimately,whether it's your idea or
someone else's, it's taking thatand seeing it come to life.
Yeah, so that is really whatthe essence of producing is is
(02:41):
like taking something, that youhave the instinct or you know,
just the gut feeling thatthere's something to this Seeing
, believing in the visionwhether it's yours or someone
else isn't understanding thatvision and then bringing it to
life.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
When you look back and through your childhood, were
there any early influences thatyou were naturally creative
Like?
Did you have just kind of aknack for it?
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I think one of the major influences and this is
funny to me still when I say it,but is the Mary Tyler Moore
show.
Yeah, she was an associateproducer and I just thought
that's so cool what she's doing.
And she just, you know, she wasbasically glorified secretary,
but she did get to produce andwhen she did, it was really neat
.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
And I liked her as a character and I think that was
sort of the early motivation.
I knew I wanted to do it.
I didn't know how to get there.
How do I, this person with noconnections and you know, you
really kind of get that messagea lot that you need to know
somebody to get somewhere inthis business.
And I didn't have that.
(03:40):
So I I kind of just lookedaround for opportunities, I
volunteered, I did, I worked inas a production assistant on
corporate videos.
I did a whole bunch of things.
I did Rogers cable 10.
We would go in and record thecity council meetings and that
was a painful, painfully long.
That's commitment to the craft,yeah, but it was.
(04:03):
It was again.
It was building that kind ofbelief that I knew what I wanted
to do and understanding thebusiness more, because I think
that's part of my process is Ineed to.
In order to do something, Ifeel like I have to get a good
understanding of it, and thatwas my way of doing that.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
What was the arc like , from, you know, being an
assistant to really starting tohave a level of influence and,
you know, a seat at the table?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
There were a couple of women that hired me at my
first job and they were verymuch motivated to see me succeed
, and so, as they were, you know, progressing in their careers,
they were looking foropportunities for me.
After a while I started to say,like, can I join?
And you know, can I read thatscript?
Speaker 1 (04:43):
and whatever it was, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And I think for me, I just I don't know.
I think a lot of people feelthat way.
When you're starting somethingnew, you got to kind of build
confidence first.
But also I was frustrated fornot being able to do it and I
think that is a motivator whenyou see it happening around you
and you're not part of it.
Yeah, I just was motivated bythat kind of hunger to get
involved, and so it would take arisk every once in a while and
(05:07):
say, can I join, and you know?
And then eventually I wasleading.
You know, and what was thatfirst project that you didn't
lead?
I think the one that reallystood out for me was it was the
David Milgaard story.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
It was a TV movie for CTV.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Yeah, I got to be involved in producing capacity
and quickly kind of discoveredthat I knew what I was doing
because I've all those years, Iguess, of building towards it
and I took charge to a largedegree and, you know, oversaw
the kind of execution through tothe end and you know we won a
Gemini.
You know that was exciting, itwas an exciting time and I
(05:43):
really felt that that was againsort of reinforcing my gut that
this is where I'm supposed to be.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
When you were starting to get you know that
spot in your career, and nowyou're like no, I'm going to
pioneer for new and I'm achampion for new concepts.
Right, how do you advocate forsomething that's risky, that
hasn't been done?
Yeah, yeah, like, let's go tothat moment.
And I don't know if it wasproperty brothers or if there
(06:10):
was a concept before that.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Levered List came before property brothers and
well, I think there's you know,it's interesting because there's
sort of different eras of thatrole, of that commissioning role
, where you are the one that issaying, yes, I'm going to take
this forward and get by ininternally and, you know, let's
see if we can get it made.
But early on Levered List itwas this project that came
(06:34):
around because somebodyinternally at the channel not in
the programming department hadthis idea essentially and that
became the nugget of it.
And then the team, theprogramming team, myself and two
others, really sort of dove inand tried to turn this into a
concept that made sense and itfeels fairly straightforward now
(06:56):
.
But it was one of those thingsthat was quite complex to work
out.
Some of those details, yeah,that kind of fell together in a
really nice way.
It wasn't.
This wasn't met with anyresistance.
We just were like we're doingthis and we know there's an idea
here.
And it was a different eraBecause we really got to play a
little bit, we got to kind ofuse our gut and you know we've
(07:17):
been doing a ton of propertyprogramming at that point.
So we certainly knew themarketplace.
So, yeah, that's that's howthose evolved and again, part of
that was also selling thoseprojects both to HGTV US,
because those originated onDelby network.
Then once it got the USpresence, they blow up, of
course, right.
Yeah, it's sort of later onwhere there's that period of
(07:39):
time where suddenly it was a lotmore people wanted to be part
of those decisions and wanted totalk about ROI and wanted to,
and you're going.
You know, the truth of thematter is there is no guaranteed
ROI on these things.
You never know what's going towork.
So it's always an experimentand I think you know I'm going
(08:00):
to speak frankly and just saythere was a point where that
ability to trust the programmingteam to really go with what
they knew it was sort of verymuch shifted to a, to a bottom
line focus.
And how can we guarantee you ahit?
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Was it a reflection of the times or do you think
it's a function of success?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
To be honest with you , I think it's a mixture,
because I think the successbrought more attention.
I think it also was, you know,just a shift in terms of how the
business was run.
All of those things kind ofconspired to create a little a
different model for how we madedecisions In my last couple of
years.
There we were doing math aroundthese green light decisions.
(08:40):
Right, and okay, I'll do yourmath, but it's not going to tell
you anything.
No guarantee there's noguarantee.
No guarantee.
I mean, I will say, just goingback to your previous question,
on one of the projects that wasreally kind of that took a
little bit more work to sellthrough and that was undercover
boss Canada, which we did theCanadian version of and it was
actually a CTV that had theAmerican version and so they
(09:02):
would have been the incumbent tohave the Canadian version and
they passed on it and I thinkCBC had also passed on it and
you know this little cablechannel was like got this
opportunity to do thisrelatively big, you know,
network show, and the way to dothat for me had became to build,
buy in individually, okay,Before you have that meeting,
(09:25):
understanding their concerns,making sure we say, yes, we will
have that will happen.
We'll do that, we'll take careof that.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
So what's fascinating about what you're talking about
is this kind of consensusbuilding and then having the
courage to kind of present in alarger team meeting.
Was there ever a point in yourtenure where you didn't feel
like you needed to do that thatmuch?
Speaker 2 (09:49):
I feel that way now in my career, but it became
trickier to do that in thatcorporate environment where,
again, we were doing math thatis light on green lights.
It just wasn't to me that was.
You know, that's part of thatis main reason why I left was
that it was.
It felt like it was getting inthe way of the creativity, of
the art, of the instinct, and Ireally I've stressed instinct
(10:10):
and I think instinct issomething that you earn and you
gain over years of doing thething and studying and just
knowing your craft so well.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
I want to kind of evolve a little bit and talk
about what you're up to today.
Can you share a little bitabout some of the work you're
doing today as it relates tocatalyst?
We'll talk a little bit aboutkind of women and content
creation for women, Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Yeah, I'm going to give a little bit of background
first, which is that when I was,when I was at E1, I started
also working for this nonprofitorganization called After Me Too
, which was advocacy for womenwho were women and people in the
workplace who had experiencedsexual harassment and sexual
(10:57):
abuse and misconduct.
And it was a brand new charityand I helped kind of build it
and turn it into a charity infact, and it's gut wrenching
work and you know you'recompeting against this vast
array of charities that needsthe money, you know, but it's
rewarding in the sense that it'snow a wonderful website where
people can go to and get into it, and I think it's a great way
(11:18):
to work with people and get helpif they're experiencing that,
and not just in theentertainment business, by the
way.
So I was doing the TV work andthe charity work and then the
pandemic hit and you know Ifound myself trying to figure
out what I wanted to do next andcame across this fellow
producer, Julie Bristow, thatI've always wanted to work with
(11:38):
and we actually the very lastmeeting before the pandemic was
the two of us that are, you know, having coffee, saying we
should work together, and thenlockdown happened.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
So we were like oh.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
So we stayed in touch and we kept talking, and she
had this idea to start a companythat was about creating content
made by women and givingopportunity to women, and
because in this industry itstill is a disadvantage, and so
I was like I am in you knowwhatever like count me in.
(12:09):
So I've been with her since theearly days and it's been three
years now that we've been inbusiness and our goal really is
to help give opportunities towomen creators and help them get
their ideas made and like andoften we look at it as ideas
that wouldn't otherwise be made,you know, and that's such a
(12:29):
rewarding and exciting place tobe.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
When you do give women a chance.
Is there anything in thatdynamic that you have a unique
perspective on, Like I see it inentrepreneurship?
But I'm just curious of whensomeone does say, oh my goodness
, you believe in our ideas, Likewhat has been your experience
believing in a female contentcreator?
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Honestly, I feel like there is a lot of gratitude,
just appreciation for thisopportunity that is giving women
a kind of advantage thatnormally doesn't exist.
So I see that I think I see alot of women kind of going up
and dying to take this tosomebody, but didn't know who it
(13:10):
would be until I heard aboutyou.
That is definitely coming up.
People are feeling like there'sa place for them and I think
that's part of what we want todo as a company, as an
organization, is creatingsisterhood and being there for
each other and supporting eachother.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Well, I was on the website and I was checking out
the Docs for Change initiativethat you have in partnership
with Nix.
Would you mind just kind ofgiving a bit of a backdrop on
what that is and where you guysare at in the project we're?
Speaker 2 (13:37):
working with Nix on this initiative that is really
geared towards futuredocumentaries by women creators
again, again, a space wherethere hasn't been a ton of
opportunity.
It's also really tough to makefuture documentaries and you'll
talk to any woman who makesfuture documentaries, even if
(13:58):
it's their 10th one.
They're often doing it on theirown dime and you know, just in
their spare time and trying tofigure out how to make that
happen, because you have to kindof prove it before it's bought.
It's often the case that menare given the chance by just
(14:21):
talking loud about the idea andknowing the right people.
Women have to prove it.
We are.
Well.
We can't completely eliminatethat need to prove.
There still needs to be somework to be pitching something.
What.
We're looking at it as anopportunity to say I believe in
you, you know you have a greattrack record, you've done some
amazing work.
Your idea, you're verypassionate about it.
(14:42):
You know your idea, let's go.
Yeah, no, you don't have tomake it first and then we'll buy
it after.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Like it can actually be there from the beginning and
help a filmmaker make theirproject from the beginning.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
So with a lot of these submissions, have you
noticed a kind of culturalthemes on what's coming in?
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, first off, I'll say we had over
50 submissions and from allkinds of creators, and it's
really exciting and such greatwork.
So it was really really verymoving to see the amount of
ideas that were coming in, andthe level and the quality of the
work was also really impressive.
Yeah, there were four themesthat we kind of could see
(15:27):
throughout the varioussubmissions, and the first was
women's health Everything from,you know, mental health to
reproductive health, yeah,women's rights and advocacy.
So, again, abortion rights,everything you know to do with
women, and various rights thatare still not granted to women
(15:53):
in a lot of cases, yeah.
The third was climate changeand again, I think we've seen
that a lot of women are very, um, yeah, kind of concerned and
motivated to help in that cause.
And then the last was wisdomand aging and, uh, and that was
(16:15):
really interesting, there was alot of kind of really
interesting ideas about howoften women are are kind of
sidelined over 50.
And that there is a whole lotmore there that we are just not
tapping into.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Well, this is the one we're going to tap into I am.
I've been itching to talk aboutthe wisdom.
So I'm 45.
I think I am feeling the share.
I am feeling like I am movinginto the chapter of 30s.
For me was there was a lot ofambition, I would say proving
energy.
Something changed for me at 45.
(16:55):
Right, I found that I was like,well, if it's not now.
When Right First thought, if Idon't do it now, wait, what am I
waiting for?
That was kind of this rising up.
Then I had this, you know,realization that I think I've
been caught in this pattern oflike well, somebody else must
know more and better.
But I think you get to start anage of like, no, I'm kind of
(17:17):
the adult here.
Like then, you've seen enough,it's time to step into it.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
This is why we're here.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
We can talk about wisdom for you.
As you think about aging andwisdom, what are some shifts
that you found inside ofyourself that have impacted you
professionally?
Speaker 2 (17:36):
I'm sure I'm not even going to begin to scratch the
surface, but I'll do my besthere and say that there are a
few things that stand out for me.
One is is kind of knowing whatbattles to choose, knowing where
your energy is best spent andnot like just walking away from
(17:57):
the stuff that's just not worthit Because you're not going to
win every battle.
I think that's been really,really important for me is just
and not also putting thepressure on yourself to know
everything, to completeeverything, to succeed at
everything, to whatever.
It's just not going to happen,and if you do that you start to
(18:19):
spread yourself tooth in.
So it really is about focusing.
I think it's about givingyourself that permission to
choose and to be selective aboutwhere your best results are
going to be.
Results are going to come fromwhere you're more.
The biggest reward is going tocome from where your
satisfaction is going to comefrom, where you're going to feel
(18:40):
like you're going to succeed.
In the sense, of this matchesmy the gifts that I have to give
.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
I keep hearing the word in my head, discernment, as
you talk about that becausediscernment is the art of being
able to see many, many things atthe same time.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Right, your ability to really put the energy and the
right kind of energy intothings.
I think you get so much betterat that and why wouldn't you
want to use that?
That's a gift and I think alsowe're really good at.
I think we just have a betterunderstanding at this age.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
I guess we don't underestimate the power of
charisma and passion as wecommunicate and narrate our
visions and tell our stories.
If you were to kind of lookback on that early PA assistant
and think about your arc, whatwould you have?
Speaker 2 (19:35):
told her First, I would say you'll get there.
Hmm, trust, trust, keep going,move forward, You'll get there.
Don't resent the seeminglymenial jobs that feel like they
are slowing down your progressto getting there, because, as I
was saying before, producing isa job that really covers so many
(19:58):
different things, and the moreyou know about how, what it
takes to make something, I thinkthe better producer you are.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
You just have a better understanding of the
picture and what it takes andhow people's roles work and all
of that, and I think you know,just value each of those
experiences as part of abuilding block to what you're
going to be.
And then I think the otherthing I say is that you're going
to when you're in your earlycareer, you're going to be given
(20:27):
projects before you get to makeyour own that you're not
getting.
You're like no, find somethingto love in it.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
If you can find something to love in it, you're
going to make a great show.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
And what's exciting you about what's next, like,
what's in the horizons, what'sthe vision for you for 2024?
Well, you did such a loadedquestion when I asked people.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Well, you know what I mean.
The truth is, we want to doanother season if I have nothing
.
Oh yeah, it's going to be atotally different adventure, and
so so we're in the process oftrying to see if we can get that
happening.
I've got some other projectsthat I'm really excited about in
the documentary True CrimeSpace.
Yeah, really, what I feelexcited about just personally,
not just the projects is just, Ifeel more connected.
I feel like at this stage in mycareer I'm more connected to
(21:16):
these projects.
I am very hands on, I'm veryinvolved, I'm very collaborative
, I'm part of that process morethan maybe I had previously been
helping to elevate otherpeople's projects.
Now I feel like I'm part ofthat team more, yeah, and my
voice is part of that, what youfinally see on screen.
And so there's something aboutfinding ownership, I think also
(21:40):
happening at this point.
How does it feel telling yourstory here today.
That's good, Actually a lotless scary than I thought it
would be.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
It's like I'm afraid, I'm like the executive producer
is like on the show and oh mygosh, not at all, not at all.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
You guys have a great thing going here it feels,
really good and it feels likethank you for making me feel
comfortable and because you'redoing a great job and I really
do like I've been listening toyour show and it's like you've
got a lot of wisdom to share too.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
So I know doing this every week, I feel like I'm in a
masterclass of growing andevolving as a human to do this.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
So, yeah, I can only say and I'm genuinely mean this
that you belong here.
You are doing what you shouldbe doing and you're doing an
incredible job and you arenatural.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Oh, thank you, Vivica .
If people wanted to find you,where's the best resource for
them to follow along?
Speaker 2 (22:31):
So you can reach out on our website, which is
catalystforcreatorscom.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Instagram okay, vivica B.
Okay, and we'll link everythinginto the show notes.
Well, that's a wrap.
Thank you, vivica, for being onthe show.
This has been an amazing treat.
Thank you for joining us.
Don't forget to follow us onInstagram and LinkedIn, where we
transform the wisdom from ourpodcast into practical tips,
tools and takeaways for yourleadership journey.
(22:59):
Find us at gritgracepodcast.
See you next week.
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