On Tuesday evening, Females in the Broadcast Industry (FBI) used BVE 2016 as the platform for its official launch. The trade organisation, which was formed to support and facilitate the networking of women in non-craft roles in the broadcast industry, is free to join and open to both men and women.
The launch featured a panel discussion among six women working in diverse sectors of the media industry: Molly Connolly, WW strategist for media and entertainment at Dell; Natascha Cadle, facility director and founder of Envy Post; Rowan Bray, general manager of operations at Molinare; Pam Smith, sound engineer, NEP Visions; and Ilona Valent, EMEA systems engineer at Ross Video.
Moderated by Bubble and Squeak managing director and FBI founder, Sadie Groom, the panel offered advice on battling the workplace’s proverbial “glass ceiling”, which was reframed in a more positive light as the “glass ladder”.
“In fact, it’s not a glass ladder, its more like a tree,” said Rowan Bray, general manager of operations at Molinaire. “You can climb it in all kinds of different ways. There are more opportunities for women now than ever before.”
Molly Connolly offered a David Letterman style ‘Top 10 List’ of steps to take in pursuing making the best of your career. Her running theme was enthusiasm and service, a motif picked up by other panel members.
“Trust your gut instinct,” added Envy’s Natascha Cadle. “No one in the world knows you like you know yourself. And don’t give up. It’s easy to get knocked down. Opportunities will happen for you.”
NEP Visions’ Pam Smith said that enthusiasm and following her passion paid off, “All I ever wanted to do was sound. If you’re passionate about what you do and you enjoy it, it’s fun. And you can put up with a lot.”
Smith also believes that encouraging women to enter male-dominated industries shouldn’t be left until the time when women are embarking on a career. “I think you have to go back to school level.”
