Women in the industry: What better way to start the year than with a reflection on the experience of our professionals.

From the APCP, we always support and promote female talent in our sector, participating, collaborating and carrying out various actions to highlight the value of women working in our industry.

A few months ago we started a project called “Talking to…” focusing on the idea that our female producers can tell us in first person about their careers, experiences, work and how they got to where they are.

And for this, we thank all those who have collaborated with this project.

Our producers emphasise that their experiences in the world of work have opened their eyes in many ways, enabling them to become great professionals in the sector and to carry out various projects.

To be able to work in this group, you need effort, attitude, enthusiasm and a bit of luck: “First and foremost, you have to like your job, when you tell people what you do, they say… How cool! But they don’t know the amount of work that goes into it, the hours and effort, it’s important to like what you do and not lose your enthusiasm. And secondly, tenacity, a lot of tenacity so that things go ahead”, as María Jesús Horcajuelo (President of the APCP and Founder and Executive Producer of Only 925) says.

All work must have an order and an organisation, it has to be built, discussed, followed and finally carried out with effort”. I recommend putting all your resources into making ONE good piece, instead of dividing that effort into 10 smaller pieces. With 1 good video nowadays a production company might be interested in you” advises Alba Barneda (Production Manager Canada).

Most of the time, the public only sees the result of a great project but they don’t really take into account all the work behind it and the process to achieve it. But there is the attitude and the passion to achieve those goals, as well as the learning as Ines Segura (Executive Producer of Primo) says: “I believe that all projects mark or teach you something. You learn from all of them”. Each project is not only an achievement, but also a personal merit that leaves its mark: “All projects leave their mark, because I put my soul into all of them” Leo Solanes (Director and Producer of Solanes Films).

Our professionals add that this industry has undergone a great evolution over the years. Technology has been a great help to make everything immediate and possible, as the main player in this profession is the clock. I have always said that this profession, more than a job, is a life choice. I would tell them that if they love it, they should work hard, never give up. To be constant, because with hard work and desire you can get anywhere”. Laura Bautista (Executive Producer Good Company)

Advances over time have meant that with the amount of accessible sources available to clients today, they have become stronger in the various departments, “with today’s technologies, these girls are little content creators from birth” Belén Garau (Producer at The Local Company Production). The big challenge facing our production companies is to make good projects that stand out, as nowadays most of them have so many media and audiovisual materials that it is difficult to do something different to capture attention. Most of the time we need “patience and vocation”, advises Edurne Domínguez (CEO & Production Manager of DOS35).

Nowadays there is more competition than before due to new advances and this profession is a team work that requires daily effort, attitude and above all not giving up: “bet on team work and tell all those girls who want to be part of the audiovisual world that if that’s what they want, go for it” Luna Esquerdo (Executive Producer Bambina). And although the industry has advanced, the truth is that there is still a lot of work to be done so that women continue to grow, as Irene Nuñez (Executive Producer and Partner of Garlic TV) tells us: “it is very important that more women enter this industry and, above all, more women in management positions in which there is still a clear minority”.

We are often afraid to start from scratch, as we have no experience and no knowledge, but we have to take the plunge and risk trying. How can we taste success if we don’t start from the beginning? As Tay Sanchez (Founder and Executive of Harry’s) says, “The key is to always be on the brink of disaster”.

If we look back at our childhood, we have all been that little girl who played and imagined what she wanted to be when she grew up. In one way or another we grew up dreaming until we became what we are today. Without a doubt we have made progress, but there is still a lot to do as Eva De Lera (Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Lobo Kane) tells us “Fortunately, women have gained a lot of ground in the industry although there is still a long way to go in some positions”.

Esta industria, requiere muchos requisitos que los jóvenes deben saber. Aunque el trabajo sea duro y haya que ponerle mucho empeño diariamente, si verdaderamente lo que te gusta puede ser gratificante: “Profesionalmente es el mundo más emocionante que conozco. Inestable, exigente y endogámico también, pero si te gusta la acción, sentir que cada día va a ser distinto y te pone lo de sentarte con tu equipo delante de un story y pensar «como coño vamos a hacer esto bien con la pasta que tenemos», no creo que pueda existir un trabajo mejor y más gratificante.” Melania Valero (Productora Ejecutiva Good Company). Pero también deben conocer que la mayoría de veces van ha tener que trabajar bajo presión y sin tiempo, pero MPaz Lara (Socia Fundadora y Directora de La Joya) aconseja “Mucha paciencia, mucho trabajo, y de fondo, cariño” para llevar a cabo grandes proyectos.

Finalmente, nuestras profesionales concluyen que este mundo está abierto a cualquier futuro profesional que se quiera verdaderamente dedicar a construir grandes sueños y que se vuelquen en ello, pero deben tener en cuenta que nada es sencillo y que para levantarse primero hay que caerse: “Que se lancen bien pronto. Que aprovechen para aprender y para aportar, para seguir su intuición y para equivocarse y para acertar” Mónica Tadeo (CEO y socia fundadora de MIRINDA FILMS).

Here are all the links to the interviews with our professionals:

Interview with Belén Garau (Producer of The Local Company Production).

https://apcp.es/conversando-con-belen-garau/

Interview with Luna Esquerdo (Executive Producer Bambina).

https://apcp.es/conversando-con-luna-esquerdo/

Interview with María Jesus Horcajuelo (President of the APCP and Founder and Executive Producer of Only 925)

https://apcp.es/conversando-con-maria-jesus-horcajuelo/

Interview with Eva De Lera (Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Lobo Kane)

https://apcp.es/conversando-coneva-de-lera/

Interview with MPaz Lara (Founding Partner and Director of La Joya)

https://apcp.es/conversando-con-mpaz-lara/

Interview with Leo Solanes (Director and Producer of Solanes Films).