The Quiet Strength Of Women In Entertainment
One might imagine a "Power Lunch" as a display of unbreachable strength, of polished armor and unwavering certainty. But the real conversation unfolding in the sun-drenched elegance of Cannes' Hotel Majestic on Monday felt quieter, more fragile, and infinitely more human than that. The stated theme for the MIPCOM Women in Global Entertainment Power Lunch was resilience, a word that, by its very nature, admits to the existence of damage.
It is a concept not about impenetrable fortresses, but about the painstaking work of rebuilding after the siege, of mending what has been broken, and of finding the will to stand up on ground that has already proven to be unsteady.
It was a sentiment that echoed in the frank and unvarnished discussion steered by British comedian Cally Beaton. The room, filled with some of television's most accomplished executives, listened as Kate Phillips, the BBC's newly-appointed chief content officer, gave voice to a quiet, persistent truth.
"When you're a woman in the media industry, you need more resilience than men," she stated, the words landing with the simple, unadorned weight of fact. This wasn't a complaint, but a diagnosis of a condition built from a thousand small cuts: the subtle dismissals in a writers' room, the second-guessing of a creative decision, the peculiar way one is judged not just for the work but for the tone in which it is delivered.
Phillips’ empathy extended downward, past her peers to the people just starting out. She worried aloud about the freelancers, the ones so precarious in a tough market that they might swallow mistreatment for fear of their next contract vanishing like a ghost.
The conversation wrestled with one of the most confusing paradoxes of professional life: the vast, echoing space between knowing what is right and feeling safe enough to do it.
Phillips’ advice to remember that no one, no matter how powerful or celebrated, is irreplaceable is a vital piece of armor. Yet, for someone whose rent depends on the goodwill of that very person, it can feel like an impossible truth to act upon. This is where the true, grinding work of resilience lies. It is not in a single, heroic act of speaking up, but in the daily, often silent, effort to maintain one’s own sense of worth against a tide of professional anxiety.
It is the kind of strength that is not loud but endures.
Lauren Tempest, the general manager of Hulu, offered a piece of advice that felt both impossibly difficult and absolutely necessary. She urged the women to "embrace the hard" moments, a phrase that sounds so simple on a Riviera afternoon but is a Herculean task in the quiet of a predawn worry.
Tempest, with a self-awareness that was both charming and deeply relatable, admitted it was a practice she was still trying to master herself. Her point was not about seeking out pain, but about changing one’s relationship to it. It’s the conscious decision to shorten the time between a fall and the act of getting up, to not let a setback curdle into a permanent state of defeat, to understand that the measure of a career is not in its flawless ascent but in its recovery from the inevitable turbulence.
• Resilience Over Invincibility The central theme was not about being unbreakable, but about the capacity to recover and adapt after facing professional hardship, a crucial distinction for women in the industry.• The Power Paradox Kate Phillips of the BBC highlighted a poignant reality: the more senior you become, the more your concern shifts to protecting the vulnerable, younger members of the industry, especially freelancers who may fear speaking out against poor treatment.
• The Myth of the Irreplaceable A key piece of advice was to internalize the fact that no one is truly irreplaceable.
This mindset is positioned as a tool to empower individuals to report bad behavior without fear that it will end their careers.
• Embracing "The Hard" Hulu's Lauren Tempest advocated for a shift in perspective—not to avoid difficult moments, but to build the capacity to respond to them quickly and move forward, focusing on the speed of recovery rather than the avoidance of failure.
The women who navigate the entertainment industry often find themselves at a crossroads, where the pursuit of creative expression intersects with the harsh realities of a male-dominated field. Their stories, though varied, share a common thread - a determination to succeed in a world that frequently seeks to undermine their authority and artistic vision.
Consider, for instance, the experiences of women like Frances Marion, a pioneering screenwriter who penned some of Hollywood's most iconic films, including "The Big Parade" and "Anna Karenina." Despite the strides made by trailblazers like Marion, women in the entertainment industry continue to face significant challenges.
According to a recent report, women remain underrepresented in key creative positions, such as directors and writers.
This disparity is particularly pronounced in the film industry, where women account for a mere fraction of directors and writers working on major productions. The scarcity of female voices behind the camera has far-reaching consequences, as it perpetuates a lack of diverse perspectives and experiences on screen.
The scarcity of women in positions of power has not gone unnoticed.
As "The Hollywood Reporter" recently noted, there is a growing movement to address the systemic inequalities faced by women in the entertainment industry. Initiatives aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion are gaining traction, with many organizations working ← →
Related perspectives: Check hereThis year's overarching theme for MIPCOM ⁘s Women In Global Entertainment Power Lunch? Resilience.○○○ ○ ○○○