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As the entertainment industry continues to confront and acknowledge long-standing gender inequality, discrimination, and sexual harassment; movements and initiatives meant to facilitate parity are taking center stage. And while there is still so much work left to be done, I’m hopeful the tide is turning.
Just last week at the Sundance Film Festival, #TimesUp in partnership with the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, aka the Inclusionists, announced the #4percentchallenge where actors and producers are committing to work on a project directed by a woman (and preferably one of color) over the next 18 months.
Initiatives targeting parity are a step in the right direction but where there is gender inequality there is most certainly motherhood bias and perhaps no one understands this better than a visionary leader and Panavision CEO, Kimberly Snyder. Founded in 1954, Panavision is synonymous with the film industry -- classic films like Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, as well as more recently acclaimed films like Black Panther, The Shape of Water, The Favourite and Argo--, were all shot using Panavision camera and/or lens technology. Snyder, a mother of two, was tapped to run the company in 2012 and has since risen to the top of a field historically dominated by men.
Snyder, more than most CEOs, understands and prioritizes the needs of both her employees and customers. To support moms and parents across the business who are juggling a demanding career in entertainment while caring for their family, Panavision partnered with Moms-in-Film; a non-profit organization founded to energize the careers of mothers and parents in film and television by providing community, funding, and advocacy. Beyond kid-friendly networking events for parents in 5 cities nationwide, Moms-in-Film created a mobile childcare project, the Wee Wagon, an advocacy initiative as well as a practical service in a non-traditional workforce with little in place to support parents. Most recently, Moms-In-Film and Collab&Play constructed a temporary Wee Wagon at Park City Community Church to provide childcare onsite at Sundance Film Festival for children ages 3 months - 12.
Beyond supporting programs like Moms-In-Film, I spoke with Snyder about how she managed her own career growth while raising a family and her commitment to shaping the lives of women and working parents at Panavision and on sets around the world, and why “time in the seat” is an ineffective way to measure employee performance. Here she shares how to advocate for your career as a working mother and what women can do to ensure they’re valued at work:
Mary Beth Ferrante: Panavision has always been at the forefront of innovation and technology offering their clients the best camera systems, lighting, post-production services and more. However, there is a side to Panavision that might not be known to most people. You also are involved in supporting innovative and diverse organizations and programs - like Women in Film and Moms in Film. Why is it important for Panavision to support these initiatives?
Kim Snyder: It is all about providing the means and opportunity for all our customers to excel in the industry, whether it be through innovative technology, educational programs, camera grants or sponsoring diversity initiatives and related resources. By offering the means which enable our customers to advance in their careers, as well as have a balanced life, everyone wins.
Ferrante: Panavision is an active supporter of Moms-In-Film. How does supporting Moms-in-Film and efforts like the WeeWagon childcare project align with Panavision's mission?
Snyder: Our company mission is rooted in a commitment to providing the best product & service solutions to the filmmaking industry. We also know that the commitment to a career in filmmaking requires an immense effort on the part of our customers to balance many life priorities including raising a family. By supporting the Wee Wagon childcare project and Moms-in-Film, we feel that we can do our part to help them provide such a crucial resource of child care to so many of our customers.
Ferrante: Beyond supporting organizations that broadly support prominent female cinematographers, how do you ensure you are advancing women within Panavision?
Snyder: Panavision is proud to have female representation at all levels and from all corners of our company. From the executive team, through sales & marketing, to engineering and manufacturing, the women at Panavision are among so many of our employees making a great impact within the organization. We have continued to expand the number of women in leadership roles at Panavision, bringing key diversity to decision-making rooms. We also work hard to maintain a culture of transparency & accessibility to leadership, which paves the way for female mentorships and guidance to flourish. Women, among all employees, are able to utilize our educational reimbursement program, which offers them the ability to pursue educational opportunities that further their career in fields within our industry. We feel it is in the best interest of the company, our customers and our employees to support each Panavision employee to reach their highest potential.
Ferrante: As CEO, you obviously have a very demanding career. And we always think it's important to share how working families are able to both support the needs of their family and grow their careers. Can you share a little bit about how you make it work within your own family? How have you personally managed the juggle between the demands of your career and family? What help have you enlisted?
Snyder: From a personal perspective, I am blessed with a beautiful family of four. My husband has had a longstanding career as a banker. We moved the family around a bit, and both worked as we raised our daughter and son. My husband's support is the #1 reason I can do what I do. Having a supportive partner makes a huge difference, when you collaborate in everything from managing household demands, to the important rigors of parenting, to be a sounding board and confidant. I realize that not everyone has that exact kind of support system. Through my own experiences, I've learned to feel comfortable asking for help from a close network of family and friends. The beauty of creating the network is having that last minute support but also helping in return, when you can. I’ve worked hard at letting go of certain things (like a constantly clean house) and focusing instead on the critical items both professionally and personally, that will have the most positive impact.
Ferrante: How have you personally advocated for your own career success as a working mother?
Snyder: Throughout my career, I have looked to work for an employer that measures me by what I accomplish, what I deliver, and on execution. Not on how long I am in the office. That’s not to say I don’t put in long hours. But as my children were growing up, having the latitude to complete work or answer emails early in the morning or late at night while the children were sleeping was paramount. For example, it has always been important to me to have dinner with my family when not on the road and I vowed never to work in a place that measured everyone based on “time in the seat.” It’s an ineffectual metric. I asked my companies to value what I do and how I contribute to the company’s success, not when and where I do it.
Ferrante: What advice do you have for women who are at that messy spot in life - the ones who are early to mid-career, still looking to make the jump to the next level, or that bigger project, while also raising small children?
Snyder: That phase of life where raising small children and advancing in your career intersect is absolutely a tough spot. I think it’s at a point of time like this where you can take an introspective pause and use your guiding principles as a roadmap for where you want to go and how you want to get there. Advancing in your career requires commitment, as execution is so important. There is no question, though, that there will be times where you have to make a choice between getting the job done and spending time with family…and family time will sometimes take a back seat. The concern comes when this is happening all the time. At that point, you need to stop and ask yourself why?
- Can you work smarter, instead of harder?
- Can you advocate for yourself and recommend solutions to your manager or workplace?
- Can you align yourself with a mentor who can help you navigate challenges you’re struggling with on your own?
The feeling of guilt that surfaces, when different priorities fight for first place in our lives, gets us into tangles. Many working women feel guilty all the time: “I left work too early. I didn’t get home soon enough.” I’m not sure I subscribe to the fact that a working mom can be all things to all people all the time. But I do subscribe to making the best choice you can at the time and pursuing that with vigor without looking back.
Ferrante: I would have to agree; working moms can’t be all things to all people, all the time and it's definitely about making the best choice for you and your family.
Snyder: Yes. And to state the obvious, the world is very diverse. We are in the business of supporting customers who tell very diverse stories. We feel it is not just important, but necessary to build a diverse team at Panavision across all demographics; gender, race, etc. to best serve our customers.
The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
