March 8, 2022

International Women’s Day

This year for International Women’s Day, we are reminded to celebrate women’s achievements, break gender bias and take action for equality.
Screen Scene is home to so many amazing women, and it was a pleasure to honour them today (and every day!)

See below for some words of wisdom from the women who make Screen Scene a success.

Aishling Vesey
Head of Broadcast TV

How did you start out in Screen Scene?
I came to Screen Scene in May 2015, after spending three years in another facility. The role here was being across the broadcast department, and as my heart was always in longform, I knew it was where I wanted to be.

Who are you inspired by in this industry?
There are so many people its hard to name one! But, we are lucky that in production in Ireland we have a great number of women in the workforce. From producers, to development, accounts and both edit assistants and editors. I am probably most inspired by those I see turning out amazing work whilst balancing a family life. To me, those are the ones whom I can aspire to, they have it all.

How have you built confidence or resiliency over the course of your career?
To get confidence in myself has taken a long time! But it comes with experience. The more projects you see, the more repetition in workflows you see and that is where you learn. I would advise anyone not to shy away from tricky projects, that is really where true learning comes from, and a huge confidence boost when you succeed!

How can women develop their leadership skills?
I think put yourself out there, grasping ownership of projects, especially for those starting out. Show you can take ownership and run with it. Those who take on a task big or small are still developing leaderships skills, and it shines through.

Sinéad Bagnall
Head of Commercials

How did you start out in Screen Scene?
Many years back, I was recommended to join Screen Scene by my good pal Mags Levingstone. This industry was an area I was hugely interested in, so it was a privilege and great fun to work in it back in the day. I have made incredible friends along the way, both colleagues and clients.

Who are you inspired by in this industry?
OMG there are so many inspiring people in our industry, its hard to pick a favourite!

How have you built confidence or resiliency over the course of your career?
Over the course of my career, I have built confidence through gaining endless experience in the post process here at Screen Scene and was never afraid to ask for help along the way.

How can women develop their leadership skills?
I think that women can develop their leadership skills by believing in themselves, focusing on achieving their goals, not being afraid to ask for help, learning lessons from others, building trusting relationships and having a good connection with their team.

Saoirse Finnegan Sheridan
Post Producer

How did you start out in Screen Scene?
I started in Screen Scene as a runner nearly 6 years ago now. I wasn’t long out of college and I was eager to start working in the industry. A friend of mine was helping the hospitality team to hire runners so I was eager to get my foot in the door at an amazing company like Screen Scene. I learned so much during my time as a runner, staff members were very accommodating in helping & teaching as much as they could about different their roles and it really shaped my knowledge of post. When I first started in Screen Scene I originally thought I wanted to be a Sound Mixer but after a few sit-ins I realised it wasn’t for me. That was the great advantage about being a runner, you got the opportunity to see what all of the departments were like and it allowed time to figure out what you liked and didn’t like. I finally set my sights on production and knew that was the area I wanted to work in.

Who are you inspired by in this industry?
Annie Mac was always an inspiration for me within the media industry. I would have grown up listening to her shows on BBC Radio 1 with my Dad. It was something that we both bonded over and then Annie became such a huge influence for me because she was an Irish woman absolutely smashing it on various BBC shows! She started DJing on BBC back in 2004 when that side of the industry was prominently male, she then started headlining her own shows on a primetime slot on BBC Radio 1 which was amazing to see an Irish woman conquer the BBC like that. Looking up to Annie Mac first sparked my interest for the media industry, I first toyed around with working in Radio then I decided that Tv & Film was the area I wanted to work in!

How have you built confidence or resiliency over the course of your career?
Every day is a school day, and one thing about Post Production when the industry and technology is always changing and developing is there is ALWAYS so much to learn and different skills to develop. I was lucky to have an amazing mentor, Aishling Vesey, who took me under her wing from day one and taught me everything I know (I’m fortunate that I still have her by my side to continue to teach me). We’re lucky here in Screen Scene that we have so many amazing women in management roles here for younger staff members to look up to.

#BreakTheBias