POWER PLAYER BREAKFAST WITH SHEILA NEVINS
“I don’t garden, I don’t cook, I don’t even
floss - who has time for that?
-Sheila Nevins, President HBO Documentary Films
It’s Monday at 8:30AM, I’m in an intimate crowd
of about 100 professional women at the glorious HBO Theatre in midtown
Manhattan. When I say, “intimate” I mean for New York.
The aroma of coffee, perfume and a high volume of gab fill the air
as we wait in anticipation for Sheila to arrive. Sheila Nevins is like
the Anna Wintour of HBO. A powerhouse, known for her exceptional
taste in Documentary films, a docu-trendsetter with a filmic instinct that has
contributed to HBO’s success for over 30 years. A place she calls
home.
“I love what I do, the day’s are too short” say’s Nevins as she sits in the middle of the theatre
answering questions from the audience. As an ingénue, her career
began in theatre she didn’t like Hollywood it scared her, yet it’s made
her career. Receiving the Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts
& Sciences, a 2008 Gotham Awards Tribute and 24 Primetime Emmy Awards to
name a few. She graduated from Barnard College with a BA in English then
met a cute boy and followed him to Yale although she never said what
happened to him. She graduated with an MFA in Directing from Yale School
of Drama then proceeded down the arduous path of entertainment. She held various positions, from associate producer
to field and then went into news. She was hired by HBO in 1979 with a 13-month
contract that became a 30- year post.
“I’m interested in real people, real stories and I’m open to
everything”. The documentaries Sheila helmed are a zeitgeist of milestones
reflecting controversial subject matters of our time. From Gloria: In Her
Own Words which depicts the women’s liberation movement to current
controversial subject matters as Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence In The House of God
revealing clerical sex abuse cases within the US. There’s no shortage of subject matter to
draw from. With 1000 submissions a week
and a staff of 5 (including her) it’s not that easy to get your project through
the gate. If you’re a producer and your
submitting your work for consideration it better be good.
“There’s no one way we work, we don’t have repetition” illustrates why Sheila has been at her post for
30 years, a very rare position for any Exec in the biz. Every project that passes
the gate is in a different stage of production.
It could come to her team as a basic pitch - a producer may submit a
project already in production, or even in its final stages. What matters most - is it a good story? It has to be titillating, empathic and
educational. “I’m not a social activist, “My job is to show
you the scar, it’s not my job to work on it.” Point taken. What makes
her work shine is having access to a treasure trove of producers who have the
vision and passion to execute the story. “I have no manager skills, I
stumble a lot and sometimes we f**k up” For her, Success is about preparation
and timing. So from producer to
all content creators, remember there’s no one-way to work, just do it!
- Yvonne Russo
