SeriesFest 8 Panel Recap – Meet the Showrunners: Spotlight on Female Creators

Written by John Edward Betancourt

There was a time, where the word ‘showrunner’ was nothing more than a confusing term to the average person. Because it wasn’t in our daily vernacular and few understood its meaning, so to hear it, would raise eyebrows for certain. But this peak era of television has changed all that, since our love of television has made the word a household name, and now if you ask casual fans of television or the hardcore ones what a showrunner does, they’ll be happy to speak to the basics of the position and its importance to the shows we know and love. Because that’s just how popular television is right now.

But while so many now have a rudimentary understanding of a showrunner and what their job entails, the gritty details regarding their position, and how exactly they bring a series together, is something only the hardest television hounds understand. Which is why events like SeriesFest, are eager to bring showrunners on stage. So, they can host a panel that informs folks that don’t know those details, of the day-to-day duties of their job and the difficulties they run into and of course, season eight of SeriesFest featured one of these panels, one that was supremely unique and extremely important.

For ‘Meet the Showrunners: Spotlight on Female Creators’ brought together Daisy Gardner (Single Drunk Female), Sierra Teller (Rutherford Falls), and Robin Veith (Candy) to of course, discuss the life and times of a showrunner. But having three revolutionary women on stage, who are assembling shows that are diverse and incredible and tell stunning stories, provided this panel with the opportunity to give the audience fascinating perspective. Specifically… the kinds of challenges this trio experienced on their way to the top seat on a television show and what challenges they face today and what the landscape of the business looks like now, post #MeToo, and well, hearing them speak to those topics made for a powerful hour of discussion.

One that was raw and visceral and honest and downright inspiring. Because this trio spoke to the power of the journey and the ups and downs it entails, and how kindness and camaraderie can be beneficial for those that ascend to the title of showrunner. But where this panel truly shined was by way of two key moments. The first is when the Q&A portion of the panel was opened to the audience. For this is when many of the brilliant women that submitted a pilot at SeriesFest or were up and coming students of the craft… were able to pick the brains of these three geniuses and gain honest insight and quality advice from them, making this a grand learning experience for so many… and a slice of history in a way.

For at the very end of the panel, a kind and gentle lady who was helping tote the microphone around the theater so others could ask their critical questions… took a moment to reveal that she was once in the industry as a camera operator in the 1970s and she wanted to express to these wondrous showrunners... what it meant to see them on stage and in charge and that was just poignant and moving and powerful. And while the industry still has miles to go in regard to equality, it was amazing to soak in the reality that progress has been made in that moment, and of course… it was equally as amazing to learn from these titans of the industry, and this writer absolutely has to offer up thanks to SeriesFest for bringing this insightful and inspiring and downright incredible panel to life. Because this… was something special.

---