Ally Pamer

I think success comes from a combination of hard work, skill, as well as luck. I've had really good luck. I've had incredible mentors. I think that that has been the best education, even beyond school. The most valuable is just real-world experience, and not just learning that, but also being able to then give back to other people through mentoring on my end too. So the combination of learning it and then teaching has been a really valuable education cycle for me. As a producer, you do tend to be the problem solver of a lot of things, and when I was first starting off, it was very intimidating. There are a lot of times where I didn't know the next step to take. Watching the way people navigated difficult situations and did creative problem solving and work together and ask questions - I think having the humility to ask questions and know you don't know it all, and just to remain curious and work together and collaboratively, that was a huge learning for me, and what I contribute to a lot of my success as a producer.

I would say one of the biggest things I come across time and time again is people are just scared to ask questions. There's a lot of imposter syndrome and a lot of fake it till you make it kind of rhetoric that people really tend to buy into, and that's where you start seeing a lot of mistakes happen, and then that can just kind of spiral out of control. The imposter syndrome grows, or anxiety around it grows. I would just always encourage people to continue to seek out opportunities for growth, whether that's through a mentorship or a training. Do not be afraid to ask questions for fear of looking stupid, because that is actually how you learn the most and actually how you grow. I do encourage people, use critical thought too - try it first, and then if you're like I can't figure this out, reach out, ask questions. I think that there is a middle ground there. Honestly, just continue to prioritize one's mental health. I think that it is really easy to become a people pleaser in these industries and to deplete yourself of your own energy and to work so hard that you have nothing left to give. So I think too, just making sure that you are replenishing your energy with the things that you enjoy outside of work, because that does come back around and it does contribute to your success in the job as well.

One thing that I do see in my field a lot is it's a bit half and half. I find that some people in a leadership role can turn it into like do it my way, I do it the right way, and make things kind of competitive or just not as open. So I am just interested to continue growing my network of people that just want to create positive work environments and foster environments where people can grow to their highest potential versus turning into something more negative. Producers do have a thankless job in a way sometimes, so it is nice to have recognition, but I think the more important thing is really expanding my brand as an individual too, expanding that network and just opening me up to other potential possibilities, because my career is always growing and evolving.

I think the most fulfilling aspect of my career has been really working in the value spaces, which brings light to the things that mean the most to me. So everything from inclusion and diversity to environment to privacy - all of that feels just really meaningful, and that's been the most fulfilling aspect of the work I've been doing the past 5 years, is kind of working in those value spaces. I personally feel very strongly motivated to try to keep my awareness on my local community. I don't think that we were designed to understand or see global news the way that we do on a regular basis. So I do try to kind of focus my personal efforts and volunteering time towards my local community, because that feels like something that I can actually help with instead of feeling helpless.