But I didn't challenge the decision not to hire her because I had a policy of picking my battles carefully. This girl would have been making tea and running errands. My deputy, Sarah, the general manager, first showed how much style mattered when she advertised for an office assistant and refused to hire the best-qualified girl because she could not distinguish Missoni from Marc Jacobs. Sienna Miller recently said the sisterhood does not exist after she experienced bitchy comments from other women I always felt sorry for anyone who naively showed off a new purchase in the office, because everyone would coo appreciatively to their face - then harshly criticise them as soon as they were out of earshot. Hideously stereotypical and shallow as it sounds, clothes were a huge source of catty comments, from sly remarks about people looking over-dressed to the merits of their fake tan application.
Nothing explicit was ever said the cutting rejection was obvious enough.Įven when we all went to the pub after work, strict divisions remained, made clear according to who sat where around the table and who would be civil - or not - to whom.įashion was a great divider, though in this battlefield everyone was on their own. Most days would bring a pointed moment when some people were invited out for lunch or a coffee break - and some weren't. Fair enough, I thought at the time - they are professionals, and I knew most of them were talented and conscientious because I'd worked with them before.īut within a week, two cliques had developed: those who had worked together before and those who were producing 'new ideas'. While the women I interviewed claimed to be enthused by the idea, they still insisted on high salaries. I hired a team of seven staff and set up an office in Richmond upon Thames, Surrey. Having worked extremely hard for 12 years, I had lots of experience and a good reputation. So, in April 2005, I left my job, remortgaged my house - freeing up close to £100,000 - and began paying myself just £700 a month to set up this utopian business. But I told myself that, with the right women, work could be wonderful. In hindsight, I should have learned the lessons of my past - at my mixed secondary school I was bullied by a gang of nasty, name-calling girls, so I knew only too well how nasty groups of women could become.Īnd working in TV, I'd met lots of super-competitive 'door-slammers' who'd do anything to get to the top.
I HAVE NEVER FAILED IN THE COMPANY OF WOMEN FREE
I decided to create the first all-female production company where smart, intelligent, career-orientated women could work harmoniously, free from the bravado of the opposite sex. Gradually, what had started out as a daydream - wouldn't it be great if there were no men where I worked? - turned into an exciting concept.
There is a powerful old boys' network, robust glass ceiling and the majority of bosses are misogynistic males.
I HAVE NEVER FAILED IN THE COMPANY OF WOMEN TV
Working in TV is notoriously difficult for women. It sounds like a dream job and it could have been - if I'd been male. In fact, there was a time when I believed in the Sisterhood - but that was before women at war led to my emotional and financial ruin.įive years ago, I was working as a TV executive producer making shows for top channels such as MTV, and based in Los Angeles. I can understand why people want to believe that women look out for each other - because with men in power at work and in politics, it makes sense for us to stick together. When I read the other day that Sienna Miller had said there was no such thing as 'the Sisterhood', I knew what she meant. It was an idealistic vision swiftly shattered by the nightmare reality: constant bitchiness, surging hormones, unchecked emotion, attention-seeking and fashion rivalry so fierce it tore my staff apart. Samantha Brick: Her business was ruined by the destructive jealousy and in-fighting of an all-female staff