Ep168: Hollywood On the Record: What’s REALLY Happening On Set? | with Shay’La Banks and Nickolaus Brown

Optimize Yourself

In an ideal world, being a creative professional means you love what you do and your passion for your work fuels a meaningful and fulfilling life that also has a positive impact on the world. Whether you write, direct, produce, edit, or work on set - that's the dream we all set out to achieve when we join the industry. In the real world, however, you quickly discover that passion can also lead to exploitation. Toxic work environments, unreasonable deadlines and schedules, and unrelenting work hours extinguish even the deepest, hottest burning passions inside of us. Respect, dignity, and a basic appreciation for the work we do are essential ingredients in keeping that passion alive and sustaining us through long careers. Unfortunately, these concepts have been pushed aside in favor of faster, cheaper, better.

Today I’m excited to discuss the realities of working on the production side of the industry with Shay'La Banks and Nickolaus Brown, both of whom work in the costume department and were recently featured with me in the recent Variety article IATSE Crew Members Share First-Hand Accounts of Set Life. Shay'La is a Costume Supervisor who has worked on shows such as The Voice, Insecure, Grown-ish & The Oscars. Nickolaus has been working in costumes for almost 25 years for films such as Free Guy, The Lake House, and Dukes of Hazzard, and TV shows like How to Get Away w/ Murder, Scandal, and Glee.

This honest conversation gets to the very core of the many issues that production crews face while on set. You'll hear candid stories about the horrible conditions and disrespectful behavior they both endure on a routine basis and how it affects their health and relationships. You'll also hear that despite the enthusiasm they both have for their craft they both desperately crave the change that is so necessary in our industry.

The energy from this conversation is palpable, and it’s one of the most unique and interesting conversations I’ve had on the record in a long time. If you enjoy this format please let me know by leaving a review or emailing me directly. I'm considering doing more interviews like this so I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• Shay’La and Nickolaus describe their jobs and responsibilities on set.
• The biggest misconception of costume designer's jobs.
• The challenges that arise on set and how producers never understand what they are asking for.
• Nickolaus wants to know why is our time not respected?
• The unfair and unreasonable hours production crews are expected to work.
• Nickolaus worked 28 days straight on a pilot in Hawaii.
• The call sheet hours vs. the hours the costume department actually works.
• What is ‘Fraturday’ and what is meant by ‘turnaround”?
• How the pandemic changed the perspective on work-life balance.
• The toll their jobs take on their physical bodies.
• The sad reality of the shows needs superseding the needs of the workers.
• KEY TAKEAWAY: You never stop ‘paying your dues’ if you don’t start to value yourself.
• The producers aren't trying to figure out a better way to do things because it's working for them.
• Why we need to get better at saying the word ‘no’ to unreasonable expectations.
• The disconnect between how the budgets are made and how the work actually gets done.
• How you, as an individual, can start to affect change in the industry.
• Why Nickolaus believes the costume department is the lowest paid in the industry.
• How Shay'La talks to producers to negotiate more money or better schedules for herself and her department.
• KEY TAKEAWAY: We have to stand together, share information, and educate each other so we can advocate for ourselves.
• The demoralizing effect the new contract had on crews that thought there would be real change if a strike happened.
• What advice they would give to themselves just starting out in the business.

Useful Resources Mentioned:

IATSE Crew Members Share First-Hand Accounts of Set Life - Variety

Dear Hollywood: We Don’t Want to “Go Back to Normal." Normal Wasn’t Working.

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Guest Bio:

Shay’La Banks

Shay’La Banks is a Costume Supervisor & Creative Director that hails from Los Angeles by way of Riverside, California. Shay’La, a Cal State San Bernardino alum, began her career in the entertainment industry right after college in the casting department. With God's favor she met the right people and found fulfillment and success in the Costume Department, quickly working her way up the ranks to Costume Supervisor. Some of Shay’La’s credits include Costume Supervising on shows such as The Voice, Insecure, Grown-ish & The Oscars amongst others. She knows it took a strong village to get her where she is so she is very passionate about giving back and mentoring youth. She leads by example & believes in operating with confidence, dignity and having a strong work ethic.This is why being on the board of FABRIC is a must. It means so much to her because everything FABRIC stands for and will do for the community speaks to her Life’s mission statement. She attributes ALL her success to her strong faith & living a God-led life in which she strongly believes God led her to this Organization to help shine a light and create change for the people that need it the most.

Nickolaus Brown

Nickolaus Brown has been working in costumes for almost 25 years scouring Los Angeles and beyond for character driven fashion for film and television. He has a degree in fashion from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a degree in costume design from CalArts. He lives in Los Angeles with his dogs Scotch and Ripley.

Show Credits:

This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.

The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).