I was working for a notoriously tough exec at a very high profile company as an assistant producer. I'd been working hard to move up and had recently started shooting.
In error, I sent my CV to her rather than another document, something I didn’t realise until I went in to a meeting with the PD and her. At the time the PD and I were working on a development project for four weeks.
During that meeting the exec started to talk about how ridiculous is was that people who come in to the industry think they can do the job of highly qualified camera people. She talked about how ridiculous these people were and how they needed to realise that they would never get anywhere trying to do the job they weren't capable of. This went on for a long time and the PD joined in. There was just the three of us in the room and she basically ripped my career and goals to pieces.
I realised what she was doing and checked my emails after the meeting. That's when I realised she had looked through my CV which stated I was a "self-shooter".
The following day and I was called into another meeting, where the exec questioned me on why certain things weren’t being done. I looked towards the PD for support, as the exec was referencing work the PD should have submitted - she knew this and so did the PD. The PD’s response was “go on - why wasn't it done?”
Both of them continued to blame me for the work not being done. They talked between themselves in front of me about how juniors don't work hard enough and don't know what they're doing - it was desperate.
I was taunted by the exec who wanted to do nothing but make me feel as insignificant as she could. I'd worked hard and worked very well - they knew that and rather than celebrate it, they did the opposite and again, pulled me to pieces. When we came out of the meeting the PD commented that I “must feel really got at after that meeting". I explained how bad I felt about what just happened, her response was that she was so afraid of this exec that she just joined in with her.
I didn't speak to the PD for the rest of the contract, I just sat in a corner for the remaining weeks. Not a single person spoke to me. For the exec, there was no consequences to their attempt to ruin me in front of others.
I learned to ignore the way I had been treated and I have gone on to be a successful self-shooting PD.
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