How I Got Here: Director, producer, writer and artist Belinda Barancewicz
Posted on
Admit it, we’ve all been there – stalking social media and LinkedIn profiles, trying desperately to figure out how the hell someone got their dream job.
It seems impossible, and yet there they are, living out your career fantasy (minus the itchy business suit). It might seem hard to believe, but once upon a time, they were also fantasising about their future career, and with some hard work, they made it.
Welcome to How I Got Here, HerCanberra’s series that reveals everything you want to know about the secrets of career success.
This week, we chat with Belinda Barancewicz. A director, producer, writer and artist with a resume that includes working for Play School, we explore her career journey ahead of the launch of her pen-and-ink botanical illustration exhibition, Empty Vases at The Front Gallery.
Existential crisis time: Who are you and what do you do?
I’m a storyteller who works across different mediums. Most people know me through television, where I’ve spent more than two decades directing, producing and writing, including for Play School. More recently, I’ve begun sharing a long-running illustration practice focused on botanical ink drawing and launching my first solo art exhibition this June. Whether it’s a documentary, a television program or a drawing, I’m usually trying to do the same thing: pay attention, frame something interesting and share a little bit of joy.
Let’s go back to when you were a kid, have you always dreamed of working in this industry?
I always wanted to be a dancer and was professionally for a little while before I had an injury. Licking my wounds and not knowing what to do, I hopped on a plane to London and, completely unexpectedly, got a job in finance and accounting at Abbey Road Studios, then a production house that made programs for the BBC and ITV.
Tell us about when you were first starting out, what set a fire in your belly to get here and how did you do it?
After returning from London, I spent a few years working in accounting and finance, but I knew I wanted to get back into the arts. I sat the mature entry test and was accepted into the University of Canberra’s Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing.
I initially thought I’d become a poet or a magazine writer, but everything changed when I discovered scriptwriting. I loved the combination of creativity and structure – like solving a hundred jigsaw puzzles at once.
While studying, I produced several short films and started winning awards. Soon after graduating, Southern Cross Ten offered me a role in production and a new career path began.
Alongside television, I’d always potter around with paints and take the occasional art course. One of the most influential was a botanical studies course at the ANU School of Art, where we explored inks, charcoal, watercolours, pastels and paint.
Years later, during breaks on set, I’d often find a tree to sit under and catch my breath. Instead of carrying canvases and paints, I started sketching the trees, flowers and foliage around me on the call sheets and sides (the pages of the script being filmed that day). It was simple, portable and easy to fit around a busy television career.
Before long, I had a sketch book in my bag and was drawing everywhere – in cafes, during school pick-up, on walks, and while travelling. I’d found my niche and now illustrate most days.
Recall a time when you wanted to chuck it all in; what did you tell yourself when it got too hard?
In television, constantly, especially when you have 4 am crew call time on a -6 degree day. But there is so much adrenaline, so much exhilaration, you reach the end of a shoot day and forget how much hard work it actually was, just like having a baby – ‘Let’s do that again!’. I also love working with creatives, crews, and cast and making stories come to life.
In illustration, it’s been so enjoyable and organic. Putting together an exhibition definitely takes more work than you think, but I’ve truly loved diving into every part of the process and bringing it to life.
What was your biggest break?
There wasn’t one big break. Looking back, it was a series of people taking a chance on me and then being ready when opportunities appeared.
Getting into uni was a defining moment. I couldn’t have developed my craft without it. Then, becoming a Senior Producer and Director at Southern Cross Ten, mixing creativity with commercialism, tech, deadlines and schedules. One of the biggest breaks would have to be becoming a writer and director of Play School. I’d always wanted to work on Play School and it was a dream come true. I first started writing episodes, then directing. Studio directing is so different to location directing and a massive learning curve.
And now – I never expected to have a solo exhibition, but looking back, I’d been building the work for years without really noticing. It’s exciting where it could go from here.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Early in my career, I heard a director say that preserving a person’s confidence is more important than forcing a particular performance or visual you have in mind. It struck a chord and guided me to be flexible and collaborative, while still being the custodian of the story. Any time anyone walks into a creative space, they are being vulnerable; I like to create a safe space where we all can express our creativity, and rely on each other’s individual craft and expertise. It usually results in something far greater than what I had originally envisaged.
My mum is always encouraging me as well. Whenever I have an idea, even the ones that seem impossible, she encourages me to ‘Go for it’!
What is it about your industry that you love and what makes you want to pull your hair out?
I love that every day is different, every story is different, and there are so many to explore and be told. There can be great freedom in a creative career and so many ways to express an idea.
At times, the uncertainty can be frustrating. Creative careers often require a great deal of faith before there is any evidence that things are going to work out.
What was your biggest ‘pinch me’ moment?
Sitting in the control room at the ABC Ultimo, about to direct my first live Play School Christmas Special. The control room sits high above the studio and you’re surrounded by buttons, screens and monitors, with open mics to the studio floor below. It was a huge production, with a live audience of little kids, extra cameras, a live band and countless moving parts. We’d spent so much time developing the script and rehearsing with the cast. I remember stopping for a moment and thinking, “Whoa! Is this really happening?”
And, of course… my first cuddle with Big Ted.
I know when installing this exhibition, I’ll have another big ‘pinch me’ moment. Seeing my work on the walls in a gallery – it will be surreal.
Tell us how you ‘stay in the know’, what media do you consume?
My children are usually two steps ahead of me when it comes to trends and technology, and keep me surprisingly well-informed. Beyond that, I read and watch widely, but some of my best ideas arrive away from screens. I love walking, birdwatching, the outdoors and observing the world around me. I’m endlessly curious about how people live, what they notice and what they care about. You never know where the next story or illustration is going to come from.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope to be directing and writing ambitious screen projects while continuing to build a substantial body of visual art, ideally with work held in public and private collections. I’ve already had a few private illustration commissions and loved being able to create works for collectors to reflect their space, environment and stories.
Why should people follow in your footsteps?
I don’t think anyone should follow my footsteps exactly. Every creative career is different. What I would encourage people to do is pay attention to the things they keep returning to. That persistent little voice is usually trying to tell you something. Just go for it, take a risk, try it out, experiment. It doesn’t matter if you don’t achieve what you originally intended to set out to do. Sometimes just exploring the path is satisfying enough.
What advice would you give your past self?
I used to make cakes for competitions, like the Canberra Show, and the one takeaway I got was – you never know who is going to enter that year and whose cake is going to burn in the oven that morning. So even though you think your ‘cake’ is not good enough, still submit it! You might be surprised.
Editors change, Executive Producers change, panels change, the decision makers change… just because you go a ‘no’ right now, doesn’t mean your work is not good, it just wasn’t aligned to that platform in that moment. It could be aligned with a different network or gallery or it could be aligned in a few years’ time. Keep seeking feedback, keep tweaking and keep going.
Also – you don’t have to make a career or commission out of everything, just play for the sake of playing.
Belinda’s pen-and-ink botanical illustration exhibition, Empty Vases, opens on Friday 20 June and runs until Wednesday 1 July at The Front Gallery. Find out more here.
