ADG Commercial & Content Directing Mentoree Profile: Kyra Bartley

For the past few weeks, B&T has partnered up with the Australian Directors’ Guild (ADG) to showcase the recipients of their Commercial & Content Directing Mentorship program – which pairs up young, up and coming female directors with mentor companies.

You can read more about it right here.

Last week, we introduced you to Eugenie Muggleton, who was partnered up with The Otto Empire. And this week it’s on to the lovely Kyra Bartley!

How did you become involved in the program?

I was introduced to it through a friend in the industry who thought it might be a good way for me to move from animation into live action, so I jumped at the opportunity.

Which company/who have you been mentored with?

I’m completing the mentorship at FINCH, but not with one specific director.

What are you most looking forward to about the mentoring program?

Being immersed in a pool of really diverse creative talent, and getting the opportunity to observe the choices they make whilst negotiating the day-to-day complexities of bringing an idea to life.

What are you most excited to gain from having a mentor?

The work I am most drawn to is that in which the director’s voice is undeniable; despite agency, brand or genre, you can always feel their fingerprints on the finished piece.

What I’d love to gain from shadowing established directors is a better understanding of how to hold onto that initial spark of insight that makes their approach unique, and maintain it as it travels through the production process.

Do you think the program will help your career? Why?

Being surrounded by people that inspire and challenge me is such a huge motivating force; it’s a daily reminder of where I want to be and definitely pushes me to work harder at getting there.

I think that sort of energy is a big factor in continuing to move forward, and I hope that it – combined with the obvious benefits of an expanded network and more informed understanding of directing processes – will help to take my career to the next level.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t wait for permission.

There is so much freedom in recognising that you don’t have to let the perceived ‘gatekeepers’ dictate what you create. My favourite projects have come about from putting an obscure idea into action without knowing exactly how I’d finish it – and of course if it’s good enough, people will always come on board when you need them.

This advice also applies to getting my own permission though – sometimes I need to remind myself that not everything needs to perfectly lined up in my head before I start something, and to trust myself to just dive in and figure it out as I go.

What advice would you give to young, aspiring female directors?

If you want to be a storyteller (in whatever format that might be for you), go out and experience as much of the world as you can.

Be engaged, and curious, and brave – I think that’s the only way to develop a point of view that is deeply held and uniquely yours, and that’s what will make your stories interesting. You can always learn the craft element later!

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Australian Directors Guild Commercial & Content Directing Mentorship program Finch