By Malinda Miller (Engl, Jour鈥�92; MJour鈥�98)
The novel twist in the Regency-era Bridgerton series, produced by Shondaland, is seeing strong, complex characters of color听play significant roles, like that of Queen Charlotte.听
But when it came time to hire set designers, cinematographers, lighting and sound specialists, makeup artists, and hairdressers, the crews that were available in the United Kingdom were mainly white, and mostly male.听听
The contrast of that to the early 1800s England they were creating for viewers spurred Sara Fischer (Jour, Engl鈥�78), Shondaland鈥檚 executive vice president and head of production, to tackle the larger issue鈥攖he racial diversity of workers in the industry鈥檚 behind-the-scenes jobs.
鈥淚 decided that we had to change the way our sets look, to make it look like what you would see when you鈥檙e walking down the street,鈥� Fischer said.
Digging deeper, she found it was not a lack of interest that kept people of color, who had been historically underrepresented in the industry, off their crews. Rather, it was the lack of access to training, on-set experience and, in some cases, even transportation to remote filming locations. She went to Shonda Rhimes, creator of the series, to develop a program to identify and train鈥攚ith pay鈥攑eople for behind-the-scenes roles. That was the start of The Ladder Program.
Fischer is no stranger to discrimination. She was one of the first two women hired in production roles at CBS Sports. During one of her pregnancies, when she was working as an assistant director, she was told she鈥檇 be fired if caught sitting down.听
With experience, she鈥檚 learned to use her voice in ways she was afraid to earlier in her career.
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Sara Fischer on the set of Bridgerton. Experience has shown her how she can use her voice 鈥榯o change things that aren鈥檛 right.鈥櫶�Photo by Barnaby Boulton.
"The fact that we鈥檙e changing peoples鈥� lives in such a profound way is the best feeling in the whole world, and I鈥檓 so glad that I鈥檓 able to do it."
鈥擲ara Fischer (Jour, Engl鈥�78)
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Professionals who completed The Ladder said the experience helped them access the networks needed to take on high-level roles in the entertainment industry.听Photo by Sherise Blackman
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Righting wrongs by speaking up
鈥淵ou can right wrongs. You can be vocal, and you can change things that aren鈥檛 right or that make you uncomfortable,鈥� she said.
One of the first areas they tackled were the hairstyles. 鈥淲e had to find and train hairdressers of color who were comfortable working with Black hair in the fancy hairstyles of Bridgerton,鈥� Fischer said.
Fischer launched The Ladder, which is funded and jointly supported by Shondaland and Netflix executives and staff, for Bridgerton鈥檚 second season. During the program, cohorts of 10 to 15 trainees are brought on and paid for the duration of a production. Each selects a specialty鈥攁ssistant directing, sound, camera, props, locations or video鈥攁nd receives mentoring, coaching and hands-on experience.听
To reach locals from the United Kingdom who have struggled to get into the industry, Fischer鈥攚ho is from Los Angeles鈥攈ired Sherise Blackman, a British actress and writer, as the program supervisor and diversity coordinator.听
Blackman knew she wouldn鈥檛 be able to recruit through the traditional routes, such as agencies. Instead, she built interest through her networks, WhatsApp groups and outreach to diversity organizations.听
Three years later, more than 40 professionals have worked on one of the Bridgerton seasons or Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story through The Ladder.
Many of the participants, like cinematographer Roger Russell, have years of professional experience but still encounter closed doors when applying for jobs. Over the course of several decades, he has worked in cinematography for commercials and music videos, but had not been able to access the networks needed to get on to a high-level narrative production.
Another program graduate, Zara Hughes-White, had never been on a set before she joined as a video trainee during the third season of Bridgerton. After completing the program, she left with more than a year of experience and is now working on a British production.
Iona Ryan appreciated the on-set experience and teamwork of the training program when she worked in the locations department on the Queen Charlotte set.听
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful for my team, that they allow me to make mistakes and learn and grow. They are always by my side to assist me and help me,鈥� Ryan said in a Shondaland video.听
When Sara Fischer sees disparity, 鈥渟he doesn鈥檛 get frustrated and talk about it. She does something about it."
鈥擭oelle Green, Netflix
Behind the scenes, but visible
The success of trainees is only one measure of The Ladder鈥檚 influence. The changes are also appreciated by the actors鈥擨ndia Amarteifio, the young Queen Charlotte, told Fischer she鈥檚 never seen anyone working on a set who looked like her鈥攁nd others visiting behind the scenes.
While filming Bridgerton鈥檚 third season, 鈥渢hree directors of color shadowed our director, and each one said to me that they鈥檇 never been on a set with so many people who looked like them,鈥� Fischer said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how much we鈥檝e changed our set.鈥�
Making that level of change required persistence and commitment.听
鈥淪ara鈥檚 got a really strong will and a great relationship with Shonda Rhimes that drives a lot of these opportunities,鈥� said Noelle Green, a Netflix film production executive who partners with Fischer on a number of diversity, inclusion and access initiatives.听When Fischer sees disparity, 鈥渟he doesn鈥檛 get frustrated and talk about it. She does something about it.鈥�
A Ladder to the U.S.听
Access, of course, isn鈥檛 only a challenge in Britain. In 2022, Fischer started working with the Netflix labor department and union representatives to bring The Ladder to Shondaland productions filming in the United States. The experience of working on a set is crucial for trainees, in terms of both skill development and in meeting minimum work requirements to join a union local鈥攌ey to getting any job on a major TV or film set in this country.
For Fischer, the effort is worth it to see individuals such as Mahogany Caldwell鈥攁 Ladder participant who trained in craft services鈥攇ain access to union jobs. Caldwell previously worked as a security guard on a studio lot, a job she found wasn鈥檛 getting her closer to her goal of working on a set.听
It鈥檚 been challenging to continue momentum with Hollywood productions shut down due to the strikes by writers and actors, but the slowdown has provided the opportunity to get the word out about both programs. Once the strikes are over, The Ladder will be brought back into action. In the meantime, 鈥渨e鈥檝e stayed in touch with them鈥擨鈥檝e done weekend seminars and we鈥檙e making sure we keep them inspired and excited,鈥� Green said.
Fischer is at the point in her career where many others retire, but she鈥檚 motivated to keep going. She said the approach they鈥檝e taken to roll out The Ladder 鈥渋s time consuming, but relatively easy to implement鈥� and could be adopted by other studios and networks.听
She gets emotional talking about the effect the program has had on individuals, and tells the story of meeting two British people recruited by Blackman. The first time she met them, they started crying.听
鈥淭he fact that we鈥檙e changing peoples鈥� lives in such a profound way is the best feeling in the whole world, and I鈥檓 so glad that I鈥檓 able to do it,鈥� Fischer said.听
鈥淚 love our shows. I go to amazing places, I get to work with amazing people鈥攂ut in the end, they鈥檙e all just shows. And this is changing peoples鈥� lives.鈥�
Take This: Career Advice
Thinking on her feet is a skill Sara Fischer acquired working both in live sports and at a small commercial production company鈥攚here she did everything from estimating costs and hiring crews, to bringing bagels in the morning and taking the film to the lab at night.听
The first TV show Fischer worked on was Remington Steele, in 1985, and she has since been involved with production of more than 35 scripted shows, including St. Elsewhere and Thirtysomething early in her career, and more recently, Grey鈥檚 Anatomy, Inventing Anna and the Bridgerton series. Fischer shared a few lessons that have helped her enjoy a meaningful career in the industry she loves.
Be nice to everyone.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really a small industry, and people come back,鈥� Fischer said. 鈥淎nd people remember.鈥� She told the story of interviewing for a line production job when the executive producer asked her, 鈥淒o you remember me? Many years ago, I worked in the copy room at MTM, and you were really nice to me.鈥澨�
Any job you take is a learning experience.
When work was tight in 2008, she took a producing job on a reboot of Knight Rider鈥攕omething she wasn鈥檛 excited about at first. 鈥淭he car was always going 400 miles an hour, so everything out the window had to be a visual effect,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 learned how to get a car over a cliff and back up, and how to jump a car鈥攏ot to mention all about visual effects.鈥�
Be inquisitive.
When she hires someone, she tells them 鈥渢o read everything鈥攕o that when I say 鈥榗all so-and-so,鈥� you already know who that person is, because you鈥檝e read it on a call sheet, or you鈥檝e read it on a crew list, or you鈥檝e read the script. Be inquisitive and don鈥檛 be afraid to ask questions.鈥�
Hire carefully.听
The wrong hire can wreck an organization鈥檚 culture, efficiency and effectiveness, which is why Fischer abides by her 鈥渘o assholes鈥� policy. 鈥淚t鈥檚 self explanatory,鈥� she said.
Illustration of Sara Fischer by Mallory Heyer