Forty Over 40

Forty Women to Watch Over 40

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Forty Over 40 Asks: 11Qs for Betsy Beers, Producer at Shondaland

betsybeersWelcome to the Forty Over 40 blog. We frequently spotlight one of our honorees and their thoughts on reinvention, mentorship and momentum…plus a peek into what makes them tick.

This Q&A is with Betsy Beers an American television and film producer whose credits include the Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Private Practice, and How to Get Away with Murder and the upcoming new midseason drama The Catch, starring Emmy-nominated Mireille Enos and Peter Krause.

For her work on Grey’s Anatomy, Betsy and her fellow producers were awarded the Producer of the Year Award, the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series Drama, and received the 2006 and 2007 Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series. Betsy has been nominated three times by the Producers Guild of America for their Television Producer of the Year Award.  In 2014, Scandal was awarded the American Film Institute’s Television Program of the Year Award as well as a Peabody Award.

1)  What was a pivotal momentum of reinvention for you?

The realization that I was miserable doing what I was doing. I was an actor before I became a producer, and wanted it so badly I couldn’t see that my personality was not well suited to the job.

2)  Who has been a valuable mentor or sponsor?

I have been fortunate to have some great mentors – Gale Anne Hurd and Ruth Vitale were early bosses who went out of their way to show me the ropes. Director Mike Newell really encouraged me to produce. And of course, my producing partner Shonda Rhimes is awesome. I learn something from her every day.

3)  What is your biggest goal right now?

Immediate goal – I want to get a Shondaland comedy on the air!
Ongoing goal? Figuring out a way to take more time off.

4)  How did you get your first job? How did you jump to your second job?

When I moved to Los Angeles, I couldn’t get a job waitressing (I know, crazy, right?) so a friend suggested reading scripts and doing coverage for a movie company. I cobbled together some samples and got hired to do some free lance reading and script notes. One of the places I freelanced was a movie studio, where they soon hired me full time.

Sadly, the studio shut down after I had been there for less than a year. But during my time there I had worked closely with a senior executive, Ruth Vitale. When she found her next job, (running the late Gary David Goldberg’s feature company) she created a position for me. It was there I really learned how to pitch and develop screenplays. I owe her a lot.

5)  What time do you typically wake up? What do you do every morning?

I typically wake up around seven. I make breakfast while my husband walks the dog, I read the newspapers (we still get the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times delivered!) I check my emails and start working during or right after breakfast. Two to three mornings a week, I work out before heading into work.

6)  How did you feel on your 30th birthday? What were you doing at that time? 

I was terrified. I had recently moved to Los Angeles and wasn’t getting work as an actress. it was dawning on me that performing was not the best job for me, but I was struggling with the decision. it had been my path since I was five. I was embarking on, (little did I know it at the time) the journey to producing.

7)  How do you unplug? How often do you unplug?

How often do I unplug? Not enough! I really escape when I am working out since its tough to track me down at the gym! And I try to find time every weekend where, for part of the day,  I don’t work on reading or check email.

9)  What challenge / achievement are you most proud of?

I am proud that so much of what i love about the shows we produce – the characters, themes, emotional story lines- other people love too. It is incredibly gratifying having a passionate and loyal audience.

9)  What song can’t you get out of your head? 

It changes. The theme song for THE UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT was lodged in my head for quite a while. And….now it’s back..

10)  What is the best piece of advice you ever received?

Never be frightened to admit you don’t know what you are doing. When you ask for help, you learn something. And most people love to be asked.

11) What is your secret indulgence?

Sadly I have few that are secret.  Dark chocolate with hazelnut and HGTV.

Check out Betsy Beer’s full 40 Over 40 profile here!

Whitney Johnson

Whitney Johnson

Whitney is the author of the acclaimed Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream. She has been named on numerous Smart Thinkers and People to Follow lists by major media such as Inc. Magazine, Business Insider and Huffington Post and is quoted in Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fast Company, Forbes and more.
Whitney Johnson