Revolutionizing the Reel: A Bold Leap into Female-Focused Film Production with Nikita Dare

*Trigger Warning: contains references to sexual abuse*
Propelling change in a male-dominated industry, Nikita Dare, founder of female-led production company SOL, makes waves in film production. She spills the beans on the challenges she's traversed, the resilience it took to navigate a 'boys club', and the rewarding experience of building a supportive community that values diversity and inclusion. In this week's slightly longer instalment, Nikita's open account of her journey challenges the status quo and emboldens any aspiring change-maker to question what they've been lead to believe is 'normal.'

We traverse the path from Nikita's early career in advertising to her transition into film production, a journey marked by highs, lows and many learning opportunities. We put under the spotlight the importance of strength of character, resilience, and a supportive work environment, particularly in an industry that can be as demanding and cutthroat as film. Nikita's tales of thriving amidst toxic individuals reveal the foundational values of SOL, while her passion for thrifting showcases her unique approach to crafting sustainable sets.

I delve into Nikita's dream projects - from a short series that challenges conventional perspectives, to the prospects of collaborating with well-known brands. Amid the excitement though, we never lose sight of the bigger picture - the importance of championing diverse representation in creative industries and building the community that's going to support this. Stay tuned for my top 10 takeaways and by the end, you'll feel inspired, empowered, and ready to challenge outdated norms in your own fields...

Transcript

Nikita Dare: 0:00

the, the buzz that you get when you're on set with life-minded people is just the best feeling in the world. And then, when you see something that you've been working on go live on TV or it's on social media and people are talking about it, or you work on a film and you, you know you've created something so beautifully to look at, it's just the most euphoric feeling in the world.

Zoe Greenhalf: 0:23

Hello, it's Zoe and welcome or welcome back to the Mischief Movement podcast, your weekly inspo for people looking for more hell yeah in their life. Consider this your one way to get out of midlife mediocracy towards fun and positive impact via playful disruption. Wouldn't you love to wake up and feel like a total badass? How about breaking some rules, throwing two fingers up to society and doing more of the things you love? I'm talking full on freedom, adventure and those meaningful connections I know you've been craving. Stop waiting for your amazing life to happen and go get it. I'll be picking the brains of some true game changers and mischief makers so I can share what I find and hopefully inspire you to shake things up. Do more of what makes you feel alive and boldly rebel against the ordinary. I've no idea what I'm doing, to be honest, but I've got a mission and I'm here to start a movement. This could be quite the adventure. Care to join me? Okay, here goes.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:25

This week I'm speaking to Nikita Dare, founder and creative director of female lead production agency SOL. I've had many renegades and rascals on this podcast, but Nikita is rebelling not against staying the same, but against an entire industry. It takes courage and an abundance of self-trust to go against the grain when your values and core beliefs are being tested on a daily basis. But here is a woman with fire in her belly. Sol challenges the depressing statistics around diverse representation within the creative industries. By being a creative studio with proactive women directing, producing and driving the narrative, nikita has built not only a space that boldly amplifies the voices of women shaping this industry, but also a whole community that is smashing stereotypes and being the change that is so desperately needed to see women thrive in careers they feel passionate about.

Zoe Greenhalf: 2:33

If you've ever wondered what it's like behind the camera, building sets or designing productions, or if you're looking to start a revolution in your own industry, look no further. Nikita shares everything, from starting out in advertising to finding production roles she loved and loathed and finally calling time on outdated narcissistic agencies to set up her own nurturing, supportive community that puts humans first instead of last. Just a quick warning that this conversation does reference sexual abuse and, although no details are mentioned, some of you may find this triggering. Now let's start this episode. Okay, I have been waiting for months to have this interview with the wonderful Nikita there. I love your name. Even your name to me says that you're, I don't know, some kind of game changer, some kind of badass that everybody should sit up and take notes on.

Nikita Dare: 3:43

I used to hate my name growing up. It was a real. Yes, it's been a development of love for sure. I love it and you don't know.

Zoe Greenhalf: 3:53

I think it's amazing. Anyway, do you want to tell everybody what your mischief is?

Nikita Dare: 4:03

Oh, so I've run a. What's my mischief? I think it's got to be obviously it has to be so, but I started a production company to help women get into film and I think that's probably my biggest mischief. That's probably my biggest. Yeah, we go against the grain in lots of respects and I try and educate brands, businesses, about why it's important to have women behind that creative and and yeah, it's not always received all that all that well sometimes. So I think that for me, is my biggest driving force, but I think, yeah, that's probably my biggest.

Zoe Greenhalf: 4:56

But look at I mean you know, looking at you when you say that, I see your face light up. So it's almost like do you enjoy the challenge of of having these ideas and have people say, oh, I'm not sure if I agree with that.

Nikita Dare: 5:10

Yeah, I think so. I think a lot of my life I have spent working for narcissists and some pretty horrible people and sat back and watched a lot of it and then, being a part of that abuse myself. And I think having this opportunity to run soul is like putting two fingers up to people. That really made my life hell and is the driving force behind everything I do. And sometimes, whenever I get those wobbles where I'm like I'm not qualified enough to do this, I'm not qualified enough to have this community that we've subsequently created on the back of running soul, I just remember, you know, those experiences that I've had and the experiences that I've heard from other people, and that is my driving force to keep going.

Nikita Dare: 6:07

Someone said to me before that if something feels right, if something is meant for you and it feels right, then there will be so much mental clarity around how you want to do it and what you stand for and what it is. And I've always struggled in my life with careers. If anyone knows me really well my family it's always a bit of a running joke that oh, he's got a new job after six months and oh, she's, you know, she's stopping careers or whatever. And I think it's because all of those experiences in my life have led me to this moment and I've never been so clear as to what we stand for, who we are, our existence. And every time I get that wobble I seem to. I don't know why, but the universe just puts people in front of me. That goes. Keep going this is so special.

Nikita Dare: 7:04

you know, and I think that is I'm not a mischievously like, it's not, I'm not necessarily a. People say to me all the time you know, or you do this and it's inspiring and you've really helped me. And you know you're such a badass and I just sit there and I sort of laugh sometimes because I don't feel that way. I had a very conventional childhood, very straight laced and so many of us did you know?

Nikita Dare: 7:35

it was never encouraged to break the rules. You know, and even now I think my family wins sometimes when I say you know we're doing this or I'm writing this script and it's going to be about this, that, and they sort of win the slide and I think that's okay. That's not necessarily conventional, but you know. But I'm a very passionate person. That's something that's always been in me is this passion and fire, and I've always felt like I'm here on this air to do more than just to resist. I want to do more in my life and I want to help people, and I've always had that fire in my belly, but I've just never known where to direct that fire. So I think that's why I've felt a bit lost in my life at times, because I've had all this, this energy and this drive, and I knew I wanted to do things differently, but I just didn't know how to and I didn't. I didn't have the environment around me or the people around me to nurture that desire and that passion, and not on my own.

Nikita Dare: 8:39

Now I'm in a relationship, but being free to go right this is what I'm going to do and I'm going to be really unapologetic about it has been amazing and has been so free and yeah, and it kind of keeps me going. But, yeah, I think I've got like these two sides of me. I think there's a feature that's like the sensible one, likes to have a lot of structure and order in your life and loves a spreadsheet. And then there's the other side of me that like just wants to jump on the back of a Harley and right off into the sunset and flick everybody as I'm driving or go to a festival, like you know that we went to, and be just free, you know, and and get that tattoo that I'd always dreamed of having and and feeling really unapologetic about it. And so, yeah, there's those two sides of me. I think that that sometimes clash, but I do think I'm the latter, really think I am the free spirit and the rebel.

Zoe Greenhalf: 9:42

I love that. Yeah, I mean, we did meet a comfy seat, didn't we? We did. So Nikita drives into the field in a mini absolutely rammed with stuff and I, you know, I looked at her as she asked me where to go and I looked at the stuff in a car and I thought where is she sleeping tonight?

Nikita Dare: 10:03

There's so much stuff and then I proceeded to watch you.

Zoe Greenhalf: 10:10

I proceeded to watch you like open up this amazing tent with all kinds of decorations and fairy lights and vintage trunks and I was like, wow, where do you come from? And then you drop the bombshell. You're like, oh yeah, I'm like a set designer, production designer. And I was like, wow there we go. That's where the vintage trunk comes from.

Nikita Dare: 10:32

And this is what I mean about the whole, like the two people you know, like I would have loved to have just turned up on that, on my dad's old Yamaha with my tent strapped to the back and you know, and I literally wear what I turned up in the whole weekend and just embrace, and just embrace everything. Instead, you know, I come with with pots, and pans and and water filters, and I think I even had a cocktail shaker maker. Oh God, I won't be doing that next year, amazing.

Zoe Greenhalf: 11:09

But I mean so I got to know you. I got to know the really kind of fun free spirit side of you and I just thought that was phenomenal. But you I mean you do also come across as really, really passionate about what you've created. So what? What was the catalyst then? Where did that come from? You just described how you felt a bit lost and you had all this kind of energy but you weren't sure where to direct it. So what was the catalyst that actually focused that energy and made you think do you know what? I know what it is, I'm going to do and I'm going to go and do this.

Nikita Dare: 11:43

I've always worked around the industry. I took a break after working for some horrible people because I think I just sort of had a bit of a confidence knock. The the industry was just sort of just not gain up for women at all. You know just, it was just the most misogynistic, just, you know just just a horrible environment to work in. So I took a break and went to work in marketing for a little while and I kind of saw the same thing again. You know just, I think you see it more in creative industries. I haven't worked in any of the sort of different sectors necessarily, so it's probably the same across the board, but you know, white men in suits really governing the message, and I've really struggled with that. It was.

Nikita Dare: 12:38

I got COVID happened and for a lot of us, you know, it was a time of reflection and I knew I wanted to get back into the industry. But I knew things needed to change and I got me redundant anyway and I thought, okay, well, this is the push that I needed to to go back and go back, and I'm not necessarily working in the production department. I wanted to work in more the creative areas. So I went and worked myself up to be an art director, which was amazing. But when that happened, it was around that time that I started putting the foundations together for Sol. So I started mood boarding, I started playing around with words as to you know who we were, what we stood for. I knew I needed to get that really clear in my head because I needed to tell people what I was doing. So I needed to prove to myself that it was the right thing. And there wasn't anyone in the Southwest at the time that I knew of that was doing anything similar. So there was lots of production companies popping up, but mostly ran by lads, you know, groups of friends that would all come together and start these companies, but it was just me, and so that in itself was really daunting.

Nikita Dare: 14:04

And at that point as well, I had a mortgage, so there was no messing around either on that front. I needed to be making money quickly. I had a bit of a wobble and I went back to work. I was struggling with freelance life and obviously, post-covid, everyone was on their knees anyway. So I went back to work and worked for a really terrible agency, and I was only there for about three, four months and I got my redundant again anyway, because it was poorly run. So I was just like this is ridiculous. You know, I just need to believe in you know, I'm so clear in my head. This is what I want to do and I just was like that's it, I'm doing it, I'm going full force into running it, but I still had to do my art direction. On the side, I was still freelancing as an art director and a production designer, but also trying to build Seoul as well, which was a challenge which was really tricky, because I felt like I was running two businesses and I've still not been able to do the full, 100% shift into working at Seoul just yet, and I'm hoping that that will happen in January. I'm still managing my freelance work as well as trying to build up the company.

Nikita Dare: 15:32

But it was really important for me to make sure that this wasn't just a dream. I wanted to really take this seriously and make sure that what we were doing was right and our set policies were in place and how we were going to run our productions was really clear. And I wanted to make sure, as well, that the clientele that we were going to work with really, truly understood what we were and what we stood for and that's the word our commitment to the girls that worked with us. So because of that it's taken us a lot longer, I guess to how we haven't grown as quickly as I'd hoped, because I think the amount of time that I've spent trying to perfect that and make sure that was really clear.

Nikita Dare: 16:26

We did take on one of our first big clients did burn me in a way. It wasn't the right clientele for us and I think that in itself was like OK, yes, you can't get sucked in by just taking on anything because it will pay. It has to be the right thing. So that's been a bit of a challenge. But at the same time this community has grown out of running the production, which I never thought. Well, I knew it would happen, but not to this extent. There was a huge call for more female talent in the Southwest to come forward, especially in production and in departments that don't necessarily get a huge amount of female representation.

Zoe Greenhalf: 17:17

What would they be?

Nikita Dare: 17:19

So your directors? A lot of the time, the directors on set are male. Your lighting department, so the ones that are carrying around big sea stands and big lights camera department. Women's subsequent they're always in the creative areas. So your art direction, your pop styling, your makeup artists, your stylists. But yeah, it's a real shame because there's just not as many women working in these other areas, and there's a lot of reasons why. But as women as well, we are humbled by nature and sometimes we don't necessarily feel like we have the skill sets to move into those areas.

Nikita Dare: 18:04

I know so many people that could easily direct their own projects but have just never felt necessarily comfortable in stepping up. Or a few of the girls have said to me you know, actually I don't even want to do this role anymore, I want to move into this department, but no one's ever allowed them the opportunity just to do that. It's always been no, you need to keep shadowing this person or your time will come. But you need to do loads of different tests and show that you can do the work before you can do it, which is crazy because we don't all get the opportunity to do that. So, yeah, the community has grown subsequently, me running Seoul, which has been amazing, but that in itself has also turned into a full time job, because there's such a need for someone to nurture that community and grow it.

Nikita Dare: 18:58

We have nearly 100 people in our WhatsApp group now for the Southwest, which is amazing, and it's such a lovely group to be in because I'm in other film groups and there's a lot of egos that flutter around the group and I think people are quite scared sometimes to just open up. But in our group we are really open and honest about when things are really tough, unless you have been really really difficult for everybody and it's just been nice sometimes just to go. No, I'm actually having a really bad day and I have felt, even as the founder, that I've been comfortable to. It's such an amazing safe space for me to even go. Girls, I'm really struggling and I feel like sometimes I should be the one that needs to be the backbone.

Zoe Greenhalf: 19:53

Well, it just comes back to that. When you can be vulnerable, you create those kind of connections and especially as a manager, as a leader, as a founder, I think when the vulnerability comes from you, it kind of sets the precedence for everybody else and they kind of breathe a sigh of relief and go OK, in that case let me tell you about my day, or let me tell you what's going on in my life. It's when the people at the top don't want to know or they just kind of switched off to it. Nobody else feels like they can open their mouth.

Nikita Dare: 20:25

Yeah which is the experience that I've had working for these big corporates that these people at the top just don't feel human, and that was something that is one of our company words that we associate ourselves with.

Nikita Dare: 20:42

Is that human element that we want everyone to feel like we're just one big family and we help one another, which is also why I've spent so much time trying to write us policies making sure that everyone feels welcome, and I mentioned female a lot, but we have people in the group that identify as non-binary as well, and it's people of any background, anyone that has felt like they've been underrepresented within the industry, and there's a lot of us. Yeah, I can imagine, and it's actually quite scary when you talk to people about their experiences and what we've had to do as creatives to get to where we are. That's been difficult as well to hear and it just gives me a fire to keep going and to keep doing right by these girls, because we need that environment to flourish, and it is amazing Like when you get these girls and these people together, it's just the energy that it creates.

Zoe Greenhalf: 22:00

Are you thinking of a particular project that you've worked on as you're saying that?

Nikita Dare: 22:07

No, not a particular project. I think we have regular meetups. We have, you know, we try and do some regular coffee mornings and stuff and just being in a room together.

Zoe Greenhalf: 22:18

OK, so it's not just the WhatsApp group. There's actually no, we actually meet up as well.

Nikita Dare: 22:23

Yeah, yeah, so we try and meet up as much as we can. You know everyone's schedule is all over the place, so we just kind of fire dates in as to you know when everyone's available. But we have regular meetups and sometimes they're working meetups. We'll meet up and have breakfast together and some of us will have to socialize and be on our laptops. But actually it's really nice, because even just being in one another's presence it's such a lovely thing. But it is lovely and it just gives us a chance as well to get to know one another and ask questions.

Nikita Dare: 23:05

And there's people in our group that don't even work in production. So Georgia you know who you met as well that does the longboarding. She's in our group because she's interested in getting to production. And there's loads of other people in that group as well, from other companies, other producers. So there are always firing jobs in our group as well. So it's not just a work that comes from Seoul, it's other people's projects as well that they need support with. So we're just like one big family which is so nice.

Nikita Dare: 23:36

And yeah, and it's just slowly growing, which is really nice, and the amount of talent that's now in that group is incredible. It's really amazing to be a part of.

Zoe Greenhalf: 23:49

It's interesting to hear you talk about it, though, because I often talk about mischief being really fun and causing a bit of playful disruption, but when I hear you talk, I realize how serious it is being disruptive. You have to have a certain resilience and a certain strength of character Because, as you said at the beginning, you are going against the grain. You know, I quite often play up the fun side of everything, because I come from a period in my life where I wasn't feeling that much fun, but at the same time, I can really see how, when you do set out to change things and be a change maker, it actually becomes really serious business at times, because you do have to then pick your road and go down it, don't you?

Nikita Dare: 24:38

100%, 100%. And I think I've had some terrible experiences in my life where I've worked with some horrific people, people that I've literally I thought they were going to put me in an early grave. I was really rage, pressed, really. I have no confidence, yeah, just horrific really, and I never, ever, ever, want anyone to feel like they have to go through things like that, similar experiences like that, to make it. I want to say, make it not even just being successful, just trying to work in an industry. No one should have to give up anything and sacrifice anything like that to that respect for the sake of a career.

Nikita Dare: 25:27

And the industry is hard enough anyway. Without having to deal with egos, without having to deal with narcissism. When you're on set, you're working 13, 14-hour days, you want to knack it and to be surrounded by people. That just to go on set and not be badgered, not be. I've had experiences where I've been sexually abused by clients on set. I've had that experience and it was the production company's responsibility to make sure that that shouldn't happen. But sometimes there's not even that amount of level of care. It's that dismissive, just get the job done and go home kind of attitude and, yeah, it's really not good at all.

Zoe Greenhalf: 26:22

Which I know from having spoken to you. It has been a really big part of the foundations of Sol, hasn't it? It's been that kind of level of care that I have never seen anywhere else.

Nikita Dare: 26:35

Yeah, it's, and I'm not the only one that's experienced those things, and it's not just from clients. That's happened to people who have said to me that they've experienced that from crew. When you pull in those types of hours, sometimes you're having to stay on location in places. People's safety is your number one priority and, regardless of the client work, regardless of what we have to do, the safety and welfare of the crew is so important and that's not always a number one priority for a lot of production companies and that's something that we hold so much value to. We have open conversations with the girls around, even things like if they have. So something that we started to put into place is that we have conversations with everyone individually, crew-wise, to find out what their health conditions that we need to be made aware of. And I'm not just talking about, yes, I have diabetes or, yes, I have this allergy. I'm talking about even conditions that affect women hormonally as well. So I've had cases where I've had a number of girls with endometriosis on set working and they are in agony. They're in so much pain. So that's something that we've tried to address and think well, how can we make sure that women with hormonal changes and hormonal issues are catered for and set as well, because they are in visible conditions but they affect us so much. So there's even things like that. That I am so passionate about as well is making sure that we're catering for everybody.

Nikita Dare: 28:26

But coming back to your point about taking the role seriously, I didn't want us to be seen as a feminist movement either. I think that was something that you know. We're all feminists and are right because we should be. But I didn't want us to fall into the trap of people working with us just because they're ticking boxes. There's a lot of that happening at the moment, this tick box and exercise where clients and production companies will say, well, we need to be themed to be working with more women, so we'll just put them in any department that doesn't work for us. You know we make sure that the right people are in the right departments, and there has been times where I've had jobs where, unfortunately, I've not been able to fulfill having a female within that role. But I would never put someone in that position that they didn't feel ready for, because that can also have the adverse effect and make them lose their confidence, you know. So we're always trying to help people to upscale and develop into positions, but sometimes, yeah, we can't always fulfill it.

Zoe Greenhalf: 29:36

So even that's a really refreshing attitude. I mean, you know, there's still a lot to be said for people not feeling threatened by their jobs by other people coming through to steal their jobs and actually giving them the support and helping them build their confidence, as you say.

Nikita Dare: 29:53

Yeah and yeah, this year, you know, I've been really trying to develop more quality relationships with you know, potential clients that see the benefit of working with us. You know they see the benefit in working with an all female crew. They want to support that and I think this is why it's taken probably us a little bit longer to grow as quickly as probably other production companies have, because we've been so selective with the conversations we've been having so that we start, as we mean, to go on and that's really really important for me and for all the girls. You know they want to work a brand that value them being there. You know, not just it being a tick tick box exercise, and it comes down to the fact also that you know we're trying to raise more awareness around pro age. You know that's something that we are super, super passionate about. I'm really, really passionate about that.

Nikita Dare: 30:57

I'm also really, really busy at the moment trying to raise more awareness around the fact that there's just a lack of understanding around the female consumer. There's such a discord between what we see out there versus what women actually want to want to see. Oh, yeah, totally agree, and they're pretty much the decision makers on a lot of buying purchases, but we just completely get ignored in advertisements and commercials. So it's kind of again like raising awareness around the role that women play. We're not better than men, we're just equal and we need to be seen as that.

Zoe Greenhalf: 31:40

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Nikita Dare: 32:57

I do get overwhelmed sometimes with the feeling of this. What I'm trying to do is much bigger than me. I feel that pressure now and again and I feel that weight on my shoulders. I feel like I've kind of opened up a hornet's nest and now I'm trying to build and try and train and try and control and trying to scale what I've just unleashed. But the feedback that I get is incredible and that always keeps me going and reassures me that it's hard and it's tough but I have to keep going and I couldn't be doing anything else.

Zoe Greenhalf: 33:48

I really love that and I think, actually just talking to you like this, it's one thing to start a business with a very strong ethos about how you want to run that business, but the fact that you've simultaneously created this community means that even when you do feel the pressure, without really even intending to build a community, you've created your own support network where you all support each other. So I guess when things do get really, really heavy, you can go there. You've got somewhere that you can kind of go and talk with people who understand what you're going through. I'm sure not everybody has that and I know, as you said, it was a bit of a kind of oh, unexpectedly, we've created this community, but I think the fact that you have that alongside your business must make such a difference.

Nikita Dare: 34:50

Yeah, definitely, I think this it's why I launched. So we launched something called Asides recently, so that's basically like our blog platform that sits on the website. The reason for that was to showcase this community and their talents, and that's something that you know. Like I said, it's become a bit of a full time job in itself, trying to grow that side of things because it's so needed. But I wanted a platform where I could interview people and showcase all these amazing people that are so overly overlooked and unseen a lot of the time, and people don't.

Nikita Dare: 35:36

You know, like I said, women are so bad at not shouting from the rooftops what they can do in their abilities, which is, I just think, is a good thing and a bad thing. But, you know, I wanted to have this platform to talk about subjects that we were really, really passionate about. So now that we have that, that's good, and I'm trying to build more of a content plan in and around that to make sure that's kept up to date. And we, you know, we talk about things that are really important to us, and I think I'm hoping as well that in turn, will show potential clients what we stand for, and if they resonate with what we're saying then they are people and we want to work with them. I can see the business splitting into two at some point, and for them to be not two separate things they'll always be, you know, the same same company but I think it just it needs two people managing the both sides.

Nikita Dare: 36:40

It's a lot. I've realized that this year that actually there's all these people that are desperate for that community. You know they want it and they're so eager to do meetups, they're so eager to give us their time. But that needs to be nurtured and, like I said, yeah, it's a full time job.

Zoe Greenhalf: 37:02

Can I ask you about your journey into the industry, into the production industry?

Nikita Dare: 37:07

Yeah.

Zoe Greenhalf: 37:08

How did it begin?

Nikita Dare: 37:10

I left school and didn't really know what I wanted to do, didn't didn't even finish my A levels. I think I did my AS. Didn't finish my A levels because I had no intention of going to university. So I was like what's the point of me carrying on doing another year in in a school? I really didn't really like that much. And I went to work in advertising and media and I really really loved that job. I was in a really small team. It just ticked all my boxes and then I moved them to Cheltenham and I think that's when I struggled a lot to try and find my way.

Nikita Dare: 37:50

I was sort of in and out of jobs for for years living in Cheltenham. I really struggled living there, but I worked. I fell into working as a production manager and for an agency there and that was a really hard experience, like I said, but it was a big learning for me and I got let go of that job on the grounds of mental health, which is just crazy. But the reason why you had to let go of me was because I was basically on maternity cover and I didn't even realize. So this this girl came back into work one day and said oh, you're sitting in my chair. I'm back on maternity and I didn't even realize I was on maternity cover, so I was let go. But instead of just being honest and being like you know, sorry, I didn't tell you, you're on maternity cover, I was just fired on the grounds of mental health, which was a bit of a joke. So yeah, so I had a bit of a knock after that left and went to work in marketing after that. So I worked brand and agency side and then I went and worked for a beautiful skincare brand, but again, that had its own problems and they got me redundant from that.

Nikita Dare: 39:06

And then that's why I knew I needed to get back into working in production and I just started assisting. So I had no before. I was working as a production manager and a producer, eventually a producer. But I knew I didn't want to necessarily do that. I wanted to be in the art department. So I just started assisting. I was emailing around, working for free and doing everything you know you have to do to just get going. And then there was an agency. There is an agency that I work with. So who are amazing, the best in Cardiff. They're a really lovely company and they gave me my first break, I guess, as an art director. And you know, when you land your first break and it goes well, that's when you get more and more work from people. And I just started to bring it, build up those credits and then, yeah, so sort of have been doing that for COVID. So what's that 2020?

Nikita Dare: 40:09

And then I started, you know, I started to cement what I wanted to do with song 2020. But I knew that I was far off from making it happen. But I had the foundations down on paper and I was mood boarding and I was trying to dream up what this brand would look like and this company would look like. But ultimately, you know, my production design and my art direction was what was paying the bills. So I had to keep doing that. But I still love doing that. And I someone said to me the day, you know, would you still do that through soul? And I said, depending on the job, I would do it, but I, ultimately, I would love to just direct, produce through through soul and take a bit of a step back and let other people work in those positions and and help them and develop them. Yeah, the industry has changed massively. You know, clients want more for nothing.

Nikita Dare: 41:09

Cross any industry, I would guess Every industry, every industry, and that comes with its own challenges.

Nikita Dare: 41:16

Then, you know, directors have bigger dreams and aspirations as to what they want to do. They're trying to push the boundaries of what, what can be done, and either timescales and the budget's given and the jobs just seems to be getting harder and harder all of the time and I'm starting to lose enjoyment for it and I'm very I'm an absolute perfectionist and I give everything when I do these jobs and I'm left feeling absolutely exhausted Though I don't think I can sustain that for very much longer and I just feel like my heart is with soul now and I've just been. You know, we've just been waiting for this break to come, where I can feel confident to go. No, I'm not going to take that job and I'm just going to manage soul. But it's just been that scary transition over. But we're nearly there now, which is good, which is good. So hopefully, I think, when that happens, I think things will change significantly, because then all of my time and effort and energy will be on that and growing the business, which is where my heart is.

Zoe Greenhalf: 42:39

Yeah, but you know the best things.

Nikita Dare: 42:40

they do take time, so you know slowly but surely that's the way and I have to be. You know I have to. I have to go easy on myself as well, because I think sometimes I do get frustrated. I think why hasn't this come yet, you know, why isn't this happened yet? Or why isn't this where I thought it would be? A little while ago, I did this exercise where I just wrote down what's happened in the last three, four years or three years of having a soul. I've moved lots, I've gone through the walls I've only hit 30 yet and all these massive life things have been thrown at me and I had to go okay. Well, you know, a lot's happened as well. You know, like the fact that you're just living and breathing right now is probably amazing in itself. Like, go easy on yourself.

Zoe Greenhalf: 43:38

I'm so happy that you have got that level of self compassion.

Nikita Dare: 43:41

Yeah, it's taken me a while to get there, but I've definitely learned that and I think also having an amazing support system around me my partner, the girls, my family they're all amazing for just reassuring me that things will come, things you know, it'll have its time and what I'm doing is not just I'm not just trying to grow a business for the sake of growing a business, I'm not just trying to get rich quick. That's never been the plan and I don't think it'll ever will be.

Zoe Greenhalf: 44:15

Mate, you'd never be on this podcast if that was your agenda.

Nikita Dare: 44:19

That's very true. That's very true. But you know what I'm trying to do is go against the grain. You know I'm trying to build something that is not conventional. It's not really seen as a necessity. You know women have been fighting for their rights for so long and continue to do so. You know you're not just trying to build a business after you know this life changing world event that's happened. You're also trying to do something that involves going against everything that you've been conditioned to believe in, the jobs that you've had through your career, and that's in itself very difficult.

Zoe Greenhalf: 45:04

The older I get, the more I feel like it's not really a question of learning and growing. It's sometimes more a question of unlearning the stuff that you know, so true, it's so true, it's so true.

Nikita Dare: 45:20

I feel like this year had been that the unlearning of everything, that I was taught Everything. Not to say that you know that was incorrect, but my parents did their best and I adore them both. But I do feel like you've so hit the nail on the head where I've definitely been trying to do that yeah, so true, it's so true. And not to be afraid to go she, this doesn't sit right with me, this doesn't feel right. And then voicing that too you know, that's been also something that I've had to learn to do is sort of voice when I don't feel like something's quite right, because a lot of the time people go well, yeah, I agree with you, because that also has happened to me and yeah, of course, you should question that that isn't right. And you're like oh right, okay, yeah, okay, cool.

Zoe Greenhalf: 46:16

Next, what do you think has helped, then, in terms of finding your voice? Has it been having those open conversations with other people in the industry, or has it been a sense of confidence that's grown from within you?

Nikita Dare: 46:33

I think it's just kind of. I think it's been a mixture of a few things. I think suppression has been a big thing for me being sort of suppressed, to feel like I couldn't say what was on my mind or, or to be honest, or I never felt like I was in the right environment that allowed me to express my feelings and my truth. Now I do and I feel like nothing can stop me now and I don't think my confidence is necessarily grown, but I feel a support system. So because of that, I feel like I can do anything that I dream to do, Because I know there's people around me now that that encourage me to, to do what I believe in and to trust in that voice or the fire that's in my belly. I think that's been a big part of it. I love that. I don't think overnight I've definitely been like, yeah, I'm so much more confident now. Definitely not. I still doubt a lot of my decisions, my daily decisions, but being surrounded by the right people has made such an incredible difference to my life.

Zoe Greenhalf: 47:44

You gave me goosebumps when you said that. So lovely yeah. What do you do for fun, Nikita, when you're not going for a production company? World domination.

Nikita Dare: 47:59

Oh God, what do I do for fun? I love eating. I really love food. I just love exploring. I think that's something that I've learned to to do more like just sit down and go. What do I fancy doing today? I'm going to go and do that.

Nikita Dare: 48:18

I love to shop, I love to eat. I love sightseeing. I love being a tourist in my own town. I live near Bath, so I regularly pop down and just have a good nooch around the shops. And I love a good nooch around the shops, love spending money that I don't have but it's coming. Yeah, I yeah, hang in there, it's coming, and then I'll have to spending spending it on crap, which I usually do.

Nikita Dare: 48:46

But I also love thrifting, like all of everything that's in my house now I've bought secondhand. I have some amazing vintage shops around me, amazing flea markets that happen regularly, and I just love going and having like a budget, having like 50 crad in cash in my pocket and just trying to find as much as I can for that, for that much. But yeah, I love thrifting. I love design. I love homewares. I've always wanted to have my own lifestyle company as well, alongside school, making my own stuff, so making my own pieces of art, sourcing, push-ins and throws and all homeware stuff Does that side of you feed into your role when you're art directing, or is that something different?

Zoe Greenhalf: 49:40

Yes, I'm going to ask you to explain to me the roles because, as somebody who's never who's never had anything to do with you know any kind of film industry or anything. You told me you'd been in an art director, production designer. Was that right? Yeah, production designer and a producer. And the producer. And you actually would like to direct. So could you? I'll tell. I'll say it's for the benefit of the listeners, but it's not, it's for the benefit of me. So I can understand all the different roles. Could you explain them?

Nikita Dare: 50:13

Yeah, it's a bit different when it comes to like so you've got your commercials and your ads, the stuff you see on TV, the stuff you get bombarded with on YouTube. When you go and watch something or a music video, a lot of the time the crew sizes are a lot smaller. There are lots flimmed, more, slimmed down. So a lot of the time you find yourself doing multiple roles. Okay, so in those instances I tend to work with a director on their vision and they tell me this is what I'd love to do, and then the producer tells me this is the budget. And then I go back to the director and say, no, we can't do any of that. We need to think of something a bit different. So as a production designer, I will design what those scenes could look like. I come up with visual references, mood boards and then on the day I will create the scene. So sometimes that's flipping rooms, houses or building stuff in a studio, so designing it and making it happen, pulling it all together. A big part of that is sourcing everything. So as a buyer, I am really passionate about secondhand buying.

Nikita Dare: 51:35

The industry has so much waste. It's terrifying the amount of waste that happens, and I mean, I've been on commercials where it's about recycling and the amount of waste that comes out of those shoots and you think, hang on, the whole message is around recycling and the amount. You know not. Once a client asked me where you source in these items. Are we hiring them over, buying them? What are we doing with the props afterwards, are you? You know what materials can be recycled.

Nikita Dare: 52:09

So there's a lot of waste, which is a huge, huge thing and something that we try and address in the productions that we do how best we can make sure that our productions are as clean as possible. And you know, a lot of productions now are even hiring environmental coordinators to make sure that they're calculating what's being used, what can be recycled, which is amazing. That's something that's being, after all. And then on the day then I'm literally once I've done everything, I will stand at a monitor and make sure that I'm watching everything, making sure that things aren't. You know, people leave coffee cups and water bottles on set all of the time, which really bugs me. So it's my job to constantly be looking at what's going on in the scene, making sure things are correct. You know, if there's clocks in the scene, do they need to be changed. You know, it's just sort of things like that.

Zoe Greenhalf: 53:14

And then that's an attention for detail.

Nikita Dare: 53:18

Massive attention for detail. I think that's my favourite part of the job is the is the observation and the continuity and the attention to detail, and, yeah, I love doing that. So I worked on my first feature film last year and that was incredible. But in those situations you're a part of a bigger team, so then the production designers are separate to the art directors. You might have people that are purely managing props, so there'll be, there'll be a prop mass, so that will literally just be in charge of making sure that hires go back and things are ordered per scene and you've got buyers, yeah, so there's.

Nikita Dare: 54:00

In those situations it's nicer because all the roles are spread out and you work as a team to do something A lot of the time. Commercials, yeah, you've. You know, if you get given an assistant, that's amazing. And if you get someone to do the set build amazing. You know it's like you're always trying to push for those roles.

Nikita Dare: 54:19

But and that's another thing that's always wound me up Is that a lot of the departments they will get given that have usually heavily male dominated. They will get given two assistants, like that, but it's always the art department that always suffers. You know, we're always asking for more help and usually we're told you know, there's no budget when a gaffer will have two sparks. So that's always really annoying. So yeah, that's kind of how the role of the act.

Nikita Dare: 54:50

But yeah, the bigger the budget, the less you are. Not the less work you have to do, but the more you can breathe in your role, when a lot of why this year has been really difficult is because the budgets have been so tight. You've had to do everything, I've had to do everything and that's not being enjoyable at all because it doesn't allow you to have time for real creativity and real problem solving or to really design something that is fully recyclable or you know, you just don't have enough time to do that and then everything feels a bit rushed and everything feels a bit thrown together and there's been a lot of that will do attitude this year which I've really really struggled with because that's not how I work.

Zoe Greenhalf: 55:40

Presumably that's across the board, though is it. That's just an industry wide problem, that's just kind of like.

Nikita Dare: 55:48

you know, just everyone is just so desperate to get the work that they are taking jobs even when they're not confident they can do the jobs. And AI has been an issue. You know, like directors or clients have been coming up with these AI references of things that they want to create when it's just not doable with the budget that they have, or you know the capabilities of the team or whatever. So that's been a big issue as well. So, yes, it's been. It's been a tough year all around, but looking forward to a new year, yeah, it's a fresh start.

Zoe Greenhalf: 56:25

Well, you're still standing.

Nikita Dare: 56:28

Yeah, true. Well, sat down with a glass of wine, figured to be speaking.

Zoe Greenhalf: 56:36

If anybody's listening and thinking oh my God, this sounds like such a tough gig. What would you say to them? Do you think?

Nikita Dare: 56:45

I think sometimes the film industry you can go into it with rose tinted grasses and you know you have to be realistic with it is very hard. It's a really hard industry to work in. One. You're sometimes away from family, you're away from home. You're pulling lots of hours, especially in the art department. I've never felt so broken physically before that I'm working in that department, in that industry, because it is just this very ex you know, very tiring. But I think if you get in with the right people then it's such a rewarding and incredible industry to work in.

Nikita Dare: 57:31

I would not be doing it if I thought that it wasn't worth it. The buzz that you get when you're on set with life-minded people is just the best feeling in the world. And then when you see something that you've been working on go live on TV or it's on social media and people are talking about it, or you work on a film that has this incredible narrative and you've created something so beautifully to look at, it's just the most euphoric feeling in the world. You know all the pain that you've gone through, the cuts and bruises. You know when you see the product of your hard work there in front of you, it's just the best feeling in the world, I think so many areas of creative industries in general, I think would probably say the same thing.

Nikita Dare: 58:22

Yeah, definitely, and I think also, you know, I don't ever want anyone to be scared off from pursuing a career in production at all. I think companies like mine are a really great place to start, because getting with the right people that will nurture you and will teach you and will let you learn the hard way, you know. I think that's so important. I think there's too many of those companies around that are like you know, just keep grafting, keep grafting, keep grafting and then it'll pay off one day. Yeah, I don't agree with that at all. I don't think you should.

Nikita Dare: 59:06

I think a lot of people as well have been working in positions that they are so overly qualified for for too long because they've not had the environment to nurture them or to pull them through or to get them into positions that they more qualified in quicker. Yeah, I think that's so important. And as women as well, I think we need even more nourishment. Sometimes we give so much of ourselves when we do. I've seen that time and time again where these women just give everything that they have to produce what they do, but they don't necessarily have the environment to protect them, nurture them, look after them, keep them safe you know, keeping them safe. And I think if we get given situations where we have those environments, we, you will get the best work out of us women. You really will.

Nikita Dare: 1:00:03

You know, and I see it. I see it all the time and I'm so excited for the projects that we want to work on because you're going to get the best out of these women, because they are doing something they love. They're in an environment they feel supported in and protected in. They are proud to be working with this client. You know the subject they find interesting, or it has this amazing moral element to it that they believe in and support in. When you, when you have all these factors come together and they just work, it's just pure magic. It is incredible and I think that's that's what we're going to be famous for. I know that's what we're going to be famous for is just people, the most talented people, working for us because they feel so nurtured in their environment.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:00:53

It's beautiful. What are some of the highlights that you've experienced since you have set up Sol?

Nikita Dare: 1:01:01

Oh, that's a good question. I think there's been a couple of two. I think there's been two situations that have been tear-jerking moments for me, where I remember I did my first meet up, so I'd organised this cocktail evening and I'd paid for things to be branded and I'd I'd put you know basically just did like this open tab on the bar and you know I'd put a lot of investment in getting getting this night together and it was going to be my first social. And at first only one person turned up and it was so lovely but, bless it, I was talking to her but in my head that's all I could be. That's all I was thinking is, no one else is going to turn up and I'm going to look so stupid. And within about an hour I had like 20 more people turn up and it was like the best night ever. And I got in the car and one of the girls said to me you know, it's so amazing what you're doing and thank you so much and you're such an incredible person for doing this, and I just sat there, boredom out, you know. I dropped her off and then I got in the car. I got back in the car and I just sort of boredom eyes out because just seeing everyone's faces and everyone was so excited to meet each other and there was no egos, there was no jealousy, it was just pure love. And these girls, you know, some of them have never met before and that has happened all the meetings we've had and the girls love to come together and I'm sat there and I sort of always take a bit of the step back and watching everyone interact and it's such a beautiful thing to witness and for me that's probably been the highlights Definitely.

Nikita Dare: 1:02:42

I think when we have our first I think we've had jobs this year where we've worked together, but I don't feel like it's ever been anything close to what I work on for some of these other brands and agencies. I think when we have our first one where it's completely managed by soul, the client is dealing with us you know we have a full female crew like it's just going to be the most emotional day of my life because it will be the start of something that I know is just going to grow from there and we're so close to having that that it's just it's within touch and distance now, which is super exciting, but I think it's going to be the best day. It's going to really be the best day when that happens and very emotional, I think, really, really emotional. The jobs this year there's always been something not right. You know we've not, I've not been able to fulfill their being an all female crew, or I've just not been able to fulfill something, or the client's not been quite right for us, or.

Nikita Dare: 1:03:48

But you know, even the smaller jobs that we've had this year. You know, I met Fee from Girls who Grand Coffee through this introduction on social, and then we ended up working with them and we did some photography for their new, some of their new lines and that was an amazing experience. You know, and I've met so many incredible people this year. I think that has been my highlight above nothing else. That we've made no money this year, but the people that I have now that I can call my friends, it's just that's what's given me all, you know, all the confidence that I have, or the little confidence I have. You know, my heart feels so full, even after a tough year, both professionally and personally. Just meeting all these girls has just been incredible, the absolute highlight of my life, for sure.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:04:41

You heard the phrase your vibe attracts your tribe. I think that's what's happened to you.

Nikita Dare: 1:04:48

Yeah, yes, I literally haven't heard that so long. I think that's what's happened to you.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:04:52

You know, I think it just takes one person to step up and be a light and everybody else is suddenly attracted to them and you just kind of magnify the feeling in the room. And you know, that seems to me what you're doing while you're out there, building up these contacts and laying the foundations for what's to come. Like you say, I think it's going to take off. It's just quietly building and building and building and getting those right people in, and just you know, the most beautiful thing is the fact that you're being authentically yourself. You know, and you're demonstrating to everybody else that they can be their authentic selves as well.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:05:35

And there's none of this. What do you have to behave in a particular way? Because the industry says this and you have to do things that way, because it's always been done that way. It's like, actually, if there is a different way of doing it, let's do it, let's have a conversation about it, let's be really open with each other and you're constructing a new way. So if it does feel hard, that's exactly why, because it's new and it hasn't been done before and you're a little bit of a pioneer. So whilst you're sat there telling me that, you know you don't always have that much confidence. I just hope that I can boost your little bit and remind you of this phenomenal thing that you're creating. And the reason it feels hard is because you're not following in anybody's footsteps. You're paving the way for everybody else and it's a hard. It's a hard place to be in, but, as you said, it's also a really rewarding place.

Nikita Dare: 1:06:25

Yeah, it is, and I think that's why I started reading that book as well. The book is at the mountain. Is you or that? Because I did. I have felt like I just I just need that clarity and that reassurance that your limit is what you set yourself and that limit can be moved. And that's how I feel at the moment. But I just need a reminder that I'm so close to getting things where we want it to be. And you know, ultimately my biggest goal in life is to help all these incredible women have the best careers of their lives and to help all the budding creatives come through, all these amazing women that have these great ideas for films or series, you know fresh. To make this happen. You know I've got no, I've got no desire to be this.

Nikita Dare: 1:07:18

I look at some of these women sometimes and then these they kind of go the opposite way. They almost kind of they dream of becoming the CEO. It's been so hard for them to get to where they, where they've got to, that they've had to walk over so many people to get there, because they felt like that was the need, that that's what they needed to do. That was the only way of getting their voices heard, which is so sad because it's not. And I've seen that in my career. I've I've been the product of that, where I've had a boss, a female boss, that they feel intimidated or they've they've felt belittled or you know they've they've had their own journey and careers but they they've felt like they have to be the woman Miranda off off devil wears prior to get to where they need to be. And you know, and I've also worked with those women, you know, and we have no, I have no interest in working with those, with those women. I feel sorry for them that they feel like they've had to do that to get to where they, where they feel like they need to be, and we have no interest, interests of company, with working with people like that.

Nikita Dare: 1:08:27

But the people that that stand together and want to help one another, they there are people you know, and I feel like that is our tribe and that is the tribe that we're growing.

Nikita Dare: 1:08:38

Those, the girls that are, you know, they're helping one another and they're openly honest and vulnerable and human, and they, there are people that that is me, that is who I am as a person, and if we can build our morals and our foundations of a company based on those things, then we have to succeed. There is no, no failure in that, because we're too good for people to for it not to, for it to happen to, you know. And then I think all these, all these incredible people that I have around me, are so unbelievably talented that we are this quiet not quiet, but with this sort of, I think people do really underestimate us, and it's going to be an amazing day when we get to produce things that we feel passionate about and people go oh well, they can do it. Or I didn't know they were capable of doing that, or I didn't know she could direct, or you know, all these, all these things, it's going to be an amazing day.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:09:52

There's a little meme that kind of went around on social media that said oh, underestimate me, that'll be fun. I kind of like that. It's a bit like yeah, just wait.

Nikita Dare: 1:10:04

Yeah, yeah, definitely. I feel like in my personal life I had a lot of sorting out to do, yeah, and then it was my business life, and now I feel like I'm slowly building up from the foundations, like you said, repicking everything that I've learned, everything I've taught I've been taught, or everything that I thought was how I was meant to do this, and reworking and relearning who I am as a person, how I work. You know the amount of like something we've not even touched on, which is something that's you know the amount of females that I work, that I work with, that have ADHD is so common in female creatives and all to be on the spectrum or you know, and the support that they don't have, you know, for having these conditions like I've. I was told years ago that I had a say years ago actually wasn't that long ago that I had ADHD, and immediately I was like, oh my God, like how was this going to affect my work? But actually it's an amazing thing because it's allowed me to understand who I am as a person and to understand how I work and how my brain works, and it's allowed me the freedom to be easy on myself and to go.

Nikita Dare: 1:11:28

That's fine. It just means that you know, of course you are, you're, you're a creative through and through, of course you're going to be on the spectrum somehow, you know. But it's not a negative. This is just how we work around it. So the amount of conversations in that respect I've had with with women that you know I've struggled because you know, when you read about things, you know conditions like ADHD, a lot of the symptoms are based off the examinations that they've done on on their brains and that's very different to a few more brains. So it, you know, it's even things like that. But between the hormones, the mental health, you know it's, we have so many things against us. But when we, like I said, when we have that nurturing environment and it's supportive and it's caring and it's safe, you get the best work out of these girls. And for me that's such an honour to see and watch and be a part of.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:12:31

Amazing. Before we wrap this up, I wanted to ask you if you've got any dream clients that you want to put out there to the universe on this podcast and see if they drop onto your lap by 2024?.

Nikita Dare: 1:12:46

Oh my God, that would be amazing. Stranger things have happened.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:12:50

I like to think this podcast is a little bit mischievous and magical, so we'll see if it can work some magic.

Nikita Dare: 1:12:57

I would love for us to work with some charity-based companies that are for women, so, like Women's Aid. I was trying to reach out to Welsh Women's Aid this year, trying to do more work with them. It's, you know, extremely difficult and a really hard subject, but I would love to do something like that. I would. I don't have a particular brand in mind, but I would love to work with, like, a brand that's really well known for being masculine. Their target market is actually women, because women buy their product for their husbands and their boyfriends or whatever. And we come up with this that, you know, is about acknowledging that women are the buyers, not the male, not the men. That would be amazing. That would be incredible. And then I would love to. I'm writing a series at the moment. It's a short film, but I want it to be a series.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:13:59

You really just mentioned this at the end.

Nikita Dare: 1:14:04

Because I'm nervous about it. I still haven't really like, I have the idea, but I'm just trying to cement it in my head and I'm writing the script at the moment, but it's yeah, it's a hard one, but that's going to be a that's. That would be amazing. To be able to get the funding to produce that, that would be incredible. Yeah, I don't know how much, how much I should say about it really, but it's.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:14:27

Well, I can poke you and press you to give me more and more information, but it depends how much you want to share.

Nikita Dare: 1:14:38

I don't know what to say.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:14:41

Should I say it or don't you? No, I don't know. I can see on your face you're like I don't know. If I want to, no, it's okay. But when you have decided that you want to share, come back on the podcast and give me the exclusive, please.

Nikita Dare: 1:14:52

Yes, I will, because I'll be probably raising, trying to raise money to produce it. But that would be amazing, and I think, if I could get some charities on board for that, because that will be touching. You know, subjects around abuse, around the the health system, failing women in general. You know the lack of awareness around hormonal health and what that does to us. It's, it's really about that, about all these different topics from a man's perspective set in a house share with four boys. So it's, it's an interesting one. It's a bit more, it's a bit grittier and it's a bit like you know, I think it will make a few people feel uncomfortable. So I think it's a bit of an instrument, which is why it's taken me a long time to to really come on, you're new, no stranger to making people uncomfortable.

Nikita Dare: 1:15:46

This is true, this is very true, and I also have a friend who has written these incredible short stories about women that hit the menopause and basically go on a rampage and kill everybody that's done a wrong in her life. So I'd also love to develop those into a short story or or series and try and pitch that. So yeah, there's a few, a few things. Yeah, a female charity of some something, but women's, women's aid would be amazing. Working with a brand that is known for its masculinity you know, you know it's a male brand, but actually, when you look at the demographics and their data, is women that buy their products but they just get ignored at the ads and then producing our films that would be the dream.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:16:37

It's going to happen.

Nikita Dare: 1:16:40

I'm putting it out there. I'm putting it out there for the interest of the caption to make happen.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:16:46

But but yeah, oh, nikita's been so lovely speaking to you. Where can people find out more about Sol?

Nikita Dare: 1:16:53

So we've got a website which is Solagencycouk Very boring, I don't like to call us an agency. I've got a bit of a I hate that word agency. I just I feel like it's cold. I really struggle with it. So I've been slowly trying to tell people that we've saw productions rather than rather than agency. So probably should change the website at some point. But right now we're Solagencycouk. That's Sol Productions. Yeah, yeah, I think it's sort of it's it's softer and it's a bit more like you know, you don't know where it can go Agency.

Nikita Dare: 1:17:30

I've had so many bad agency experiences that I just feel like the word agency is like it kind of makes me go. Oh, I hate that word. This reminds me of all those men that I've worked for have run their agencies badly. So there is a part of me that wants to get rid of agency and it's slowly being filtered out. And then we're on Instagram, so we are Sol and Co. So when I started Sol, there was sort of there was sort of two names for it. It was Sol Agency, which is now a new productions, and then Sol and Co, and the and Co was this community. That it's not just us, it's this community. So we're we still use that. So if you see the and Co, that's what that means I did a similar thing actually last year.

Nikita Dare: 1:18:15

I don't?

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:18:16

I think it only lasted like a couple of months and then I changed it back again, but it was going to be like Mischief and Co. For the same reason, it was like you know this kind of community. I know it was hard. It's hard when you're trying to pick a name.

Nikita Dare: 1:18:28

Yeah, it is so difficult and I went. I've been through so many versions of that branding but we finally settled on a brand look this year, which was so happy about that was a bit more universal. Like I said, you know, we're we're trying to appeal to all underrepresented communities and I just didn't feel like the brand was really. It felt too feminine, so I I've stripped it back and it's just is what it is now, which I love. But my dream also, which I would love, love to be able to do next year, is to open a hub space for the girls to work in. So I would potentially be looking at the Bristol area just because that's where I love everyone is sort of based around Share your dream. That would be amazing to have like a shared community workspace for us to work in and for us to have our own little coffee shop in there as well. But yeah, just for us to have a space that we can work from, that would be amazing, because these meetups are so nice and it's lovely to get together, but actually just to be able to just work together, you know, and it just need to be all on the same project so it can literally just be stacked, but you know the girls are around you and everyone's having a bit of a laugh. That would just be the dream. So that would be something that I'm going to try and see if I can try and get funded for next year, because that would just be amazing to do that.

Nikita Dare: 1:19:56

But yeah, but, like I said, anyone I hope I'm scared to work in production. It's not a scary place. You just need the right people around you and the right support system, which is what we're proud to give. You know, drop us a DM, drop us an email, introduce yourself and and yeah, like I said, you don't need to be working in production already. Like I said, there's people like Georgia who hasn't worked in production at all. She just loves the idea of getting into the, into producing or working in that department. So you know she's in our group and it's just yeah, it's just creative, like minded people. But that's who we're trying to appeal to. Fantastic.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:20:40

Well, I wish you every success. Keep me posted on how it all goes.

Nikita Dare: 1:20:49

Yes, I will, I will.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:20:51

So, yeah, going to be an exciting, exciting few months after the roller coaster, because it hasn't finished yet.

Nikita Dare: 1:20:58

It's true, let's just see through autumn and Christmas.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:21:01

But thank you so much, Nikita.

Nikita Dare: 1:21:05

Thank you.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:21:10

It was a slightly longer one today, but packed with valuable insights. So here are my 10 takeaways from this powerful conversation with Nikita. One when you encounter a wobble and you start to question yourself, come back to your why. Why does this thing matter to you so much? It will really help you to overcome that wobble and keep moving forward. Two if something feels right and is meant for you, you will have so much mental clarity around how you want to do it and what you stand for. Three surrounding yourself with the right people in the right environment to nurture your desire and passion will bring clarity, confidence and allow your ideas to flourish. Four you can be sensible and structured and still be a free spirit, and perhaps the coexistence of these two sides is actually what keeps life interesting.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:22:04

Five redundancy can be seen as a knockback or a push forward, and not every negative situation is sent to break you. Just as the pandemic provided space for Sol to build its foundations, your toughest challenge could also become your greatest opportunity to grow. Six mood boards are a great place to start playing around with your ideas. It's a fun way to explore colors, words, imagery and values that then become the foundation of your bigger vision. Seven when you can believe 100% in yourself and your capacity to bring your idea to life, you'll find another layer of strength to help make it happen. Eight, you don't have to quit your job in order to build something on your terms. Nikita freelanced alongside Sol and at the time of publishing, this continues to do so, which allows her to build slowly and sustainably without the pressure of money right from the get go. Nine, being a change maker or going against the grain requires a thick skin and will make you more resilient. And number 10, your limitations are only what you set yourself, and those limits can always be moved.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:23:27

I hope you loved today's episode and it made you think differently or perhaps nudged you into changing something in your life that's not working for you. I'd love to give you a shout out right here on the podcast too, so do let me know what you think or you'd like to hear more of, or how you've been inspired. Let's keep in touch over on Instagram at the mischief movement Ah, it's changed, did you see that? Or click the link in the show notes to sign up to my mischief mail newsletter, where you'll get exclusive insights on upcoming episodes and your chance to submit questions to future guests. But shh, don't tell anyone. It's our secret. Now, please keep spreading the word about the podcast. You're doing an amazing job, and I'm also super grateful for your five star ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, because these seriously help my mission to inspire and empower more people like us to choose mischief over mediocre. Have a great week and keep making mischief, ciao.