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Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Rhimes.

Shonda Rhimes is a well-known showrunner, with many very well-known productions across multiple platforms. To name a few, Grey's Anatomy; Private Practice; How to get Away with Murder, and Scandal. 

Grey's Anatomy

Shonda created popular TV series Grey's Anatomy in 2005 and it's still going today. If that's not enough credit to her, she was the series' most prolific writer, and one of the main executive producers. She created the show as a statement against racism and sexism in TV, by doing colourblind casting and writing female characters with more dimension, not just the loving wife or nice friend. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, she states "[Women] never got to be nasty or competitive or hungry or angry... But who gets to be the bitch? Who gets to be the three-dimensional woman?". 
Grey's Anatomy has also proven itself to be an encouraging work space for the actors, some of which have gone on to be directors, as well as the crew encouraging actresses when they become pregnant rather than writing them out of storylines. "Instead of shunning it and hoping you don't get pregnant, I watch producers actively encourage all of our actors to have a family," says Grey's actor Jesse Williams, who was also encouraged to start up his own businesses.
Grey's has lasted so long, but hasn't dropped its title as number 1 drama on ABC. It has stayed afloat and is now into its 16th season. It also streamed on Amazon Prime in the UK, but will be coming off in February.

Production methods and work ethic

Shonda's work ethic is second to none. It most likely derives from seeing her mother earn a Ph.D. while raising 6 kids (link). In her TED Talk, she referred to how she often has 3 shows in production at a time, sometimes four. This equates to $350 million a season. She is happy to be overworked.
As mentioned, Her work has promoted diversity in race, gender, and sexuality. There are no borders when it came to her casting. At the time, this was also hailed as a visionary, and likely paved the way for a more accepting production process.

Inspiration

For my project, I definitely want to practice colourblind casting. I've always tried to do this anyway. I also want to push my work ethic. I don't think I could overwork myself quite to the level that Shonda does, but I'm very determined to be proud of this project by the end. I also love Shonda's way of working with her actors and ensuring that they can have a life of their own. One of my main priorities is for work to be an accessory as much as possible to the lives of everyone who works with me, rather than my films to take over for a week. I like to know that everyone I'm working with is happy, as this promotes positive work environments and tends to get the best from people.
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