Career advice from Sweet Tooth producer Amanda Burrell

“The people you meet when you’re young and you think are going to be in your life forever,” she told TheWrap for this week’s Office With a View. “I’ve reconnected with people and talked to people, and it’s crazy how we’ve grown together.”

One example is Beatrice Springbourne, now president of Universal Content Productions and International Studios, whom she met during her indie film days.

“When we were in the early days of marketing ‘Sweet Tooth,’ she was in an ongoing drama on Hulu,” Burrell recalled. “We’ve had such a deep friendship and trust since our early years that I wholeheartedly believe allowed us to leapfrog on ‘Sweet Tooth’s’ wild idea and journey… I can’t imagine my career without her.” Can.”

The second season of “Sweet Tooth” premieres Thursday on Netflix.

Burrell still seeks a “community of like-minded individuals” in building his teams—and then, as a producer, “fiercely” protects the “collective vision” on how to tell the story.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

How did you get started in the industry?
I grew up in New Rochelle. I started in New York, I graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts. While I was there, I did internships at the Mayor’s Film Office in New York, Miramax, Killer Films, all these indie films [studios], And then after I graduated, I got a job at an agency in New York and then I worked at a company called Green Street Films that made indie films.

So I really came to that, understanding the indie model and international sales and that whole component of filmmaking at a very specific time. And then Green Street opened the LA office and I came out in 2009 as an executive and started producing films. I produced this movie called “Frozen” about three guys who get stuck on a ski lift, which was done by Adam Green and then we did a deal at Filmation and we did this movie with Jennifer Lawrence. House at the End of the Street”. And we were exploring the genre in the indie film space.

And then I got a call from Team Downey. I was like, “What are they going to do with me?” They had this big feature deal at Warner Bros., they had done “Sherlock,” “Sherlock 2” was about to come out. I had a lot of friends on the studio side of the business, but I never saw myself there. And then I met with Robert and Susan, and we really connected and talked a lot about their aspirations for the company. And that’s really fine with me.

So I started on the feature side. The first thing I brought to Warner Bros. was Jesse Armstrong’s “Black Mirror” episode called “The Entire History of You.” I was doing all kinds of junior executive stuff on other films they had. But the feature side was really long for me. I would get to a place where I would feel like we were all really happy with the material and then be curious what the next step should be and feel like you weren’t in control like I think I’m craving at the end Was.

What got me excited about positioning myself in television and starting to really learn about it is you choose your partner and writer, that’s who you fiercely advocate for and you’re in the trenches. They are going to live continuously. So for me, that’s where my love for TV really deepened and that’s when I felt like we were really able to get some momentum going.

Is there anything you had to learn or unlearn in order to embrace your career?
I’m kind of a momentum-addicted person. I’m constantly on the move and I want to push things forward and I spend a lot of time really thinking and problem solving. And what Susan Downey always tells me, just worry about what you can control. There are going to be things that are out of your control and putting energy into those arenas is going to waste a lot of time and effort. So even though my drive is valuable in business, I’ve also had to simultaneously learn to see the nuances of that and then decide if that energy is worth spending or if I should be directing it differently.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to enter the industry or advance in their career?
I would say that for anyone starting out, there is no task that is too small. Start at the bottom. I think being helpful is very valuable. It teaches you a lot about what production is all about. It’s not just an apprenticeship but problem solving, anticipating a boss’s needs…all the things needed to be an assistant are really great production skills.

Once you’re there, I’d say build your people. Go and meet everyone.

All I would say is read and see everything. go way back. Look at all the old movies that anyone references in any meeting. There is so much knowledge that you can get from just watching and reading. This type of business requires a passion and you just have to go with it. Be a big fan.

What do you look for in pitches?
When writers pitch us, a lot of it stems from their passion. If they’re passionate and they love it and they’re not only serving what they believe others need or want, but it’s really something in their core that they feel they have to convey, it’s really excites us. I think passion is contagious and when it starts with that author, we become obsessed ourselves.

We don’t pitch a lot. We get a project, we fall in love with it, we put it together, we package it with the people we believe are the people who are going to make it better, and then there we go. And we sell it and we have a really good track record because we’re not trying to make a bunch of things, we’re committed and behind it.

What impresses you the most about how the landscape of the industry has changed over the past few years?
It’s almost breathtaking how different this is from my indie film days, of course, but even making a television debut on Team Downey. Streaming wasn’t that big a thing. So it’s been dramatic. I think the opportunities are huge and it’s an interesting moment.

The audience is there, they want to see a great story. Now it’s just navigating through different regime changes and different processes that are constantly changing… I think it’s always going to change. You just have to be ready for it and you just have to commit to a story and people and fight like hell through it… That will always be our true answer.

What is a common industry problem that you feel is not being addressed? What is your possible solution to that problem?
I think the WGA strike is an interesting one because it’s really important to have writers on set. We have fought at every turn to keep writers on set. I think it’s really important that they see how their words come alive once they’re on screen, be in those rehearsals, see what the actors struggle with, see what the directors connect with.

In the case of “The Sympathizer,” we brought back our staff writer and she was absolutely invaluable. You need to make sure you get the story right and you need someone there to change the words and bring it live. As a company, we’d love to be able to provide that opportunity and fight for it.

How is Team Downey preparing itself for a possible strike? Are you worried about a possible work stoppage?
There is no doubt that it is already making an impact. I think for us, it’s not necessarily going to be a negative impact. we are in office [production] On “Sympathizer”. We already have a lot in the hopper and out of draft, but it’s definitely going to be tough.

But I also think writers have a lot to fight for and in some ways, I think we all might need time to collectively recalibrate a bit. I’m not worried about us. Whatever comes out of this, I want us to be in a better position as an industry. These feelings that he has are clearly really valid.

Are there any trends you’re seeing?
I think “The Sympathizer” especially taught me how centering other communities is so important and gets everyone excited. The fact that it has an entirely Vietnamese cast is beyond incredible – even though it’s an espionage thriller, it’s centering a different point of view. Going forward, we want to do more. I think it’s also finding content that is potentially risky and scary on the page and just going for it. If it scares you because you’re anxious, I think you should just run towards it.