We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mary Bonney a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mary, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
My parents raised me to be optimistic and see the best in people and situations which has been a helpful tool during long shoot days or more recently, during the WGA/SAG strikes. I am incredibly lucky to have my health and to work in an industry I love, neither of which I take for granted, and strive to be a positive influence in our industry. I also surround myself with friends who have the same outlook so we remind each other to be positive when times are tough.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I take a film or tv show from script to screen, which starts with the creation of a shooting schedule and budget. Coming from a financial background, I enjoy moving the numbers around and fitting the puzzle pieces together. From there, I work with our other producers to oversee prep, which includes casting, hiring crew, scouting locations, approving creative designs for sets, wardrobe and more. Once filming begins, I ensure we are on time and on budget, which is incredibly challenging (and therefore rewarding) task. I love working with talented people to create projects I am so proud of and live for the fast-paced energy of set.
As a production executive at Entertainment One, I worked across “Yellowjackets”, “The Rookie” and “Cruel Summer”. Independently, I recently produced the Children’s & Family Emmy-nominated children’s show “Tab Time”, the NAACP-award winning series “Daring Simone” and have a very exciting 2024 festival circuit with the upcoming film “Inner Demons”, written/directed by Jasmine J Johnson.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Work hard, be kind and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
The first two skills are hard to find in the same person but I fill my teams with colleagues who can manage both even during stressful 14-hour shoot days. There is so much to learn in this industry and you face so many unique challenges and crossroads along the way that you need to comfortable asking for help (and offering it!) to get through those “what the heck do I do now?” moments!
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
I realized no matter how professional the team and how much you prepare, things will go wrong that are outside of anyone’s control. Learning to roll with the punches and knowing you will figure out a solution together has helped keep me calm through those situations. I took improv comedy for years and it taught me the power of staying flexible, collaborative, positive and open while not taking life too seriously.
As a line producer, I’m also used to endless requests that put us over budget. That can be tiring and frustrating, but I remind myself my team is asking for these things because they feel they need it and want to the best possible job. We then work together to find solutions that get them what they need and keep our budget in line (no easy feat).
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marybonney.com
- Instagram: themarybonney
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marybonney/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/marybonneyca
