Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Pinchbeck.
Rachel, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and bred on the Australian beaches, just north of Sydney. I am from a small coastal town and am the youngest of five children. I was very lucky to have two parents who always encouraged me to follow my dreams and instilled the firm belief that nothing was ever out of reach.
Growing up, I always loved films. My dad would take me to the cinema every weekend and I always dreamed of working in the industry!
At university, I studied and graduated in Psychology, then began working in Schizophrenia Research. Albeit a noble and interesting field, every day I would watch the clock counting down the minutes until I could leave the office. It just wasn’t for me. I knew it was not a way to live my life and, if not now, then when. So, I quit my very stable research job and went to film school.
I took every opportunity that came my way and was fortunate enough to Intern with some of Australia’s best Producers (some who have Academy Award and BAFTAS nominations and have had films at Sundance, the Berlin Film Festival to name a few).
After many hours fetching coffees as an Intern, I began working as an Assistant at a digital agency. Within a year, I was promoted from Assistant to Producer and was responsible for producing all of Google Sydney’s video content.
I loved my job and my team at the agency and Google, but sometimes in order to progress, you need to make difficult decisions. I made a very difficult decision to leave my role and side-step to work on an animated Netflix series called “Beat Bugs”. It was there that I fell in love with animation. The series featured the music made famous by The Beatles, covered by artists such as P!nk, Sia, Eddie Vedder, James Corden…
… This series took me from Sydney to LA and went on to win two Emmys!
After “Beat Bugs”, I began working on another animated Netflix series called “Motown Magic”, featuring the Motown Music Catalog, with Executive Music Director Smokey Robinson.
Throughout my career, from Intern to Producer, I have worked harder than I ever thought possible, I’ve traveled the world for work, see a concept evolve into a show, gone to press junkets and series launches. But I am looking forward to the next chapter in my career. I am excited and invigorated to be working on my own projects that are personally meaningful and give me life. I am determined to create entertaining, impactful and empowering projects for women and little girls all around the world. After all, I was one – and knew the impact of storytelling to young girls.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not always been a smooth road. As mentioned, I am an Australian with a two-year period where my work-commute was a casual 14-hour flight between Sydney and Los Angeles. There were birthdays, weddings, drinks, parties that were missed while I was out of the country working.
I was essentially inter-continental, which was grueling and ultimately led me to move full-time to Los Angeles. The idea of leaving all my family and friends back in Australia and taking the leap to live overseas full-time was a daunting prospect. However, it was the best decision that I ever made — it paved the way for finding my new home in Venice Beach, new friends and a new family …. I have not looked back!
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I have over seven years of production experience across animation, film, TV and branded content. I have worked on music-based animation and drama. I love this world but I was always facilitating someone else’s vision.
I have recently shifted my perspective on the types of projects that I want to create. My goal as a Producer is to ‘meet’ the audience and provide stories that add value, give a voice to women and stories that are rarely seen. I am a strong believer that content informs the viewer, and in great cases can change perspectives. With that said, my mission is to create content that is relevant and is anchored in a higher purpose.
At the moment, I am working on two vastly different series; one is a preschool animated series that explores individuals’ unique powers, showing little girls (and boys) how to channel the strength within and embrace their differences…. After all, it is our differences that make us special.
The second project is a coming-of-age series for the Insta-generation, removing the ‘filter’ and showing the dark side of social media, privilege and the dangerous misconception that everyone is “living their best life”.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career …. Is this exact moment in time. After years of facilitating other’s creative vision and paying my dues, I am now forging my own path, choosing my own projects, reading books that I love and curating content that will empower others. This is my proudest moment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6773784/
- Instagram: @rachel_pinchbeck
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelmpinchbeck/
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