#BehindtheSelfie with... Joanne Lurie

Rolling with my homies. #TBT #SquadGoals

1. Where do you live, work and play?

Lurie: I’m a Durban girl by birth and a Joburg girl by choice. I can be found playing in the corridors of my heart’s home, Urban Brew Studios.

2. What’s your claim to fame?

Lurie: My triple chocolate brownies are well-known nationwide (by nationwide, I, of course, mean I once took a Tupperware of them to my family in Durban.).

3. Describe your career so far.

Lurie: I would describe the beginnings of my career as a beautiful mistake. After having stumbled into the industry, the rest of it would be characterised as a collection of adrenaline, sleepless nights, stupid questions, brilliant ideas, unshakeable instincts, a constant learning curve, the greatest moments of your life, and nerves of steel.

4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.

Lurie:

• Apple anything. If Apple released paperclips, you’d find me in the queue to buy them.
• Pencils. I’m obsessed with pencils. I have over 100 freshly sharpened ones on my desk at all times.
• A good quality tequila. I don’t have that on my desk, I promise.
• My passport. It tells all the secrets of my life of adventure.

5. What do you love about your industry?

Lurie: Innovation. Our industry is fluid and forever changing. In order to stay ahead of the pack, you have to innovate. Innovation is everything.

6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.

Lurie: The thing I love most about my job is that there’s no such thing as an average day. There’s nothing average about the work we do and there’s absolutely no room for average in this industry.

7. What are the tools of your trade?

Lurie: The right side of your brain. A thick skin. A strong will. And a gut you trust.

8. Who is getting it right in your industry?

Lurie: Anyone who manages to make beautiful, innovative TV, despite the challenges involved, is getting it right. I’m proud to say that the list of industry achievers is far too long to mention.

9. What are you working on right now?

Lurie: As the head of creative at Urban Brew Studios, I’m lucky enough to get the chance to work across all of our productions. That means my day will take me from youth TV and music shows to talk shows and game shows, and everything in between.

I’m also busy developing some pretty groundbreaking new shows, so watch this space!

10. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.

Lurie: Digital, digital and digital. Oh wait, also, digital.

11. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

Lurie: In bed late at night. It explains a lot about my sleeping habits.

12. What’s your secret talent/party trick?

Lurie: My secret talent is shocking people with my party trick, which is called The Doo Doo Shot. It’s a shooter I learnt how to make in Nigeria, which includes vodka, an olive, lemon juice and an unhealthy amount of Tabasco. Most people love it and it has only led to one hospitalisation.

13. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?

Lurie: Thousands of notes to myself. Lists and notes. Notes and lists.

14. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?

Lurie: Accept that nobody is indispensable and then go out and make yourself as indispensable as humanly possible. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t turn down internship opportunities. Everyone has to start somewhere. Never ever utter the words, “That’s not my job!”

Simple as that. You can read more about Urban Brew Studios by clicking here, and interact with Lurie via Twitter and Instagram.

*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.