A Career in Television, A Retrospective

After a successful career in television that has lasted for over 16 years it is time to move on. I am lucky that I have been blessed to get the chance to travel the world with such landmark shows as Extreme Makeover, 90210, Whale Wars and Naked and Afraid. My job has taken me to Afghanistan, Antarctica, Mexico, Ecuador and all over the United States. Though I have worked on many shows this is a small selection of photos from some of my favorite shows.

Sea Shepherd Antarctic Mission 2009/2010 photo by Jo-Anne McArthur

In Antarctica I worked as an associate producer and was responsible for taking notes on set as well as being a backup sound or camera man when things were tight. I was there on Season 4 of Whale Wars and we were at sea for 69 days. I witnessed the sinking of the Addy Gill and got to see the crew do some truly heroic deeds during their mission to protect the marine animals of the antarctic.

Sea Shepherd Antarctic Mission 2009/2010 – Filling in for camera department during a lull in the excitement.
Sea Shepherd Antarctic Mission 2009/2010 – On the Bob Barker I had the opportunity to fly on our chopper and get a view of the ice fields from above. This is one of my favorite memories of my trip to Antarctica.
The Black Tulip, Afghanistan – 2009 – This photo was taken while I was watching as our cast played a game of Buzkashi, a traditional game where the participants try to grab the carcass of a headless goat. While in Afghanistan I always wore a head scarf in public.
The Black Tulip, Afghanistan – 2009 – Our production office for a day.

My first job as a production manager was in Afghanistan in 2009. Our production offices where at some “rustic” locations. As well as operating in a war zone, we also shot this film while there was an embargo on Afghanistan. As well as the complicated logistics of filming internationally we also filmed in a war zone and had to pay everything in cash!

The Black Tulip, Afghanistan – 2009 – During the filming I was cast in the movie as an interpreter…. I’m pretty sure all my lines were cut from the final edit! LOL
90210 Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA – 2010 – Wrap Party

During my time on 90210 I got to work with the Art department as their coordinator. It was really fun to work in a department other than production. We made some beautiful sets and I worked with some great people.

90210 Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA – 2010
1 versus 100, Los Angeles, CA – 2011 – Stage shows can be really fun and interesting and its always great to see the set come alive.

Working as a production manager on a stage is very different from doing it in a war zone. I am pretty sure that I love them both.

Coke Commercial, Los Angeles, CA – 2013 – Its fun being on the other side of the camera occasionally.
Curse of the Superstitions, Cold Canyon, Arizona – 2014 – As a production Manager you wear a lot of hats. Clearly this photo was taken after hours 🙂

I was a production manager in Arizona and loved getting to film outside in nature. During our shoot I was struck with the wide open sky and the crazy rain that comes down in sheets. During the shoot we traveled to some incredibly remote locations and I loved getting out into the desert.

Curse of the Superstitions, Cold Canyon, Arizona – 2014 – Crew Photo
Vivica’s Black Magic, Los Angeles, CA – 2016 – When you do a show about strippers you are gonna need a lot of singles.

Though I am not particularly fond of strippers it was great to work in LA for a change and get to work with some of my best friends!

Vivica’s Black Magic, Las Vegas, NV – 2016