Hello Sunshine Execs on the Future of Entertainment with Guy Raz | How I Built This | NPR

TL;DR

Hello Sunshine responded to pandemic shutdowns by pausing filming, retaining and adding employees, expanding development, and designing rigorous health protocols for returning to production. Its leaders also saw opportunities for unscripted programs and other formats with smaller, safer crews, while warning that prolonged production delays could eventually reduce the supply of new television.

Transcript

hello and welcome to how i built this resilience edition from npr i'm guy roz uh this is where we are hearing some of the creative ways that businesses are building resilience during this very challenging time um in the windows uh next to me are lauren neustadter and sarah harden they run the production studio hello sunshine um it was founded by re... Read More

Key Insights

• Hello Sunshine is a media company built around placing women at the center of stories across multiple formats, including scripted film and television, unscripted programming, children’s content, animation, social editorial channels, and a book club.
• The company’s storytelling goal is to portray women in unconventional ways as the heroes of their own stories. Its leaders identified an unmet market need for female-centered narratives and made that mission the foundation of the business.
• Hello Sunshine retained its staff during the pandemic and onboarded roughly nine or ten new employees. Some new colleagues worked together daily without meeting in person, requiring managers and teams to adapt their communication and working relationships.
• Pandemic restrictions paused filming for The Morning Show’s second season, Daisy Jones and the Six, From Scratch, and a planned movie. The company continued development work while determining when and how each production could safely resume.
• The production pause created additional time to develop future projects. Hello Sunshine’s leaders said the company might not have expanded its development slate as extensively if its teams had remained occupied with three television productions and a movie.
• A safe return to filming depends on specialized health planning. Hello Sunshine consulted epidemiologists and safety experts, appointed a COVID coordinator, assessed soundstage ventilation, and worked with studios developing detailed production precautions.
• Production zones can reduce exposure by allowing only the most essential personnel onto a set. The proposed approach also included social distancing, appropriate protective coverings, risk reduction, and close cooperation among companies sharing safety information and operational ideas.
• Unscripted programming may offer safer production opportunities because certain formats can operate with smaller crews than large scripted shoots. The shutdown could also create a shortage of new television if studios exhaust completed material before filming resumes.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Hello Sunshine adapt when productions stopped?

Hello Sunshine paused filming but continued developing projects, connecting its internal team, and collaborating with creative partners. The company retained its workforce, hired roughly nine or ten additional employees, and used the unexpected production break to expand its development slate. Its leaders viewed that development work as a constructive result of an otherwise difficult shutdown.

Q: What is Hello Sunshine’s core entertainment strategy?

Hello Sunshine centers women in the stories it develops and seeks to portray them in unconventional ways as heroes of their own narratives. The company applies that mission across scripted film and television, unscripted programming, children’s content, animation, social editorial channels, and Reese’s Book Club, which helps elevate female narratives through selected books.

Q: Which Hello Sunshine productions were paused during the pandemic?

The company had started filming the second season of The Morning Show before production stopped. Daisy Jones and the Six, an Amazon project expected to begin in April, was also paused. From Scratch, a Netflix production expected to start later, was delayed as well, alongside a movie that had been planned for production.

Q: How did Hello Sunshine plan to restart filming safely?

Hello Sunshine worked with epidemiologists, health and safety experts, a COVID coordinator, production teams, and partner studios. Planning included examining soundstage ventilation, creating detailed safety guidance, dividing production workers into zones, restricting set access to essential personnel, maintaining social distance, and ensuring that people used appropriate protective coverings during production.

Q: Why did Hello Sunshine expand development during the shutdown?

The shutdown removed the immediate demands of filming three shows and a movie, giving the company more time to focus on future projects. Its leaders used that period to connect with employees and creative partners and plant what they described as promising development seeds. They believed the slate might not have expanded similarly during normal production activity.

Q: Could television audiences face a shortage of new shows?

A shortage was considered possible because filming had remained suspended for a substantial period. The timing depended on how much completed programming studios already held, how far projects had progressed through post-production, and how deliberately releases were scheduled. As Lauren Neustadter noted, material must first be filmed before it can be edited and presented to audiences.

Q: Why might unscripted programming gain opportunities during production restrictions?

Certain unscripted formats can be produced with smaller crews and a lower operational footprint than large, complex scripted productions. That can make them easier to film safely when big sets, crowd scenes, and large production teams present added challenges. Sarah Harden suggested that these constraints could encourage both format innovation and greater opportunities for unscripted programs.

Q: Did Hello Sunshine consider an NBA-style production bubble?

Hello Sunshine was not discussing a bubble for The Morning Show in the same form used by the NBA. A television season required a much longer production period, described as roughly six months rather than six weeks. The company instead focused on production zones, essential set access, social distancing, protective measures, and broader risk reduction.

Summary

In this video, Lauren Neustadter and Sarah Harden, who run the production studio Hello Sunshine, discuss the impact of the pandemic on their business and the entertainment industry as a whole. They talk about the challenges they faced, the changes they made, and the future of their projects.

Questions & Answers

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about Hello Sunshine?

Hello Sunshine is a production company founded with the mission of putting women at the center of stories. They focus on telling female-driven narratives and have worked on shows like Big Little Lies, The Morning Show, and Little Fires Everywhere.

Q: How has the pandemic affected Hello Sunshine as a business?

The pandemic has caused a pause in their production activities. They had to halt the shooting of several shows and movies. However, this pause has allowed them to focus on internal and external connections and take the time to build out their development slate.

Q: Are there any plans to finish shooting Season 2 of The Morning Show?

The shooting of Season 2 of The Morning Show is still in progress and they are actively working with health and safety experts to figure out the best protocols and precautions to ensure a safe production process. They are exploring innovative ways to reduce risk and adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Q: Is there a possibility of creating a production bubble for the cast and crew?

While they are not considering a bubble like the NBA's approach, they are aiming to create safe working environments by implementing strict health and safety protocols. They are dividing the sets into zones and reducing the number of people present to minimize the risk of infection.

Q: Is there a concern about a shortage of new TV shows in the future due to production delays?

There is a possibility of a shortage of new TV shows if productions continue to face delays. However, the availability of content will vary depending on how much each company has in post-production and their release schedules.

Q: How does Hello Sunshine select projects and work with different partners?

Hello Sunshine starts by finding material that they feel passionate about, such as books or articles. They then assemble a team of writers and actors to put together a package for the project and approach various platforms and studios. They choose partners who share their vision and enthusiasm for the material.

Q: How has the pandemic influenced the company's strategy for selecting projects?

The increased consumption of content during the pandemic has not significantly changed Hello Sunshine's approach to project selection. They still prioritize finding great stories and voices to elevate, while being intentional and thoughtful in their choices to meet the demands and time constraints of audiences.

Q: What is the current state of women-driven narratives in Hollywood?

According to Lauren Neustadter, it is a great time to be a woman in Hollywood. Telling stories about women and promoting representation and inclusion have become focal points in the entertainment industry. There is a spirit of collaboration and empowerment among women, and the industry is evolving positively in terms of recognizing and celebrating female-driven narratives.

Q: How do you plan for the possibility that the pandemic could significantly slow down or prevent new productions from being filmed?

Hello Sunshine understands the importance of ensuring the safety and well-being of their employees and collaborators. While they want to resume production, they prioritize the health and safety of everyone involved. They have built different streams of business, allowing them to continue working on certain aspects even with production delays.

Q: What lessons have you learned during this time that you would like to carry forward in your business?

Hello Sunshine appreciates the opportunity to connect on a deeper level with their team and partners during this time. Slowing down and becoming more curious has yielded great results and allowed them to ask important questions. They want to maintain this humanity, curiosity, and thoughtfulness even as things return to normal after the pandemic.

Takeaways

The pandemic has greatly impacted the entertainment industry, leading to the pause of productions. Hello Sunshine has used this time to focus on internal and external connections, building out their development slate. While they have paused production, they are actively working on protocols for safe filming. They prioritize the health and safety of their employees and are exploring ways to reduce risk, but a return to normalcy may take time. Despite the challenges, it is an exciting time for women-driven narratives in Hollywood, with increased collaboration and recognition. Hello Sunshine plans to carry forward the lessons of humanity, curiosity, and thoughtfulness they learned during this time.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Hello Sunshine was founded with a mission to place women at the center of stories and portray them as heroes of their own narratives. Its work spans scripted television and film, unscripted programming, children’s content, animation, social editorial channels, and Reese’s Book Club, with books supplying important foundations for female-driven stories.

• The pandemic paused production on the second season of The Morning Show, Amazon’s Daisy Jones and the Six, Netflix’s From Scratch, and another planned movie. Instead of cutting staff, Hello Sunshine continued hiring and used the interruption to strengthen internal relationships, collaborate with creators, and build a broader development slate.

• Returning to production required detailed planning with epidemiologists, health and safety specialists, a COVID coordinator, studios, and production teams. Proposed precautions included evaluating ventilation, dividing crews into zones, limiting set access to essential personnel, maintaining social distance, and using appropriate protective coverings while sharing safety information across companies.