Series Producer - Natasha Pizzica

In this episode, I catch up with Natasha Pizzica, a series producer who’s worked across a range of genres from primetime entertainment shows like Big Brother and Gogglebox to iconic kids television such as Playschool and Teletubbies, and even though-provoking docuseries like Limitless with Chris Hemsworth. I find out how Tash’s theatre background set her up for a career of creativity, how she navigates the busy world of tv production as a working mum and why her son is her biggest inspiration. 

You can access Natasha's series she developed for the ABC here: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/moodies 

Transcript

00:00:01:05 - 00:00:28:21

Hayley Ferguson

Hi, I'm Hayley Ferguson. And this is Beyond Reality, the podcast that explores the world of television production by chatting to the people behind the TV shows you love. In this episode, I catch up with Natasha pizzicato, a series producer who's worked across a range of genres from primetime entertainment shows like Big Brother and Gogglebox to Iconic Kids television, such as Playschool and Teletubbies, and even thought provoking docu series like Limitless with Chris Hemsworth. I find out why Tasha's theatre background set her up for a career of creativity, how she navigates the busy world of TV production as a working mum, and why her son is her biggest inspiration.

00:00:40:13 - 00:00:50:01

Natasha Pizzica

It's such an honour to be a mum and a producer and create content that he can watch. I think that was my biggest achievement yet.

00:00:50:13 - 00:00:51:09

Hayley Ferguson

Hey, Tash.

00:00:51:16 - 00:00:52:12

Natasha Pizzica

Hello.

00:00:52:20 - 00:01:10:24

Hayley Ferguson

Thank you so much for jumping on this call. I feel like I've wanted to chat to you on the podcast for a long time, that you're obviously one of my really good friends, but at the same time, you're also an incredible producer, so I am really looking forward to this time chatting to you about your time in television.

00:01:11:07 - 00:01:16:10

Natasha Pizzica

Thank you. I'm equally excited and nervous, as they say in reality TV.

00:01:17:09 - 00:01:21:24

Hayley Ferguson

I guess to start with, I'd love to know, did you always want to work in TV?

00:01:22:16 - 00:01:52:14

Natasha Pizzica

No, actually, when I finished school, I went to uni and after uni I went into theatre. So I was a theatre producer in the independent sector for about four years until I made the move to TV. I've always been passionate about the arts, and I guess theatre is similar to TV in a way. So no, I didn't always want to go into TV, but I always knew I wanted to be somewhere in the creative industries.

00:01:53:00 - 00:02:03:04

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah, and I mean, you were living in Brisbane at the time when you went to university. Can you talk me through what you studied and you know, I guess how you ended up working in television?

00:02:03:06 - 00:02:25:23

Natasha Pizzica

I went to uni and I did a double degree, a Bachelor of Creative Industries majoring in drama and a Bachelor of Education. I did education because my family well, my dad's was very old school European and he's like, You're not going to uni and doing drama. That's not a real job. And he said that I needed to do education as well, which at the time I was like, What?

00:02:26:10 - 00:02:59:02

Natasha Pizzica

But actually in hindsight, the education degree has helped me later on in my career as I've worked what's in children's television. So it was never put to waste. But it also motivated me because I was like, I'm going to show you that I'm never going to use my teaching degree as a teacher, not that teachers aren't really valuable people in society, but I was like, I'm going to show you that I can work freelance and I'll work in drama and the creative industries successfully.

00:02:59:08 - 00:03:08:21

Natasha Pizzica

So it actually motivated me and while I was at uni I met some wonderful creatives and we created a theater company called Dead Puppet Society.

00:03:09:01 - 00:03:12:15

Hayley Ferguson

So you created your theatre company. What were you essentially doing?

00:03:12:18 - 00:03:34:24

Natasha Pizzica

I was a producer for the theatre company that we created, so at the time, David, who was the director, was doing his PhD in puppetry. And so we all went to Katie and he asked if I'd come on board to be his producer. And so it was myself, Nick and Dave, and we created this company called Dead Puppet Society, which was and still is to this day.

00:03:34:24 - 00:04:04:03

Natasha Pizzica

It still exists. Nick and Dave have carried on the legacy of the theatre company. It's a very successful company now doing puppetry, so we kind of introduced puppetry in the main stream theatre in Australia and now the boys have taken it to New York, London. It's going all around the world, which is amazing. And the last show I did was called The Harbinger and that actually had a national tour around Australia and it was also published by Play Lab Press.

00:04:04:06 - 00:04:09:09

Natasha Pizzica

So the play was published. So that was the last show I did before I jumped ship.

00:04:09:17 - 00:04:16:11

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah, that's such a creative thing to do. Were you actually earning an income from that at the time?

00:04:16:15 - 00:04:36:09

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, I was. The difference with theare and TV is that independent theatre is not heavily funded in Australia, so it's really hard and it requires lots of applying for funding grants, seeking sponsorship still really to this day. So I was making a living, but I still had to have another job.

00:04:36:13 - 00:04:37:23

Hayley Ferguson

What was your other job at the time?

00:04:38:01 - 00:04:56:08

Natasha Pizzica

I was working for the Starlight Children's Foundation as a Captain Starlight, so I was working with sick kids in hospital, was doing entertainment to distract them from the illness, which was an amazing job. I get choked up in talking about it.

00:04:56:08 - 00:05:17:08

Hayley Ferguson

Oh Tash. I mean, I know about your time working with the Starlight Children's Foundation. It is such an important job. It takes a special kind of person, I think, to do something like that because you do have to put a lot of yourself into that job. And you are working with kids that are going through, you know, the worst time of their lives at such a young age.

00:05:17:08 - 00:05:28:14

Hayley Ferguson

So, yeah, I think it's incredible that you spent years doing that and ongoing work. I know that you've obviously because I know you, I know that you did some volunteer work over the years as well with them.

00:05:28:20 - 00:05:47:07

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah. And I think I get choked up now because I have a child of my own. I think, oh, gosh, like I can't believe that these kids go through this. But I think I've always been passionate about children and children's entertainment in particular. I guess. And so that was a really nice way to give back at that time.

00:05:47:07 - 00:06:14:13

Natasha Pizzica

And I don't think I realized like at the time when I was 18 and doing this, but I think as I look back in hindsight, I think it really formulated like so many parts of who I am now, like to kind of watch, you know, watch people go through grief and how entertainment can provide a distraction. Just like TV can provide a distraction for adults.

00:06:14:13 - 00:06:20:04

Natasha Pizzica

Children are like when they're going through a tough time or when they just need to switch off. Really, ultimately.

00:06:20:21 - 00:06:35:24

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah, I really love that. So you were working for the puppet company that you'd formed and when did the introduction to television happen like was it ticking over in the back of your mind? Was it something you were interested in going into?

00:06:36:08 - 00:06:58:19

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, I was always interested in going into TV and I personally was sick of like applying for grants and looking for funding. And I thought, how can I marry my, you know, my love for the arts and earning money? I, I needed to earn money. Unfortunately, you need to earn money. And I thought, why don't I try to get into children's TV?

00:06:58:19 - 00:07:19:05

Natasha Pizzica

And at the time, there was a wonderful man by the name of Ian Munro and he was working to be on productions and they shot all of their children's TV content up at the studios in Brisbane. So not a lot of content back then was made in Brisbane really, and still not too much content's made up up there.

00:07:19:05 - 00:07:43:08

Natasha Pizzica

But yeah, children's TV was made in Brisbane so my friend that I went to school with her sister in law, worked at Channel Seven in the marketing department and I said to her, you know, I know that beyond the filming up there, can you get me a contact? And she gave me Ian's details and I emailed Ian and I said, I'd love to come and meet with you.

00:07:43:08 - 00:08:05:08

Natasha Pizzica

I'm really passionate about children's entertainment as a whole. Can I come meet with you? And at the time, he was shooting a series called Toybox, which was for the Seven Network, and I went and met with him and that was pretty much it. I met with him. I saw what they did and it was great. And I was like, Cool, okay, like I've made a contact, who knows what'll happen?

00:08:05:13 - 00:08:35:02

Natasha Pizzica

And then three weeks later he rang me and he asked me if I wanted to come on board a show called Lab Rats Challenge, which is a science game show for kids. And he asked me if I would cost the show. And then essentially look after the kids on set. So the kids, all the costs were made up of 11 and 12 year old, you know, grade seven age like I think Amazon is amazing.

00:08:35:02 - 00:08:39:00

Natasha Pizzica

Amazing is amazing. When we were kids, it was like that, you know? Yeah.

00:08:39:19 - 00:08:43:10

Hayley Ferguson

I have seen the show. Yeah, I know, I know. What you're talking about is a.

00:08:43:10 - 00:09:19:18

Natasha Pizzica

Science game show for kids, basically where they had three stages and then they'd go through a maze and be slimed. So I did that. That was my first job in TV and an amazing thing about that. So Ian Munro gave me my first job in TV and then ten years later, Ian Munro was my director when I series produced Playschool, and so he gave me my first job and then ten years later managing him and a team to produce Playschool, which is wild.

00:09:19:18 - 00:09:21:16

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah. Came full circle.

00:09:21:16 - 00:09:42:18

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah. It's amazing when when stuff like that happens. I also spent some time in Brisbane. I studied there and I wasn't sort of looking to get into television at the time, but I was studying journalism and yeah, like I actually did some internships at the kids show there. The Shark.

00:09:43:03 - 00:09:45:02

Natasha Pizzica

Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah.

00:09:45:03 - 00:10:08:15

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah. So and which weirdly, you know, not to get into the long story, that is my, you know, journey into television, but it was actually that internship on the shark and a contact I made there that years later when I did want to get into television actually, like in a roundabout way led to my first job in television.

00:10:09:03 - 00:10:10:08

Natasha Pizzica

Where but yeah.

00:10:10:08 - 00:10:14:04

Hayley Ferguson

So it is funny how, you know, things like that just they come around.

00:10:14:13 - 00:10:16:23

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, it's crazy isn't it? It's crazy.

00:10:17:13 - 00:10:23:13

Hayley Ferguson

So you did essentially his first job in television. What happened next for you?

00:10:23:22 - 00:10:52:08

Natasha Pizzica

So then I did a series of shows with Beyond Productions and Kids TV up in Brisbane. So I went from Lab Rats Challenge to Toybox to a show called Pip Squeaks back to a show called Toy Box. When I did another series. And then I moved companies and I worked on a show for ABC Kids called WAC World Animal Championships, which was my first AP role.

00:10:52:08 - 00:11:03:11

Natasha Pizzica

So then I moved up, so I was kind of coordinating roles and then I jumped up to an app on that show and that was still in Brisbane. And then when I finished that I moved to Sydney.

00:11:03:23 - 00:11:15:00

Hayley Ferguson

Right, okay. So you had, you know, all these time working in children's television in Brisbane. What made you decide to make the move to Sydney?

00:11:15:07 - 00:11:44:11

Natasha Pizzica

I moved to Sydney because I wanted to get more experience in the industry and I knew that that was limited in Brisbane. So I packed up my bags and I moved to Paddington in Sydney without a job at the time, and that's when I got a job as a coordinator, not an AP with a production company called Northern Pictures, working on one of their very first documentaries that put them on the map.

00:11:44:15 - 00:11:45:00

Natasha Pizzica

Wow.

00:11:45:00 - 00:11:55:19

Hayley Ferguson

So you kind of had to take a sidestep out of being an associate producer and go back into the production side of things to sort of get into the industry in Sydney.

00:11:56:03 - 00:12:24:11

Natasha Pizzica

Yes, yeah, I did. And I think that at the time I was really upset that I needed to take that side step. But in hindsight I think it was necessary because otherwise I may not have got into the industry that easy because I did go to Sydney with no job and I had got in touch with lots of different contacts, but nothing was coming up in that specific role because I didn't have enough experience as an AP.

00:12:24:11 - 00:12:31:08

Natasha Pizzica

According to the Sydney market. So taking that sidestep was necessary to get into the industry.

00:12:31:17 - 00:12:54:12

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah, and I think that's an interesting thing as well. Like, you know, having to move to Sydney without a job. I did the same thing. It's it is so hard to even with the experience that you had sort of get into the industry because you really just need to be where the television is being made to sort of make the contacts and things.

00:12:54:12 - 00:13:28:03

Hayley Ferguson

And I guess, you know, with the rise of zoom and face time and things like that, I guess maybe nowadays it might be a little bit easier, but because television relies on relationships so much having to be in the city that the TV is happening, I think yeah, I think that's one of the biggest challenges when you're starting out, I guess having to take that gamble of moving to a new city without a job just to make those contacts and I guess establish yourself.

00:13:28:10 - 00:13:58:08

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, totally. And sometimes I think that there's this misrepresentation of children's television in the industry where people from other genres think that children's TV is not equal or the same as other genres, and therefore your skills aren't transferable. But that's not true. So I think it's kind of breaking down those barriers and still I think that you'd find that the general public would think that too.

00:13:58:08 - 00:14:09:06

Natasha Pizzica

Like it's easier to make children's content than it is to make adult content, but it's not true. It's just one in the same. It's just a different genre. That's all it is.

00:14:09:15 - 00:14:15:19

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah, definitely. So your job as a coordinator can you tell me a little bit more about that? What were you doing?

00:14:16:05 - 00:14:58:23

Natasha Pizzica

Well, that job was very confronting. That job was based in Liverpool. In Sydney in a psychiatric ward. It was an OB doc where we followed in patients from admission through to discharge, but it was an acute ward. So they were admitted with the likes of schizophrenia, drug and alcohol induced psychosis, really, really heavy and heartbreaking mental illness, and watching their journey to wellness and then unfortunately, sometimes I'd relapse, you know, if it was due to drug induced psychosis.

00:14:58:23 - 00:15:23:12

Natasha Pizzica

So that documentary was a big eye opener for me because I'd never lived in Sydney before. I came from Brisbane, which like ten years ago was basically like a country town and I came to Sydney and then all of a sudden I'm getting on the train every day, going to Liverpool and working in this psychiatric ward. But it was an amazing experience and although I was a coordinator, I was on set a lot.

00:15:23:15 - 00:15:44:09

Natasha Pizzica

This object had a small crew, so I would kind of help the crew out at times and be actually there when they were shooting. So that's why I got to be part of all of it. Northern Pictures was based at Fox then too, which is the new Disney now. That was a really good experience for me to just be basically like thrown in the thick of it around in and all of it happening.

00:15:44:22 - 00:15:49:17

Natasha Pizzica

I definitely felt what it was like to be in, in the industry. Yeah.

00:15:49:17 - 00:16:05:06

Hayley Ferguson

I mean that would be such a challenging role to work on a show like that and to be working with contributors like vulnerable contributors like that. Do you feel like that role shaped you in your career?

00:16:05:12 - 00:16:37:02

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, definitely. It was quite confronting, you know, I guess I was a 26, maybe 25 year old, kind of a bit naive, you know. And then I'm working on this show. So it was yeah, it was definitely interesting, that's for sure. I didn't do documentary for a little while after that, though, but yeah, it definitely like shaped who I was and it also ignited the fire in me to work across different genres.

00:16:37:02 - 00:17:11:24

Natasha Pizzica

And I think that's what I've maintained, that's what I've kept doing throughout my career. I've worked in lifestyle, reality, children's documentary, so I've worked across a range of genres. I haven't just stuck to one genre. And I think that that that flavoucr and that excitement from that show definitely made me, I guess the producer that I am today, like, gave me that like want to learn different genres that want to meet different people and learn their stories.

00:17:12:13 - 00:17:13:01

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah.

00:17:13:08 - 00:17:23:20

Hayley Ferguson

That's amazing. And from that moment you said that you didn't work in documentaries for a little while after that. So what did you do next?

00:17:24:06 - 00:17:47:14

Natasha Pizzica

So after that I did Big Brother and I went back to Queensland. It was shot at Dreamworld at the time and I did Big Brother and I started as an AP working on The Daily Show and the nominations show, and then during my time there I was promoted to a control room producer and then I control room produced for half the series.

00:17:47:14 - 00:17:52:08

Natasha Pizzica

So then I went from Children's Document Tree and then into reality.

00:17:52:20 - 00:18:03:14

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah. And how did that Big Brother role come about? Did you find it easy to get that role after your experience in the documentary? Because sometimes, you know, like you said, the genres can be very separate.

00:18:03:24 - 00:18:27:09

Natasha Pizzica

Well, that role came from a mentor that I had met on wax animal championships. I'd worked with a wonderful woman by the name of Vanessa Oxlade, and she was the producer on that show. And she was going to work on Big Brother and so I came on board as her IP initially, so contacts and networks are very necessary in television.

00:18:27:18 - 00:18:46:17

Natasha Pizzica

Actually, Ian told me when I worked with him that you are only as good as your last job. He said to me that television isn't rocket science. You know, you don't have to be a brain surgeon. You can learn the skills, but you can't learn the personality and you're only as good as your last job. So that stuck with me forever.

00:18:47:04 - 00:18:51:08

Natasha Pizzica

And so I made really good connection with Vanessa. And then she brought me on to Big Brother.

00:18:51:13 - 00:18:55:14

Hayley Ferguson

Wow. And so did you continue to go back to Big Brother over the years?

00:18:55:14 - 00:19:23:03

Natasha Pizzica

No, I only did that one series of Big Brother. That was the last series. It was series 11, I think it was before it got cut, basically. So it didn't get renewed after that. So that was the first and last series that I ever did. I mean, never say never, but yeah, it was a hard job, that job, you know, I would do 17 hours overnight, like so the nominations show, which was crazy.

00:19:23:07 - 00:19:30:00

Natasha Pizzica

It was it was a hard show, but I don't regret it and I love it. And it taught me so much. But it was hard. It was hard.

00:19:30:07 - 00:19:48:19

Hayley Ferguson

And what was it like? Because you'd essentially, you know, work in children's television, you'd worked in documentary. But I guess this was your first introduction to a large scale reality show. So can you tell me what that experience was like stepping onto set the first time and working in that environment?

00:19:48:19 - 00:20:08:16

Natasha Pizzica

I think the biggest difference was the amount of people like to make a children's show. There might be like 30 crew or something. And then the documentary that was like even smaller because there had to be smaller crew on set, there was like five people because you were in such a vulnerable environment and you couldn't have more than that.

00:20:08:16 - 00:20:48:18

Natasha Pizzica

Otherwise you would intimidate the contributors and there would be no show. And then to go to Big Brother where there's like 330 people, it was wild. I think that was my biggest shock was the amount of people, like I said, creating content is very similar, you know, from day today, like what you do, it's all about story. So it's similar in that respect, but the scale of it and the amount of people was the most confronting thing really like from going to these, you know, you become a number almost and you need to learn quick and it's fast paced, opposed to an obstacle which is observational.

00:20:49:11 - 00:21:00:03

Natasha Pizzica

Therefore it's slower. Big Brother is alive. Pretty much show that happens every day and that is put to air the day after. It's very fast.

00:21:00:18 - 00:21:08:08

Hayley Ferguson

And did working on Big Brother, did that make you want to do more reality? Yeah. What impacted working on Big Brother on you?

00:21:08:14 - 00:21:33:23

Natasha Pizzica

Big Brother gave me like the adrenaline that some TV shows do. So it was like big, it was meaty, it was fast, it was lots of generating story, like in like 3 seconds. Like you had to come up with storylines like quick and push those storylines through. I think it gave me that like, it's like a drug. Just terrible to say.

00:21:34:14 - 00:21:51:17

Natasha Pizzica

But, you know, it gave me that like fire. Yeah, like, this is what I want to do and I want to, like, climb. And because I went from an ape to a control room producer, it empowered me to, like, climb that ladder almost, you know, like, I wanted to. I wanted to be there. I wanted to run teams one day.

00:21:51:17 - 00:21:55:15

Natasha Pizzica

It gave me that inspiration to. To do what I'm doing now.

00:21:55:20 - 00:22:07:17

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah. And being promoted on the job from AP to produce within the one contract. What do you think it was about you that made you get promoted?

00:22:07:24 - 00:22:39:01

Natasha Pizzica

Well, I'm a very hard worker and I was determined to show the people around me who done a lot of reality before that I could do it. And actually, I always tell like APS and coordinators who are coming through who are like a bit nervous or get a bit anxious. And actually anyone there's this amazing TEDTalk, and it's by a psychologist called Amy Cuddy, and she talks about faking it till you become it.

00:22:39:03 - 00:23:02:14

Natasha Pizzica

So it's about the release of testosterone in your brain and eliminating cortisol. And when I started Big Brother, I was really nervous and I was like, Oh, I was really out of my depth. And I remember my first Daily Show meeting. They were like, Have you ever used Avid before? And I was like, Yep, and I've never used it, and I just lied.

00:23:02:20 - 00:23:20:16

Natasha Pizzica

And then during my lunch break, I just went down to the edit assist and I was like, who I knew from work? And I was like, Can you please give me a crash course in Avid? All I need to do is know how to like, assemble things on a timeline. I never used an editing program in my life and basically I just faked it.

00:23:20:23 - 00:23:39:18

Natasha Pizzica

But I learned while I faked it. But yeah, this. This TEDx talk empowered me to basically fake it till I became it. And I just believed in myself and I believed that I could do it. And then I did it. And then, lo and behold, I got that promotion six weeks later and I was like, Yes.

00:23:40:16 - 00:23:42:18

Hayley Ferguson

Oh, my God, I love. You're so.

00:23:42:18 - 00:23:45:21

Natasha Pizzica

Funny. True.

00:23:45:21 - 00:23:59:00

Hayley Ferguson

So you've been working in television for around 14 years now, starting from sort of more coordinating production roles, moving your way up as an AP producer, what's is your current job title and what do you do?

00:23:59:05 - 00:24:09:15

Natasha Pizzica

So I am a series producer currently, and I'm working on the animated series of Teletubbies. Yes, Teletubbies. It's still around.

00:24:09:18 - 00:24:13:06

Hayley Ferguson

So you're back in kids television essentially as well?

00:24:13:11 - 00:24:51:10

Natasha Pizzica

I'm back in kids TV. I had a hiatus. I didn't do kids TV for about six years, I want to say, or seven years. And last year I had the pleasure of being series producer on playschool, the longest running TV show on Australian TV, which was wonderful and a huge honor. And yes, now I'm doing Teletubbies. Let's go in conjunction with the UK production company called Wildbrain Spock and it is the first ever digital first television series.

00:24:51:10 - 00:24:55:01

Natasha Pizzica

So it's straight to YouTube, which is very exciting.

00:24:55:01 - 00:24:56:17

Hayley Ferguson

And you're back in Queensland as well?

00:24:57:03 - 00:25:27:05

Natasha Pizzica

Yes, back in Queensland, living on the sunny Gold Coast and series, producing an animated series that uses motion capture. So it kind of melds my world. So it's children's TV, but it's also actors on stage doing the first part of the animation, real time animation, so actors wearing all the little motion capture suits and all the dots to cut out a big part of the first stage of animation.

00:25:27:17 - 00:25:32:22

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah. And anyone who, who doesn't know, like a series producer is an editorial role.

00:25:32:22 - 00:25:33:24

Natasha Pizzica

That basically.

00:25:33:24 - 00:25:40:11

Hayley Ferguson

Sits under an executive producer in television. What does the role of a series producer do?

00:25:41:07 - 00:26:18:16

Natasha Pizzica

Well, I guess it depends. But for the roles that I've done, the series producer looks after editorial and the creative, as well as manages the team. So currently animation is huge. The pipeline of animation is huge in comparison to live action or reality or anything kind of live because there's just so many more processes. So I manage a team of supervising, I manage a team of eight supervises, and then under them they all have their own teams.

00:26:19:00 - 00:26:45:23

Natasha Pizzica

And I work side by side with the creative director of the series and we do all the creative as well for the series. So scripting, directing, cast on stage, you know, prop approval, asset approval settings, approval. So all those kind of big creative choices, I guess we make the decisions on that.

00:26:46:16 - 00:26:52:10

Hayley Ferguson

Wow. And so are you coming up with the ideas of what's happening in a Teletubbies episode, for example?

00:26:52:11 - 00:27:24:13

Natasha Pizzica

So not for this one. So this series, as I mentioned, is in conjunction with Wildbrain Spark. So they sent us over the first script and then we take that script and we break that script down creatively. So they're writing the dialog and the story, and then we are taking that and working out how we execute it, where it's shot in the Teletubby world, what props they need, what the props are going to look like, how the characters interact with those props and we also do all the camera movements.

00:27:24:18 - 00:27:36:24

Natasha Pizzica

So because it's animation, we need to storyboard that and think about how that's going to be brought to life. So they do the script, which is really the first part, and then we execute the rest creatively.

00:27:37:11 - 00:27:43:14

Hayley Ferguson

Wow. And going into sort of an animated environment, has that been quite a learning curve?

00:27:43:19 - 00:28:07:06

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, it's been wild. It's like I may as well be learning how to be an engineer. Animation is amazing and it gives me so much appreciation for what my three year old likes to watch, which is Disney animations. You know, it makes me go, wow, like it's crazy. It's crazy. And it's so technical and it's so cutting edge.

00:28:07:06 - 00:28:39:02

Natasha Pizzica

It's evolving every day in terms of the tools and coding and what's done to create animation. Yeah, it's wild. The biggest thing for me as a producer directing on stage is that the world that we direct in, like this world where I direct the actors, is smaller than the animated world. So I have to think about the animated world and how I direct them in the space.

00:28:39:09 - 00:29:04:10

Natasha Pizzica

So it's like maps almost, because if they move two steps on the stage, they'll only move one step in the animated world. So it's like, Yeah, it's amazing, you know? And it's actually so nice at 35 to do something that's completely new because it ignites fire again in my belly and it just makes me learn more, you know?

00:29:04:12 - 00:29:21:17

Natasha Pizzica

And I think that's the biggest thing is to just keep learning. Otherwise things become boring and mundane. So yeah, yeah. I did have a headache. The first three weeks of learning animation. I was like, Oh my gosh, how am I ever going to learn what these things are?

00:29:22:23 - 00:29:35:05

Hayley Ferguson

And just to cycle back, your first series producing role was with the beloved children's show Playschool. What was that like stepping into that role on such an iconic show?

00:29:37:02 - 00:30:02:01

Natasha Pizzica

Working on Playschool was wild. I had worked for ABC and in the ABC Kids Department previously, so I'd worked on playschool spin offs before the interstitial series, so I was familiar with the brand. If you grew up in Australia, then you know what playschool is. But being the series producer came with so much excitement and pressure I guess all at the same time.

00:30:02:06 - 00:30:32:18

Natasha Pizzica

The ABC is a public broadcaster and they come with their own set of rules and guidelines. So working for the public broadcaster came with its challenges, but it also meant that we were able to implement things and do things on playschool that had never been done before. They also gave me the freedom to try new things and experiment with new content and cast new presenters.

00:30:32:18 - 00:30:56:17

Natasha Pizzica

So it kind of came with limitations as well as as freedom to kind of put your own stamp on it, which I think was the best thing for me. And because I had my son at the time when I started was 18 months, I could create a show that was impactful for him. And I think that was my biggest passion.

00:30:56:17 - 00:31:09:15

Natasha Pizzica

And it's such an honor to be able to be a mum and a producer and create content that he can watch and marry the two. I think that was my biggest achievement yet. Really?

00:31:09:15 - 00:31:20:23

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah, I think that's really beautiful. And what's three now? So I imagine when he's sitting down to watch an episode of Playschool that you've created, like that must be really special.

00:31:21:02 - 00:31:45:15

Natasha Pizzica

Oh, it's so special. He used to I get teary talking about it. He used to call it Mummy's playschool, and I was always like, Oh, like no matter what, that's like, that's the biggest compliment ever when, when, you know, your child acknowledges your hard work because you know, there's plenty of mum guilt working in the television industry. I have never been able to work part time since having him.

00:31:45:15 - 00:32:08:13

Natasha Pizzica

I've worked full time and juggled him. So when you can create something that's impactful for him, yeah, there's nothing, nothing like it. And also create content where they eat really healthy food. And I can say, look, they're eating grain pancakes on playschool, so you should eat green pancakes when I.

00:32:08:13 - 00:32:21:08

Hayley Ferguson

You're making me like very emotional because I'm like also like a working mum as well and just sort of, you know, still working that out at the moment. So yeah, I like I totally get it.

00:32:21:24 - 00:32:46:05

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, it's hard. It's the juggle is real. Like, you know, they talk about equality and all the time, but still there's a big gap and it's hard to have a career and be a mum. And I'm still trying to find a happy medium. I still juggle Walt on Fridays while working full time, while like taking him to the beach and answering emails and, you know, letting him watch TV.

00:32:46:05 - 00:32:56:04

Natasha Pizzica

And I feel so guilty every Friday, but I want to still have that time with him. So very many balls in the air. Yeah. Yeah.

00:32:56:10 - 00:33:00:21

Hayley Ferguson

Well, I think you're amazing the way you've done it and handled that over the years.

00:33:00:21 - 00:33:03:13

Natasha Pizzica

And you think you inspire, you're going to cry.

00:33:04:23 - 00:33:06:20

Hayley Ferguson

You inspire me as well.

00:33:07:08 - 00:33:10:07

Natasha Pizzica

Oh, thank you. Thank you. 

00:33:10:22 - 00:33:20:01

Hayley Ferguson

Get myself together. And in your role on play school, did you have a lot of creative control when you're creating these episodes?

00:33:20:10 - 00:33:50:10

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah. Playschool was full creative control as a series producer, I was lucky enough to be part of the 2023. So this is commission where I created the whole slate for the year. What was going to be created. So that was amazing. The last series I did before I left was a series called Amazing Animals, which was a five part series All About Animals, and I was inspired to create that series.

00:33:50:13 - 00:34:15:01

Natasha Pizzica

Obviously, children love animals. It's been done before, but I had met this awesome animal advocate called Nelson, and I thought he would be an amazing guest and he had access to lots of animals. And so I was like, Let's do a series on animals and have these awesome guest and have animals on set every day. And I was able to execute that, which was awesome.

00:34:15:05 - 00:34:28:22

Natasha Pizzica

Same as Playschool Story Time School are show time. I was able to work with lots of celebrities and bring their ideas to the table. Yeah, it was full creative control, which was awesome. Was really awesome.

00:34:29:07 - 00:34:46:00

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah, it's such, you know, it's obviously such a creative job and it sounds like so much fun to be able to come up with those ideas and then bring those ideas to life. And I guess having a child at home, your son can be quite an inspiration in terms of ideas. The show.

00:34:46:08 - 00:35:04:08

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, my very first show that I did at Playschool was called Place Schools Let's Eat, and that's where I talk about these green pancakes. So I was making these green pancakes. Walt They have every food group in them. And I was like, This is an essential for playschool. It needs to be a segment. And so it was a segment on playschool.

00:35:04:08 - 00:35:28:19

Natasha Pizzica

So it's kind of like all intertwined. The biggest thing I take away from playschool is that I cast the youngest playschool presenter ever. Mia Meaden is a First Nations presenter and actor, and she is incredible. And she was cast during my time there. I'm very passionate about casting, and she was 19 years old when she started that role.

00:35:28:19 - 00:35:43:03

Natasha Pizzica

And she's been in the television industry for a long time, but it was so great to put someone on screen who's so young and that children can relate to. And that was my biggest achievement, I'd say walking away from playschool.

00:35:43:12 - 00:36:03:05

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah, it's amazing to be able to leave your mark on a show and a show as iconic as playschool as well. It's really clear that children's television is a real passion for you. Where do you think that passion comes from? Do you think it stems from way back when you were studying education? What do you think? It's hard to.

00:36:03:05 - 00:36:34:17

Natasha Pizzica

Pinpoint where my passion for children's TV comes from, but I think that children's television can help shape young minds so it can inspire them to play. It can teach them to be brave. It can that it's okay to be shy. It's okay to take your time. It's okay to, you know, to sit and be in your own space.

00:36:34:17 - 00:36:40:01

Natasha Pizzica

I think that I always wanted to do children's TV because it helps shape little minds.

00:36:40:08 - 00:36:45:03

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah, I think it's definitely such an important part of the industry.

00:36:45:13 - 00:37:13:02

Natasha Pizzica

Definitely it is like these is our next generation really. And just like children's TV like played a big part in our lives. You speak to anyone and they'll tell you about their favorite shows, whether that's Playskool or RAGGY Dolls or around The Twist or, you know, you speak to any Australian adult and then the live shows that they watch when they were kids.

00:37:13:02 - 00:37:21:04

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, and it's the same thing, you know. But you ask five adults what they watched when they were 20. I don't know. Yeah.

00:37:22:03 - 00:37:23:22

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah. That's so true.

00:37:24:06 - 00:37:24:15

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah.

00:37:25:07 - 00:37:32:07

Hayley Ferguson

What do you think the key is in terms of producing children as talent versus adults?

00:37:32:07 - 00:38:19:08

Natasha Pizzica

Children is talent is tricky because number one, there's lots of guidelines around working with children on set and it differs in each state, which is very interesting. So there's no governing body in Australia that determines how you interact with children on set. It's governed by the Government of New South Wales bodies or Queensland or WA. So therefore if you're working on a national show like Playschool where we try to include children from all around Australia, it means that producers need to understand the different laws and they are laws in each state.

00:38:19:14 - 00:38:46:13

Natasha Pizzica

So that's different. Number one, there's no like real laws about working with other talent who are adults, but that's the first like big difference. Secondly, I guess is, you know, you've got to really be considerate of children depending on their age, you know, their attention span. So you need to be mindful of that when you're doing your schedules or breaking down your script.

00:38:47:21 - 00:39:17:04

Natasha Pizzica

Things are likely to take a lot longer to shoot, you know? So one Windows film where children fall through the windows to play school, they usually between two and two and a half minutes and they take 4 to 6 hours to shoot. That's a long time. Yeah. So yeah it's it's time I think. And then yeah, the legalities around it are the two biggest differences in shooting with children compared to shooting with adults.

00:39:17:18 - 00:39:18:15

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah. Wow.

00:39:19:05 - 00:39:20:24

Hayley Ferguson

There's a lot to consider.

00:39:20:24 - 00:39:23:22

Natasha Pizzica

There's lots to consider. Yeah, definitely.

00:39:24:00 - 00:39:39:11

Hayley Ferguson

Now, along with your full time role in television, you also over the years managed to find some time to create your own production company and develop your own format. Can you talk me through a little bit about that?

00:39:39:15 - 00:40:16:06

Natasha Pizzica

So I have my own little side hustle called Mini Productions with Rachel Coots, who is a playschool presenter and Australian actor. She and I met on a series called Joey's Big Adventure at ABC that I produced, and she was one of my presenters and we had a show commissioned during COVID. The ABC gave out funding to create children's shows, which helped in some way children during that time, whether it was literacy, emotional wellbeing, social wellbeing.

00:40:16:06 - 00:40:45:09

Natasha Pizzica

It was one of the initiatives that came through the government. And so we created a show called Moodys, and Moodys was all about emotional intelligence and wellbeing for children, so they were short one minute episodes, ten by 1 minutes, which helped children identify their emotions and then how to tackle those emotions or how to put those emotions into action if they were a positive or if they were challenging emotion.

00:40:45:09 - 00:41:20:07

Natasha Pizzica

So we looked at things like what it is to be brave and how you how you show you're brave and strong. We looked at things like when you're feeling sad, what does it feel like to be sad? And what you can do to change that emotion or to sit in that emotion. The idea of it was to help children who had just gone through, you know, a terrible a global pandemic where they were locked inside, where they were probably feeling an array of emotions just like adults did, you know, children were feeling that, too.

00:41:20:07 - 00:41:40:04

Natasha Pizzica

So we created this series to help them along the way to help them identify emotions. And I think that's like, you know, it's a skill. A lot of adults still can't identify their emotions and know how to deal with it. So if you can teach children from a young age how to identify their emotions, then you know, I think you're on to something.

00:41:40:13 - 00:41:48:15

Natasha Pizzica

I'm a big one with feelings for Walt. Yeah, I know how you feel, because if we can identify how we feel, then we know how to move forward.

00:41:48:15 - 00:41:51:19

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah. And can people still access that content anywhere?

00:41:51:19 - 00:42:09:21

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, it's on ABC iView, so it's called Moodys and it's on iView and they're just short one minute clips, but they're perfect for particularly for kind of preschool age. So four and above. Well, I've stonewalled in history, but particularly for an above to help them identify how they're feeling.

00:42:10:05 - 00:42:12:11

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah. I can't wait to show Bailey one day.

00:42:12:21 - 00:42:13:23

Natasha Pizzica

They good they good.

00:42:14:10 - 00:42:30:00

Hayley Ferguson

Now moving through your career obviously this is circling a little bit back to your reality days but you spent eight series working on Gogglebox Australia. That's where we actually met. What was it about that show that kept you coming back?

00:42:30:12 - 00:43:02:11

Natasha Pizzica

Gogglebox holds a huge part of my heart. Gogglebox is like no other show that I've ever worked on. It's extremely personable. So I was a producer director working in the field, in people's houses, so much to people's shock. The show is actually filmed in the contributor's living rooms and I spent 24 weeks a year with these contributors, and I think that is what kept me coming back.

00:43:02:11 - 00:43:29:16

Natasha Pizzica

I built such an amazing rapport with the families that I wanted to experience that with them. And also Gogglebox has a wonderful way of creating a really nurturing team and some of my best friends I met working on Gogglebox, and I think that that was also a big part of why I kept coming back. Everyone was so supportive and empowering and lovely.

00:43:30:00 - 00:43:35:16

Natasha Pizzica

It was, yeah, one of my biggest passions. I loved working every minute of working on Gogglebox.

00:43:35:22 - 00:44:01:02

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah, I think, you know, myself, I can't even remember how many seasons I've done in various roles, and some of which more recently have been out in the field, in the houses, doing the same role that you used to do. And it's funny because some of the original cast members are still asking you. They know that we know each other and that we're good friends and they ask about you because yeah, I think you really did make an impact on them.

00:44:01:02 - 00:44:07:19

Natasha Pizzica

So more actually right over here is is an Andy Warhol picture that Mick and Di gave when I got married.

00:44:08:11 - 00:44:10:12

Hayley Ferguson

Oh, that's that's amazing again.

00:44:11:16 - 00:44:17:04

Natasha Pizzica

But yes. So it was a great series and beautiful people.

00:44:17:04 - 00:44:23:11

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah, I think that's that show is a real privilege for anyone that could can work on it.

00:44:23:19 - 00:44:26:09

Natasha Pizzica

Getting all teary. I've got very emotional in this interview.

00:44:26:09 - 00:44:31:19

Hayley Ferguson

I know. So I feel like I keep being on the verge of tears. Just when I look at you, I'm like.

00:44:32:04 - 00:44:33:12

Natasha Pizzica

Oh, well, it's good. Yeah.

00:44:33:19 - 00:44:47:15

Hayley Ferguson

Get it all out. You recently worked with Chris Hemsworth on the show Limitless, the Disney Plus. For anyone who hasn't already seen that series, can you tell me a little bit more about that show.

00:44:48:00 - 00:45:30:12

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah. So Limitless is the six part series that was created for Nat Geo on Disney Plus, and it follows Chris's journey in the hope for longevity. So basically how to live better for longer. So each episode focuses on something different, like strength, for example, or the brain and how to live better for longer. It's a documentary series that has a really large science element to it, and Chris went on this journey to find longevity, and I worked on the last episode, which was called Acceptance.

00:45:30:12 - 00:45:45:10

Natasha Pizzica

And the theory is if you accept that you're going to die, you live a happier, more fulfilled life. So acceptance is key in life, basically. And that's the episode that I worked on.

00:45:45:21 - 00:45:53:13

Hayley Ferguson

Wow. So talk me through your role on that show. Initially you approached to be the supervising casting producer.

00:45:53:22 - 00:46:17:09

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah. So I was approached on LinkedIn, actually, and I went through a really rigorous interview process and I don't really go through interview processes anymore. In TV, you get jobs through networks, through connections that you have. But they found me on LinkedIn, and so I went through a rigorous interview process. I think I had like three or four interviews.

00:46:17:09 - 00:46:39:24

Natasha Pizzica

Darren Aronofsky was the executive producer of this episode, and Darren has done shows like Black Swan and Other, so he's done really big shows. So they wanted to make sure they had the right team and I'm really valued them for that. Yeah, I went through that process and then yeah, I got the job. So I was supervising casting producer working with a team in the UK.

00:46:40:02 - 00:47:01:11

Natasha Pizzica

I was the only person based in Australia when I started and it was a seven month casting process was very long and they do things awesome. In the UK you supervising casting produce and then you come on to set. I was the producer who worked with my cast and then I worked in conjunction with the director who worked with Chris.

00:47:01:20 - 00:47:09:02

Natasha Pizzica

So then we worked as a team. So then I essentially produced that talent on set as well.

00:47:09:06 - 00:47:11:18

Hayley Ferguson

What type of cast were you looking for in that role?

00:47:12:01 - 00:47:42:19

Natasha Pizzica

So in this episode we were creating a makeshift retirement village. There were three, I cast six be cast and then the rest were extras, 61 cast. Altogether we were looking for essentially we were looking for older people, 70 plus, who believed in acceptance, who had accepted that they were going to die and did live this happy, fulfilled life, that Chris would then meet.

00:47:42:24 - 00:48:11:08

Natasha Pizzica

So that's what we did. So the majority of the cast was 70 plus and there was one cast member who was 26 at the time, and she was living with stage four metastatic melanoma. She was one of the cast and her role in the documentary was to talk about mortality and the fact that she was facing death every day.

00:48:11:08 - 00:48:26:02

Natasha Pizzica

And then she would tell her story to Chris. And Chris had no idea what he was coming into when he came on set with us. He had no idea. He had no idea what it was about. And that was the whole purpose. It was a beautiful.

00:48:27:07 - 00:48:28:23

Hayley Ferguson

Kind of an immersive experience.

00:48:28:23 - 00:48:42:10

Natasha Pizzica

It was immersive, yeah. It was in memory of it. It was immersive theater meets cinematic documentary, yet makes filmmaking really. It was it was a cinematic documentary. That's how they describe this last episode. Yeah.

00:48:42:10 - 00:49:01:05

Hayley Ferguson

You know, I can't think of anyone better for that kind of role. It feels like it brings together all your sort of diverse skills and, also your nature and your sensitivity. Because I think when you're working with cast like that, I would say that that's that's not a job that every producer could handle.

00:49:01:05 - 00:49:45:23

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, it's tricky luck. It's really hard. And I remember the day that we were filming the scene with Natalie and Chris, like she had a massive breakdown because she was like, I don't know if I can talk about this, you know? And so and it was hard, like, super tricky. And so you have to be really personable and you have to think about your role as a producer, but your role as a person, you know, she was valid to feel that way on a set of like, I don't know, 600 crew, you know, where Chris Hemsworth and A-list celebrity has 12 entourage and to combat that the director and I Tom we sat with Natalie and we asked her what was going to make her comfortable and what was going to make her comfortable was that if Alexander, her partner, could go speak to Chris first and kind of let him know how she was feeling, and then we had a closed set. So although we were shooting this huge budget film, we had a closed set and on set there was just the director, straight camera, a sound, myself and her husband, and that was it.

00:50:16:12 - 00:50:39:05

Natasha Pizzica

And so it was adapting our shoot to suit that and the whole crew were appreciative of that. But you've got to be able to adapt and you've got to be able to adapt quick, but be genuine in the same way. You know, we didn't want to rush her, obviously, because, you know, she was being so vulnerable, telling us her story.

00:50:39:05 - 00:50:46:12

Natasha Pizzica

But yeah, it's it's can be tricky. It's not all glitz and glam, that's for sure. Yeah.

00:50:46:16 - 00:50:51:04

Hayley Ferguson

Oh, I think you should be really proud of the work that you've done in that sense.

00:50:52:07 - 00:50:54:14

Natasha Pizzica

Thank you. I have to ask.

00:50:54:18 - 00:50:57:05

Hayley Ferguson

What was it like working with Chris Hemsworth?

00:50:57:12 - 00:51:24:21

Natasha Pizzica

Oh, he was so lovely. So like I said, I was working with with the talent that I had cast and Tom was mainly working with him, but we were obviously sharing the same set because they interacted with Chris. That was the whole point of the story. And I remember it was when we had just finished Natalie's interview and he came up to me and he said, Oh, I'm so sorry I've seen you around, but I haven't introduced myself yet.

00:51:25:00 - 00:51:49:14

Natasha Pizzica

My name's Chris. I was like, Oh, hi, Chris, nice to meet you. I'm Tash and he was so sweet and so genuine. I kid, you know, that's what he said to me. I haven't introduced myself yet. My name's Chris. My name's Chris. Literally, that's exactly what he said. And I'm, like, looking up at this, like, beautiful, talented, kind.

00:51:49:17 - 00:52:09:08

Natasha Pizzica

He's above all else. He's just so kind. Like, he was so kind to the crew, so kind to the cast, very patient. You know, one of my other cast members was an 80 year old Fijian chief who spoke very broken English. So he was kind and calm. And yes, I'll never forget that.

00:52:10:11 - 00:52:18:11

Hayley Ferguson

I love that's a great story. I would love to ask you this and I don't know if you have an answer for this, but What's the weirdest thing you've done in television?

00:52:18:15 - 00:52:40:20

Natasha Pizzica

The weirdest thing I've done in television was when I was working in kids TV, like, I always like needed extra characters, but they didn't like have the budget to do so. So then you would just find me, like, dressed up as a snowman, dressed as a monkey, and it was like, we need someone to do this. Tash will do it.

00:52:41:09 - 00:53:03:14

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah. So I was like, Great. So one minute, I'm like an ape, like, working on this spreadsheet. The next minute I'm dressed up as a snowman that was on whack. And the worst part about it was it wasn't even my front. They just like, put the snowman on my back. So I'm just like standing there like this, like an idiot being a snowman.

00:53:03:24 - 00:53:15:15

Hayley Ferguson

I have the exact same experience. When I was working on the The Shak, you know, my uni days, I had to dress up in a bull suit to educate kids on the stock market.

00:53:16:06 - 00:53:26:04

Natasha Pizzica

Oh, my gosh. Oh, what about that time I had to go to Big Brother as a tour guide. Do you know this story?

00:53:26:13 - 00:53:26:24

Hayley Ferguson

No, it's.

00:53:26:24 - 00:53:48:19

Natasha Pizzica

Most embarrassing story. So I would do this, like, 17 hour overnights, and then I'd go home and sleep. And I was quite good friends with the challenge team. And one day I'd gone home and I had only been asleep for like 3 hours. And one of the challenged guys, producers rang me and he's like, We're doing a task, a phrase task, where we going to say phrase?

00:53:48:19 - 00:54:14:04

Natasha Pizzica

And then a tour guide has to come through and bring members of the public through the big Brother House while the housemates are all frozen. Can you be the tour guide? And I'm like, Yeah, okay. Like half asleep. Next minute I'm like, in the Big Brother house as a tour guide, I had to carry this big sign and then guide these people around.

00:54:14:04 - 00:54:24:08

Natasha Pizzica

But I was so nervous that I put on an English accent. Hello, everybody. Welcome to the Big Brother house. Oh, my God. Was so embarrassing.

00:54:24:15 - 00:54:26:10

Hayley Ferguson

You sound like Mrs. Doubtfire.

00:54:26:11 - 00:54:57:18

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, I sounded like Mrs. Doubtfire. It's on the Internet. I'll send it to you. It's so bad. I also had, like, billions pink hair and a cap on, so I looked like someone from the carnival. Oh, it was so bad. Anyway, these are the things I've done until now that's awkward. And I love that downside. Creepy. 300 people watching it mean like an idiot with an English accent with the AP in my essay.

00:54:57:18 - 00:55:02:00

Natasha Pizzica

Cut the accent. Anyway, it was really embarrassing.

00:55:02:00 - 00:55:03:13

Hayley Ferguson

Definitely send that to me.

00:55:03:24 - 00:55:11:17

Natasha Pizzica

I'll send it to you. It's so bad. The Daily Mail published in the UK. Daily Mail, I think it's still online.

00:55:12:07 - 00:55:25:08

Hayley Ferguson

Amazing. Alright, before we get to the quick fire questions, can I ask what advice you would give someone starting out in television, particularly in your instance, I guess that you know, wants to get into kids TV.

00:55:26:04 - 00:55:54:02

Natasha Pizzica

I think the biggest bit of advice that I can gives for people starting out in TV is don't be afraid of hard work. I think that we have all been there and we've all done those jobs that we may not have liked that, you know, aren't on the top of our list, but we've all been there and every job teaches you something, whether it's I never want to do that again.

00:55:54:07 - 00:56:24:09

Natasha Pizzica

It's still a lesson. So I think that don't be afraid of hard work and always ask lots of questions because you've got nothing to lose. So ask as many questions and never be afraid of sounding stupid or silly. So ask lots of questions. And one more thing is, I would always challenge you to send an email to an executive producer or to a producer and say, Hey, can I meet with you?

00:56:24:09 - 00:56:35:01

Natasha Pizzica

Because the worst thing that can happen is they say no and you've lost nothing. But it could open up a door to many opportunity.

00:56:35:01 - 00:56:54:16

Hayley Ferguson

Yeah, I think that's really good advice. All right. We're going to get to the quickfire questions, I think, just to let everyone know. Oh, I think there's a lot we've talked about. So I'd love to put a couple of links up in the show notes, especially to the Moodys the kids show that you developed. So I will definitely do that.

00:56:54:16 - 00:57:03:03

Hayley Ferguson

But are you ready to get to the quickfire questions? Yes. Alright, your time starts now. What is your favorite reality TV show to.

00:57:03:03 - 00:57:05:04

Natasha Pizzica

Watch right now? Love is Blind.

00:57:05:12 - 00:57:07:15

Hayley Ferguson

What was the last TV show you watched?

00:57:07:21 - 00:57:09:04

Natasha Pizzica

Love is Blind last night.

00:57:09:05 - 00:57:12:13

Hayley Ferguson

Who is the most famous person you've met through working in TV?

00:57:12:20 - 00:57:13:18

Natasha Pizzica

Chris Hemsworth.

00:57:13:18 - 00:57:17:16

Hayley Ferguson

What is your dream show to work on that you haven't already worked on?

00:57:18:01 - 00:57:27:10

Natasha Pizzica

Oh, that's tricky. I think one day I want to work in drama. I think that's my next goal, to do a drama series. Maybe my own.

00:57:27:10 - 00:57:28:12

Hayley Ferguson

Best location you've been to work?

00:57:28:18 - 00:57:37:17

Natasha Pizzica

Oh, I did this amazing food series once, and I went to, like, Oaxaca in Mexico and Japan and Thailand. And Spain was all amazing.

00:57:37:17 - 00:57:40:14

Hayley Ferguson

What cancelled TV show needs to make a comeback.

00:57:40:17 - 00:57:41:22

Natasha Pizzica

Australia's Next Top model?

00:57:42:04 - 00:57:45:00

Hayley Ferguson

Definitely. Have you ever been on TV?

00:57:45:06 - 00:57:48:06

Natasha Pizzica

Yes, reluctantly. 

00:57:48:22 - 00:57:53:04

Hayley Ferguson

If you could be on any reality TV show, what would you be on?

00:57:54:06 - 00:57:56:00

Natasha Pizzica

Oh, I know. Parental guidance.

00:57:57:00 - 00:57:59:14

Hayley Ferguson

Oh, I would love to see your parenting.

00:57:59:14 - 00:58:01:14

Natasha Pizzica

Yeah, I think that'd be really entertaining.

00:58:02:00 - 00:58:05:02

Hayley Ferguson

If you could have dinner with any celebrity dinner live, who would it be?

00:58:05:17 - 00:58:07:17

Natasha Pizzica

Well, isn't it amazing?

00:58:08:04 - 00:58:23:08

Hayley Ferguson

Well, that's it. That's the quickfire questions done. Thank you. Thank you. Chatting to me. It's always nice to catch up with you. And I feel like obviously we got very deep then and talked about a lot more than we usually would on a coffee catch up.

00:58:23:15 - 00:58:30:15

Natasha Pizzica

Good. Whoosh. I feel like that got really emotional. I don't know if you've had many people cry multiple times and you have never.

00:58:30:18 - 00:58:36:15

Hayley Ferguson

I've never cried on my podcast. I've never had anyone else cry. And now I think we did. We did both in this one.

00:58:36:15 - 00:58:39:14

Natasha Pizzica

What am I doing? Why am I a producer? I should be on TV.

00:58:40:15 - 00:58:42:16

Hayley Ferguson

I wasn't even trying to go for.

00:58:42:16 - 00:58:46:19

Natasha Pizzica

Oh, I know. It's like. I think I cried, like, five times.

00:58:47:16 - 00:59:15:12

Hayley Ferguson

Well, thank you so much. You have had such an incredible career and it's so nice to listen to you go through all the different experiences that you've gone through that have brought you to where you are now. And it's so interesting, even just from like your university days of creating a theater company and studying education and studying drama, and you've really sort of carved out an amazing path in television.

00:59:15:12 - 00:59:24:03

Hayley Ferguson

And yeah, like I said, I mean, you inspire me with what you do and I'm so lucky to be able to call you a friend. Thank you.

00:59:24:04 - 00:59:26:04

Natasha Pizzica

So things make me cry again? Yeah.