In under two years, Gibson’s title has changed from intern to production coordinator to associate producer, a promotion she took on while working remotely during the pandemic. She never missed a beat and even took on more responsibilities, including overseeing greenlight meetings when a senior director took family leave. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been challenges. Gibson shifted into remote work just three months after moving into the coordinator role, and it took her some time to establish a strong boundary between work and self. “With this new experience, I believe workplaces should and are prioritizing people’s mental and emotional health. Leadership and colleagues understand that we are human and deserve rest, reassurance, and support,” she says. Gibson uses that wisdom to guide her as she spearheads HGTV’s Advancing Cultural Equity (ACE) initiative, which seeks to increase exposure and partnerships with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in front of and behind the camera. She identified and collected details for more than 80 potential BIPOC talent within the home/lifestyle genre, helping the programming team double the number of BIPOC-led greenlight projects from four in the first two quarters of 2020 to nine by the last two quarters of 2020. In 2021, Gibson got another five BIPOC-led projects greenlit.
A large portion of your career has occurred during COVID, how has that changed your perception about the workplace?
The coronavirus pandemic has shifted my perception of the workplace and its culture because the lines between my personal and work life became blurred. Initially, I didn’t have much thought about the traditional workplace, but once the pandemic started – work went into overdrive. I found myself and my team working later and later at night. From shifting into remote work three months after starting my first job to checking daily COVID updates, work became stressful and mentally overwhelming, especially as a young professional.
This heightened my need to have a stronger boundary between work and self. In focusing on my well-being more, I realized that my job is an extension of me and not exactly my entirety. I began to use my downtime to take care of myself, so I could give more energy into my career. I think our well-being is key to achieving greatness too. With this new experience, I believe workplaces should and are prioritizing people’s mental and emotional health. Leadership and colleagues understand that we are human and deserve rest, reassurance, and support. More than ever, our mental and emotional health is important to be successful.
Secondly, it’s changed my perception that we must work in a designated location to be productive. This flexible way of working has benefitted my mental health since it’s allowed me to have a better balance between work and my personal life. I look forward to a future where we can collectively make healthier work practices the standard.
Coming out of COVID, what are your immediate goals / things to check off your bucket list?
Although we are still actively experiencing the effects of the pandemic, I look forward to several things once it’s safe to travel. I want to take a vacation to Iceland or Switzerland because the landscape is breathtaking. After spending months inside, there’s no better way to experience the outdoors. Career-wise, one of my goals is to network more with young professionals in the area since I haven’t had an opportunity to network face to face yet.
