Orsi is tasked with overseeing the development and production of HBO’s vast slate of original drama series, and she’s doing it well. The net took home the top prize at the Emmys this year with a win for “Succession,” following last year’s win for “Game of Thrones.” Succession went into the Emmys with 18 noms and took home seven. Things aren’t slowing down for Orsi and her team, even with the pandemic, with the recent launch of “The Undoing” and upcoming premieres for “Mare of Easttown,” “The Nevers” and “We Are Who We Are.” During the pandemic, “I quickly learned the value of face-to-face communication and that it’s important to see my team and the writers we work with,” she says. “The virtual experience has been a Godsend.”
What is one of your proudest moments during the pandemic? Celebrating Emmy wins for “Watchmen,” “Succession,” “Euphoria,” and “I Know This Much Is True,” and overseeing this summer’s breakout hit, “Lovecraft Country,” from the brilliant Misha Green!
How has your leadership style changed during the pandemic? When we first started working from home, I was a little apprehensive to jump on a video conference call. I quickly learned the value of face-to-face communication and that it’s important to see my team and the writers we work with. Over zoom sessions, it is evident when everyone is speaking from the heart, and with phone calls alone, it’s easy to lose the complexity and nuance of what we’re trying to achieve together. The virtual experience has been a Godsend.
If you were a teenager attending virtual classes right now, what advice would you give yourself? Try not to go from one screen to the next all day. If my kids had their preference, they’d go from online learning to a video game to watching movies and then back. Take a walk and get outside for as long as possible each day.
