If you’ve seen the Spectrum TV or My Spectrum apps recently, you’ve seen what Robinson is capable of. She continues to push Charter’s digital experiences forward, collaborating with the operator’s designers and engineers to take its apps to the next level. With her promotion in August, she’s also begun shaping employee-facing experiences that support customer service representatives, field technicians, online ordering and video engineering. In her eyes, the media industry has more to do to ensure the stories and characters featured on screen reflect the world as it is today. “While I’m encouraged by the growing dialogue regarding gender bias and gender representation in media—by most accounts, the industry continues to struggle to make sustained and consistent progress,” she says.
How would you rate the industry regarding gender bias in shows/characters?
I think we’ve got a long way to go. While I’m encouraged by the growing dialog regarding gender bias and gender representation in media—by most accounts, the industry continues to struggle to make sustained and consistent progress – both on screen, behind the camera, and in the C-suite. We’re actually without a consensus set of metrics to effectively measure progress—which we all know is the first step in driving macro-level change. The on-screen techniques we do have (which are far from perfect) include the Bechdel test and FiveThirtyEight’s take on its ‘successor’ continue to tell the same general story of under-representation. And while I’m inspired by the success of women-dominated films and their glass-ceiling shattering Directors (Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins and Nomadland’s Chloe Zhao!), I look forward to an even higher ceiling of success for studios and content creators that more urgently prioritize representation as an essential component of their mission and their formula for box office success.
Best advice for someone looking to re-enter the workforce after a hiatus?
Own it. Make it central to your story and a component of your qualifications. So you took a hiatus to care for an aging parent, or to help the little ones grow up stronger, or to sail the Mediterranean – whatever it was, you chose to do it because that’s what your life needed. Knowing what is needed and pursuing it decisively speaks to your leadership capabilities. Any future employer worthy of your skills will value your path and fairly compensate you for the unique experience you bring to their business.
