How Jamie Forshaw of Madison Wells Live is Helping to Make the Entertainment Industry More Diverse and Representative
As a part of my series about leaders helping to make the entertainment industry more diverse and representative, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jamie Forshaw.
Leadership to me is about building and collaborating with your team and instilling trust and confidence in someone, or a group, and teaching the skills for them to go and be leaders themselves. When you build leaders, you create loyalty and make an overall team stronger.
Jamie Forshaw leads Madison Wells Live, with an eye on positioning the division as a leading player in the theatrical space. Under his oversight, Madison Wells Live is building a robust-but-curated slate of stage productions and entertainment ventures focused on essential, artist-driven storytelling. Over the course of his 20+ year career working with an array of internationally recognized producers, including Cameron Mackintosh, Thomas Schumacher, and Michael Cohl, Forshaw has become a sought-after specialist in managing high profile, multi-million dollar budgeted global theater productions. He most recently served as V.P. of Production at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group, where he oversaw its full global roster of First-Class productions. Mr. Foshaw holds an M.F.A. from Columbia University in Theatre Management and Producing.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
When I was in my teens, I knew I wanted to be in the theatre and, being British born and bred, I knew I wanted to live in NYC. I didn’t know much about New York other than through the TV show Cagney and Lacey. At the same time, all I knew about the theatre was what happened on stage. So naturally, I became an actor. At 21, I came to New York to begin auditioning. It was only when I was offered my first role that I was made aware of something called a Green Card! Realizing that I needed the card to build my career in America, I moved home to London, determined to take any job that would bring me back. I was lucky enough to get a job at Cameron Mackintosh’s theatrical company in London as an office assistant. Experiencing what happened backstage opened my eyes to what it took to put on a show. After a few years working there, I transitioned to Disney Theatricals, who were just starting the collaboration with Cameron Mackintosh on the production Mary Poppins. It was my first time seeing the process of creating a brand-new musical from the beginning. It was mind-blowing and, once again, my eyes had been opened. I knew that I didn’t want to be an actor but instead a creative producer. I received a place in the Theatre Management and Producing MFA program at Columbia University and finally, was back in New York. During my time at Columbia, I interned at The Park Avenue Armory, which ended up transitioning into a full-time position (Production and Programming Manager) which in turn got me my Green Card! 12 years after making that promise to myself, I finally made it happen. Now, of course, I could choose to return to being an actor or continue my path of producing. Another 12 years on from that and I am still on my path of being a creative producer.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
After leaving The Park Avenue Armory, I went to work for a company called S2BN who were producing Barbra Streisand’s Back to Brooklyn tour. I remember being in Philadelphia for the dress rehearsal and first performance, which also happened to be my first time really hearing her music. Needless to say, she was incredible, and the audience loved her. After the show, the producers gathered around a small table to discuss, and Barbra Streisand joined. I remember hearing a few notes that I just didn’t agree with, and it had to do with editing some of the show. I did what I told myself not to, and instinctively I opened my mouth and said I disagreed. Everyone looked at me in slight disbelief and whilst inside I was dying, I kept a calm poise, repeated myself, and explained why. This led to a longer conversation with her about the show and taught me a lesson I always remember to this day.. no matter what always follow your gut. Trusting your gut means following the physical feelings your body gives you that you are making the right or wrong decision. This is essentially your intuition and It’s usually always right!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I wouldn’t say it was funny, well at the time it wasn’t, but it was certainly a mistake that taught me many lessons. When I was working for Disney Theatrical in London on Mary Poppins, I was trying to get something done. The finer details of which I don’t particularly remember, but I remember there was one person who seemed to be making it very difficult to get the task done. So, I complained about them to my manager only to realize that I had sent the email to the actual person in question and not my manager. The person wasn’t impressed with me and went to their manager, they were, after all, just doing their job. After apologizing we resolved the issue and work continued. The obvious lesson learned here is to ALWAYS check your recipient list before hitting send, but the finer lesson I learned was that no matter what, whether you like it or not, we are all doing jobs and we are all human. We all deserve to be treated as such and since this time I have always tried to abide by that rule; not that I didn’t before, but I have always been much more conscious of it since. I should also add that upon apologizing to the person in question, we actually ended up becoming good friends!
Can you describe how you are helping to make your industry more representative of the US population?
I am grateful to be working with Gigi Pritzker and Madison Wells, her multi-media company, we are aligned in the belief that the work we create and/or produce be it in TV/Film or on stage should have a strong bias toward stories for, by, and about badass women as well as people who love to push boundaries and tell stories that have a need to be told in order to spark conversation. A cornerstone of our mission means representing all communities without stereotypes and seeking the voices and talents of those best positioned to authentically tell those stories.
As an insider this might be obvious to you, but I think it’s instructive to articulate this for the public who might not have the same inside knowledge. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why it’s important to have diversity represented in entertainment and its potential effects on our culture?
Showing a diverse set of experiences is so important because it sends the message that everyone’s stories are valid and worthy of being told onstage or on screen. As we know, and the reason the question is being asked, it’s not enough. As we come through the pandemic audiences want to be able to relate to what they’re watching, look at how inspiring it was recently to see the video clips of all the young Black girls watching the trailer for Disney’s new The Little Mermaid. We know that this will leave an impact on those girls and many more alike for the rest of their lives. As an audience we all want to relate to what and who we are watching, we want to see ourselves in the characters being portrayed. This doesn’t just mean onstage; it also means the creatives who tell the stories and all those that work backstage and in production developing the story. Strong and positive representation can help fight and break down stereotypes that can be detrimental to individuals. When a group of people are only represented in negative ways, or remain invisible, it affects the way others see them, as well as the way they see themselves.
Can you recommend three things the community/society/the industry can do to help address the root of the diversity issues in the entertainment business?
There are several organizations already in place helping to address the issues, one that Madison Wells Live supports is Black Theatre Coalition (BTC) and their mission statement I think summarizes the issue at hand which is “to remove the “ILLUSION OF INCLUSION” in the American Theatre, by building a sustainable ethical roadmap that will increase employment opportunities for Black theatre professionals. Our vision is to reshape the working ecosystem for those who have been marginalized by systemically racist and biased ideology.” BTC have developed a sustainable apprentice program which allows Black theatre professionals to be placed in paid roles within the Broadway community working and learning alongside creatives that will help teach and elevate them. It’s about creating a supportive environment so that we can make mistakes without fear or repercussions whereby we can support new voices and talent. It’s also important to start telling positive stories, stories that don’t stereotype communities or minorities so that we are not enforcing a negative and show communities or minorities stories that are always rooted in trauma.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership to me is about building and collaborating with your team and instilling trust and confidence in someone, or a group, and teaching the skills for them to go and be leaders themselves. When you build leaders, you create loyalty and make an overall team stronger.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
This is a difficult question because if I would have known certain things, I wouldn’t have made the mistakes I have and be who I am today. I am thankful for my journey — I was allowed to find my own path with my own voice. Yes, there were rooms that I was lucky enough to be in working with some of the greatest talent in our industry, but I had to hold my own and find my voice to have a reason to remain in that room. You are going to make mistakes and you are going to learn from them and that is going to develop and shape who you are. Be fearless in your taste and choice and as I said earlier, follow your gut, it won’t let you down. One thing I would add is to never underestimate the power of a handwritten thank you. Thank everyone who helps you in any way.. the handwritten note will help you go unforgotten.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
This is by no means a new idea, and in fact some people may have seen a movie by the same name, but I was always told to Pay It Forward. Everything that we have, that we learn, that we can achieve has usually happened to us with the help of something or someone. Paying it forward is repaying those that showed you kindness to someone else, so you don’t pay it back, you pay it forward. It’s simple in essence but in practice paying it forward can change lives. It changed mine.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote?” Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I am not sure if this is a life quote or not, but A.A.Milne wrote the following:
“I don’t feel very much like Pooh today,” said Pooh. “There, there,” said Piglet. “I’ll bring you tea and honey until you do”.
I have always believed that without our friends, family and chosen families, we would never be who we are today. We all need the strength of others to make us stronger which is why our chosen friends and family are so important to keep close. Sometimes we just don’t feel like ourselves, and that’s ok. It takes a village.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?
Kylie Minogue. For no other reason than I have always loved her as an artist, a performer, and an entertainer since I was a pre-teenager.. that would be a great breakfast!! Stay true to who you are!
How can our readers follow you on social media?
This was very meaningful, thank you so much!
