Emma Spiers

Keep your friends close, and your business partners closer. That’s our motto at least, full disclosure this article is going to be a little different from the usual featured Creative articles, as Emma Spiers is not just my Partner in Spoiler but is also a very close friend, one with more dirt on me than I care to admit…

It is only fitting that the first person I interviewed for Spoiler was Emma, as we sat in a Shoreditch coffee shop on a Sunday afternoon, our laptop cables weaving over abstract furniture and tripping up fellow start-up-ers, we realised that we were coming crushingly close to having to go out into the world in interview actual creatives, with actual careers. So in order to ease into the world of ‘Journalism’ we were apparently now in we decided to interview each other first. Partly because we needed to; partly to practice; but party (for me at least) I was interested in what Emma had to say about her journey navigating not just the Film industry but also the world at large.

Emma is one of many new-wave industry professionals, unafraid of hard work, whilst still refusing to compromise their quality of life to climb a career ladder. Instead turning to alternative routes in what is inherently an incredibly orthodox industry. A filmmaker with credits ranging from ‘Poldark’ to Jorja Smiths latest music video ‘On your Own’ with a fair few Features and Corporate Films under her belt she has yet to be pigeonholed, ‘It keeps it interesting!’ Emma says on her current work ‘I predominantly, at the moment, to pay the bills, am working mostly within Short Films, Commercials, VR stuff, anything to not work in Bollywood!’ Not to belittle Indian cinema, but with five Bollywood Feature Films on her CV Emma’s ready for her next challenge.

And that challenge is taking the form of Spoiler a project she co-founded with the fabulous Kirstyn Brook (ahem, Me), and how would she describe Spoiler ‘I had a great answer to that saved on my laptop’ she mutters, moments after her laptop had run out of battery… ‘Spoiler is a good way to show off people’. But as for what Spoiler means for her future that she has an answer for ‘Absolute ideal future, at the moment, I mean this changes every month probably, is to have Spoiler up and running, to be able to be proud of something and witness the people we’ve got involved in it developing. But I’d also love to be out there in the world, travelling and finding new creatives. I’d love to be meeting new people; artists, musicians, filmmakers, seeing their work. Because there's so many around the world and there is such a lack of a space for them to access. To find those people. Be off around the world. Working on Spoiler. Travelling. To get out of London. And still be creative.’

Travel, as you may have noticed, is a large part of Emma’s plans. Having spent the majority of the last 2 years overseas in Asia she has no intention of putting down roots in London anytime soon. Currently planning her next trip, she views travel less of a once in a lifetime opportunity and more a part of her everyday life; Work, Creativity, Travel. And this bucks the trend hugely on the traditional career route in the FIlm industry, historically (the generation before Emma’s) an individual made themself available constantly, working every single day, in the last 2 months I’ve personally worked with brides working on their wedding days, and new parents sorting work emergencies from the maternity ward. This constant demand by clients, or the industry can and will have a massive detrimental effect on not just that individual but the industry as a whole. And Emma is not willing to get on board with that. Taking the time to prioritise her health and happiness, as well as taking 6/7 months of the year to go travelling while not touching her work emails. Is refreshing to say the least.

As for her advice on creatives wanting to get into the film industry; ‘Just go for it. And if you want to work in film, work in film. Don’t study it. I think that’s something I’ve noticed and I know its just my opinion maybe, and other people will think university is for them, that getting a degree is very important. I’m not saying that I did the only right way into the industry. I’m not saying getting a Film degree is a bad way to do it you know if you need 3 years to piss around and get drunk and “discover yourself” or post-pone adulthood - which is totally fine honestly there’s no rush to get into this industry. But if you know you want to work in film don’t be afraid, don’t think you need a degree to make coffee. That’s what it’s gonna be. If you have barista skills that’s the best education.’

As for her dream for the future: ‘To create a project abroad, so that’s something that is a potential. But I think I need to find that person that shares the same passions as me and as soon as I do - creating a film, short film, any kind of film, would be amazing’