Ailee is an Executive Producer in unscripted television and documentary. She’s a showrunner* extraordinaire, a fearless but compassionate leader, and someone I consider a mentor. From a town forty miles north of New York City, Ailee fell in love with film as a child, watching classics with her mom like The Thin Man and Topper. As a young girl, she would often tell elaborate stories to her family members, and as she got older, she flirted with the idea of being an actor. Ailee did improv and theater in grade school, went to film camp through New York Film Academy in high school, and studied film at Purchase College.
She comes from a long line of creatives; Her mother is an artist, her father was a Chief Creative Director in advertising (and was published in the New Yorker at age 24!), her uncle is a story editor and published author, and her maternal grandfather was managing editor of Life Magazine in the 60s. Though there was a lot of influence to be an artist, she says she never believed it was destiny, and it definitely didn’t mean following a creative path would be easier. “I think what having creative parents sometimes does is it stresses you out like your ideas aren’t good enough. You can kind of paralyze yourself with criticism.” She says having the creativity was only part of it and that having the drive to follow the path toward doing what she loved to do is the reason she’s where she is today.
After college, and a brief stint as a captain’s assistant on a boat, she flew from New York to visit a friend in Burbank. She reached out to professors for contacts, took meetings with a few of them while in LA and ended up being offered a job to work on Andy Dick’s directorial debut in 2005. “After I flew home, one of the producers called and said ‘We’re going to make this movie this summer. Do you want to come out here?’ and I was obviously like ‘fuck yeah’, but my dad said I couldn’t go unless I had it in writing that I have a job in LA because I was ready to drive my car across the country. So I had to call him and say ‘I know this is so ridiculous, but my dad says I need it in writing.’ The producer was working and making commercials for A Band Apart, which is Tarantino’s company, so he sent me the letter on an A Band Apart letterhead. I packed up my VW Cabrio convertible, drove out there and started working. It was star-studded and crazy. They made me the production manager, and I was 21 right out of college, so that was interesting. Just jumped right into it, and the rest is history.”
Since then she has worked on just about every type of production, from Indies* to big films like Die Hard and Eagle Eye to reality television. From 2007 to 2008, there was a writer’s strike that led to many film and scripted television employees to make the transition to reality, which was experiencing a huge boom. There’s a stigma in Hollywood that working in reality kills your soul and your dreams. Most people that come to work in Hollywood have this idea of what their lives will look like, and oftentimes reality television was never a part of that, but Ailee has learned through experience that sometimes the dream changes. “Everything is storytelling. I was super judgmental of it in the beginning. When I went to work on the Kardashians, I called Tim McCann [professor at Purchase College] and was like, you know, ‘Do you think that I’m crazy to work on this show. I went to film school.’ He said ‘Are you kidding me? You’re going to be a part of pop culture history. Look at what they’ve done. You’re going to learn so much, and don’t listen to anyone else, and learn your path.’ I took the job, and a lot of people that were super critical still haven’t moved up in the jobs that they had then and haven’t traveled the world. I’m now an executive producer, and I have been to many places all over the world, met a lot of different types of people, and have had the honor of telling their stories. I can’t really imagine it being anything else, you know?”
Ailee has worked with some major pop culture icons over the years – Mariah Carey, Joan Rivers, Paris Hilton, the Kardashians, and Paris Jackson, just to name a few – and she knows firsthand that success is relative. “It’s a very skewed perspective of the world in the homes we get to be in. What LA wants to make you believe is that success is a Range Rover, a pool, a big house, a verified check on Instagram. As if success is all these things that are not actually what success is. Success is being proud of yourself and your work, being able to pay your rent, being surrounded by nice people. I think it’s a misrepresentation in our culture that all of these stars are successful and full of life and have it all, and really they don’t. They’re lonely, and they’re on the road, and they miss their families and friends. They can’t have successful relationships, and it’s like all of this stuff just gets in the way. It’s not like I don’t participate in those things, I just feel the meaning behind those things is a manipulation. It doesn’t love you back, and you can’t take them with you, so stay focused on world travel and great food and great company. Those things are why I love this business because you get all of those things with what we do. I think a lot of it in general is finding a group of people you can relate to and share your story with and your hopes and dreams and fears and to find a group of people you can be your authentic self with.”
One of the many reasons I love to work with Ailee is because she recognizes what a team effort this industry is. As a boss and a leader, she knows it takes a village to make something great. “Leadership is a real privilege to me and that’s why I love this business so much because working with so many different types of people and people with different experiences is a dream come true. You have people with knowledge in different areas coming together to make something. I think it’s important for everyone to know that nobody has the answer and, no matter what position you get to in your job and what experiences you have, nobody really knows anything. I think my advice to other producers is that it doesn’t matter if you’re a producer, you only achieve what you’re trying to get done with your team. You can’t do it all alone. You have to be nice to your crew. You have to be caring and loving and know that they’re people. You have to remember it’s only getting done because they’re there with you.”
There have been many occasions, personally and professionally, where I’ve reached out to Ailee for advice. She’s a firm believer in having health insurance as a freelancer and in finding a work/life balance. She knows how incredibly hard this industry can be on our bodies, both physically and mentally. Long hours and heavy lifting lead to shoulder and back injuries. Years of using walkies and listening to talent through headphones in loud bars and clubs can lead to hearing loss. There are times when this job makes it difficult to stay hydrated, get enough sleep and eat when your body needs fuel. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received from her is how to decide if a job is right for you. “I think not to let everyone take advantage of you is important. I also think there are some jobs where it’s worth it to be taken advantage of. I think that sounds weird, but sometimes if you say no to everything because it doesn’t seem right at first, you can miss the best experiences. My advice would always be the rule of four. The rule of four is to look at every opportunity and see where they chart out in four categories: you like the content of what you’re helping to create, you’re getting paid well, you like the people you’re working with, and there is professional growth. Most jobs are two out of four. If you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, trying to figure out which job to take, and you can get three out of four, go with that one. It’s very rare to get four out of four, but when you do, try to keep that as long as you can.”
Ultimately, Ailee says the stories we tell, in whatever format and on whatever platform, change lives. It’s important we realize that and understand the power we hold by being part of telling those stories. “I just think there’s so much healing in telling your story and knowing you’re not alone, knowing that there are people all over the world feeling the same way you’re feeling. I think it’s a beautiful thing. With reality television and unscripted documentary you get to tell the stories of people whose stories might not be out there normally. When you have the ability to get these people’s stories out there, and let kids and adults all over the world know that they’re not alone, I mean, that’s beautiful. If everybody shared their story the world would feel like a smaller place.”
The Lady AC
Industry Terms
showrunner – the leading producer of a television series, also known as an executive producer.
Indie – a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies.
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