Balancing the Grind with Erin Ferreira, Executive Producer – FOX Netball at FOX SPORTS Australia

Erin Ferreira is the Executive Producer for FOX Netball at FOX SPORTS Australia, Australia’s leading producer of sports coverage.

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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

Thank you for having me on Balance the Grind! I’ve been in the broadcasting industry since birth. My mum and dad both worked in television since the 70s. My mum Marianne was a video editor and my dad Chris was a technical broadcast engineer.

I grew up with the hum of broadcast monitors and the buzz of the control room filling my childhood. I used to tag along with my Mum to the Office often until one of the producers she worked with offered me the chance to actually use my time there making an income, “IM IN!”

And so I was employed as a Production Assistant in 2003 at the sports broadcaster SuperSport in Johannesburg, South Africa. The industry was small but expanding and I leapt in head first working on the broadcasters flagship rugby Magazine shows Boots & All and All Out Rugby.

From there I dedicated my time to learning every role I could in the production chain and practising new found skills, carving out a career path and finding my place in the industry. 

Working at the Producer level and being offered the chance to cover the 2012 Olympic Games in London was a turning point in my career, this is where I wanted to be and what I wanted to be doing, telling the stories that resonate and helping lift otherwise unknown role models into the stratosphere!

From there my career started to soar, I became Senior Producer of the shows I had spent my years learning on and created a number of others. I was given the chance to work on multiple top tier sporting events, each and every one of them teaching me more and guiding me through my career.

The long hours, tight schedules and adrenaline pumping nature of our industry has helped me gain the confidence I have in my current role at FOX Sports. 

Previously working as a Producer in the FOX League team, alongside the best sports broadcasters Australia has to offer both on and off the screen has been a fantastic catapult into the industry here. The high intensity, passion and editorial thrill inherent in the production department drive a high efficient team to produce some fantastic coverage week in and week out.

Getting the opportunity to lead a tight knit and efficient team across our first season of Netball as Executive Producer, including the highly competitive Suncorp Super Netball Series and the Diamonds international tests coming up in October has been the standout moment of my career thus far. Mentoring some outstanding talent and staff and building a product from scratch is in itself the great challenge every producer dreams of and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store!

2) What does a day in your life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

There is never an average day in sports Broadcasting that’s for sure, in the ever changing nature of live television each day offers up new tasks and deadlines. Normally I’m up at 5am for a quick run or walk of the dog before the kids are up, then it’s the morning routine getting our 2 girls (Isla 7 and Amelie 4) ready for school and day-care. 

Work begins with a coffee and touch base with team members either in person in the office or online via Teams.

Daily tasks include editorial discussions, strategy sessions for upcoming sports deliverables, feedback and comms meetings, edit viewings and schedule building to name a few before the day clocks off and it’s time to head back and fetch the kids before making dinner, storytime and bed. If I’ve had to leave work earlier to make it through traffic then I catch up on my work after they have gone to bed, making sure I’m in bed with a clear mind later that evening.

3) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

Work life balance is a goal, and like any goal it takes a bit of effort to achieve. But it looks totally different for everyone right? 

For me when I’m at swimming classes or a school function, or at home making dinner, I’m 100% present in that moment just as when I’m at work, I’m 100% present in those daily tasks and for my team members. 

Finding the time for myself is the hard part, it takes a back seat normally but is equally as important, it takes some negotiation both with myself, my family and my work but finding that time to balance myself is a priority and needed to help maintain the rough and tumble world of broadcasting.

4) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?

Yes I have on a small scale. On the way to work which can be up to an hour drive or commute I’ve kept my podcasts up while on the way home I listen to music both offer different rhythms and help ramp up or end of the day better. 

My exercise, either walking, running or hitting a class are for weekday mornings again helping me build a routine and making sure when I’m present in each thing I’m 100% present and not thinking of when I can squeeze it in later and create a domino effect on the rest of the day.

5) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?

I’m really enjoying the Huberman Lab podcast by Andrew Huberman an American neuroscientist with research and analysis into how to get the best out of our minds and bodies, I love a good research podcast! On Purpose with Jay Shetty, similar logic and personal growth mantra with a vast array of informed speakers and knowledge to share.

6) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?

The kinds of people featured in this publication to be honest, everyone is different and it’s insightful learning how various people manage the balance and learn from their own experiences. 

7) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

A saying I’ve always kept close is “Kites fly highest against the wind not with it.” I think most people can take something from it and in the busy times keep rising!

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