Zoe Fairbourn

So Zoe, what do you do?
I head up brand partnerships at Hello Sunshine. We’re a media company that’s really trying to change the narrative for women. We’re telling stories by female authors about women with agency, and that’s what drives what we do in all things. My job is to look for brand partnerships that have the same goals that we do, and then make them happen.

How do you make partnerships happen without it seeming forced?
That’s a great question, and the answer is, we know how to say “no.” If a project seems forced, we won’t do it, and if we want to work with a brand, it has to be right. Here’s an example: we did a huge partnership last year with Eve Rodsky, who wrote Fair Play, a book about making chores and childcare more equitable in a marriage. To us, Fair Play was more than a book, it was really a rallying cry, and we wanted to create a cultural conversation about how in order for women to step into the world, they need to relinquish some housework to men. So we invited Procter & Gamble into that conversation.

Was that risky?
The way we saw it was, “this brand authentically sits in the home.” And with them, we crafted a partnership about how to make Fair Play an accessible concept for households across America. We planned a huge book tour with Eve, a podcast, influencer content… and we bring them on our journey to get Eve’s message out there that housework is important, it’s meaningful, and we need to change the way we discuss it, so let’s do that in an empowering way, together.

You work with all the Hello Sunshine departments—books, scripted series, animation. What’s your secret to navigating all those different kinds of creative brains?
A very large latte. I definitely need it. And then I use those creative brains to help Hello Sunshine figure out our next steps. I get really inspired among small group brainstorms, actually.

A lot of women I know feel pressure during brainstorms, like our ideas have to be perfect, and almost like it’s a competition for the best one. What’s your advice for curbing that kind of thinking?
By establishing that in a true brainstorm, it’s volume over quality. A true brainstorm is people just throwing out ideas on a consistent basis. Nothing is “right.” Nothing is “good.” All you want is volume… Don’t worry about the best idea. Just have an idea. Throw it out there. We do it fast, like it’s a game.

You’ve worked all over Hollywood. Have you noticed a difference in the way things work at a female-founded company and one run by men?
I mean, look, I notice a difference. But Reese [Witherspoon] and Sarah [Harden] built the company, so it’s not just “any woman.” It’s these women. Sarah’s a phenomenal CEO. I’ve worked for a lot of people, and honestly, she’s a unicorn. She’s built Hello Sunshine with such intent, and I think that’s important because with men I’ve worked with, it’s always about the bottom line over the mission. But I wouldn’t say “all men do this.” I would just say in my experience. My last bosses were Harvey Weinstein and Ari Emanuel, and so working at Hello Sunshine for me has been a very different experience, very refreshing and quite frankly, amazing. What I love is that it’s not just talk; we live the mission of telling female stories. The culture is really there. It starts from the top down.

How do you know it’s time to leave a job?
I can only speak for myself, but I’ve found that when I’ve wanted to leave a job, it’s because I wasn’t growing anymore and didn’t see a future—I look around and say, “There’s no other place for me to go or be here.” And sometimes you need to leave the job because you realize, “This isn’t a healthy place to be.” I have worked for some crazy people, but I have also worked with some fabulous, creative, amazing people, and I learned so much and I don’t regret any of it… But right now, I love walking into my office every day. And at this point in my career, that’s a big requirement for me.

What if you love your company but you don’t love your job?
Oh, that’s happened to me! And I’ve been able to pivot to do what I want to do.

How?
ASK! When I worked at Condé Nast, I wanted a different job than the one I had, so I told my boss, “This is what I’d really love to be doing; this is why I should be able to do it. When can I get a chance?” And [it worked], but I wouldn’t have gotten that chance if I just expected somebody to read my mind. Ask for what you want, and if you don’t get it, assess why. But before you quit, ask! If you like where you’re working, ask for what you need to stay there.

What are you hoping people learn from your XX Project talk?
I think it’s an opportunity to get people thinking about their career trajectory, and what else you might hope or want that’s out there for you. If we’re blessed to be healthy right now, we have a lot of time to think in a different way. Maybe during this crisis, you’ve changed or rethought what you want to do. Those things are good to talk about, and hopefully I can be of assistance!

Getting your job meant interviewing with Reese Witherspoon. But even if we’re not meeting a major movie star, job interviews often involve speaking with women we admire. Is it ok to let a potential boss know how much we look up to her?
I don’t think the person you’re meeting with needs to be admired. What she and her company are doing needs to be admired. I just hired someone, actually, for my team, and during that process, I was definitely more impressed with candidates saying, “I know Hello Sunshine is working on these projects. What would I be doing on those projects? What would you need me to know?” I think before any job interview, you need to ask yourself, “Why can I make an impact here?”