Watch what she can do… literally. Zuri Rice is a former Nickelodeon Senior VP, and the current Head of Video Development and Content Strategy at Hearst Magazine. Since June of last year (happy one year work anniversary!), Zuri has led the creative direction for all video efforts at Cosmo, ELLE, Harper's Bazaar, and more. (Her channels see a total of 1 billion views per month.)

We talked with Zuri about how her team is working to produce collaborative content from remote locations, her WFH setup, and her love of athleisure.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?
I oversee our video efforts across platforms and across brands for all of Hearst Magazines. So I oversee our editorial video team and our third-party video production… everything from content strategy to operations to creative. And also our West Coast offices and brand team for Clevver News.

That’s a lot of collaboration-based work that you’re now doing remotely. How’s that transition been?
I’m thankful to have an amazing team. They’ve all been rockstars. I work with very prepared, amazing collaborators within the company. Even in quarantine, video remains very much a team effort. We’re lucky to have the resources to be the type of company that can support remote production, and to have great people who work on our operations and logistics.

How are you recording talent now that people can’t come into the studios?
It’s a lot of Zoom calls, a lot of Slack. We’ve been busier than ever. But it’s interesting, a lot of the content is filmed with one person, and many of our formats were already envisioned as being for a single person. But for groups, we’ve thought of ways to play around with it… for people who are sheltering in place with other people, it’s been really great, because they’ve brought [those] people in. And we’ve shifted to looking at more personalized stories, and we’re looking for new ways to film interactions.

When you say people are incorporating the people they’re living with, what does that mean?
We’ve seen roommates, dogs, children [laughs]. We want our audience to see our talent as real, and that’s the authentic experience right now. They may have a vision of doing something by themselves and then they have a special guest and we’re thrilled to have anyone who is healthy and able to participate. We want to make it as welcoming and fun as possible during what is a challenging time.

Are there any unexpected benefits of working from home?
The innovation the teams have displayed has been great. Something that has continued to brighten me everyday is how nimble and creative the teams are. They’ve been able to shift for at-home takes of some of our favorite series.

What’s the most difficult part of WFH?
I would say you’re used to a particular workflow, things being a certain way, or editing at a certain time, and we’re outside of that right now. We’re working outside of our comfort zone. We’re not just working from home, we’re working from home in an extraordinary circumstance. And different people have different experiences that are completely outside of their control. We’re trying to make space for that and to support our team.

How do you separate your work and life spaces?
I have a two-year-old son, so I cannot have my work space and living space together, because I just wouldn’t get anything done. We have actually turned a little portion of the bedroom into a workspace; I have a chair and a little desk just cobbled together. Usually, my son has childcare but he does not right now. So I’ve literally had to create a separate space, but it is mentally helpful as well, because when I’m here, I can be 100% invested. I also feel lucky that my husband is here, and I have a partner who can look after my son, so I have the privilege to do that (and to have a door that is closed at the moment).

What’s your WFH outfit of choice?
Oh, I’m totally athleisure-wear. I celebrate the people who get fully dressed; they are amazing and my hat is off to them, but I am not one of them. I’m currently wearing a sweatshirt—a beloved sweatshirt—but still just a sweatshirt, and some very comfy socks, and if I get cold, I put on an indoor hat.