Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shauna Garrett. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Shauna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful original project I’ve worked on so far has been the development phases of my upcoming film, “Over, Behind.” This film, though it is now in the pre-production phase before filming, has put me and my incredible team at Monday Routine Productions, LLC., to the test in areas of our knowledge, reaching out to investors, finding resources and applying for funding through grants and fiscal sponsorship. We have had to change our strategies, stretch our imaginations, and think bigger than ever.

The context of the film came to me in a dream, where a mental health professional’s philosophy is put to the test in real-time, and he has to come face to face with his own, undealt-with traumas and we see the repercussions of deep compartmentalization come to life outside of him. This film is deeply personal to me as a mental health advocate, and it was important to me to build a redemptive arc into the script.

We have an incredible cast and crew built and ready to spring into action. Our team is so excited to get this project off the ground and filmed, and personally, I can’t wait to see how far it goes.

Shauna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Shauna Garrett, and I am the co-founder and CEO of Monday Routine Productions, LLC., spearheaded by myself, Dymond Muhammad, and Aurora-Rose. Our humble production company is currently based in Los Angeles, CA. . What sets us apart is that we specialize in bringing untold, minority stories to life through different mediums such doc-style interviews, short films, music, etc. Our mission lies primarily within the parameters of mental health, justice causes and education, and uplifting underrepresented communities. We want folks to know that our team strives to provide a safe place in which they can express their full selves and be represented accordingly. There are so many cultures, creeds, and backgrounds yet to be uncovered, and we want to pursue that tastefully and wholeheartedly.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

As I write this in 2023, the average rate of job satisfaction sits around only 62% in the United States, and poor management is usually the culprit. I’ve been on both the employee side and the management side at this point and can say with certainty that managing teams efficiently and maintaining high morale requires the key components of humility, recognition, fair wages, organization, and adaptation. Work environments where the employees feel seen, known, and valued tend to thrive more than those where employees feel like they’re just a cog in the machine. Managers should also lead by example with great humility and honor those they are stewarding.
A few ways to show appreciation and keep morale high are: giving credit where it’s due, making the workplace a safe space physically, fostering a safe emotional environment, honoring others by not engaging in bashing or gossip, being on time and adhering to deadlines, keeping professional boundaries and not crossing/blurring them, hiring the appropriate amount of personnel based on the job being done, paying wages that reflect the work being done and giving recognition to excellence, and committing to fairness and balance in all circumstances. This also includes adaptation in training, giving instructions, and assigning tasks based on how people learn and work so that they can give their optimal performance in each assignment. This establishes a trust and rapport that is key to successful managing a team.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Something I wish non-creatives [or more accurately, people who don’t work in entertainment] understood is that my career is not all fun and games. It’s a passion and a calling, for me. The old paradigm that everyone who works in entertainment lives a glamorized, monolithic lifestyle is a tired and old generalization that is coming to light especially in 2023, where the film industry strikes have exposed the dark underbelly of the industry. Personally, I’ve had to overcome the obvious hardships based on my social location (like sexism, subversive racism and microaggressions driven by prejudice, etc.), but this year has shed a light on the less obvious issues like wage discrepancies, unsafe working conditions, fraturdays (yes, fraturdays are a whole problem), financial woes because of work slowdowns, unpredictable schedules, and poor work-life-balance due to the long, tiresome hours we work. And I’m by far not the only one!

My point is, creatives work hard and sacrifice a lot to make your favorite tv shows, movies, art exhibits, documentaries, music videos, video games and every experience you have with modern entertainment. We are movers and shakers, innovators, and we take a lot of pride in our jobs. What I think people outside of entertainment can grow in is respect for the individual yet key jobs it takes to make art and the bravery it takes to put that art out there for the world to see. We deserve fair wages, safe working conditions, recognition, and respect, just like any other human being.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mondayroutineproductions.com
• Instagram: @mondayroutineproductions
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mondayroutineprod
• Twitter: @monday_routine
• Other: TikTok: @mondayroutineproductions

Image Credits
Digital Portraits by: designed Dymond Muhammad Shauna’s Portrait: Emily Logan of Space on Space Photography Over, Behind casting announcement: edited by Shauna Garrett Over, Behind crowdfunding art: made by Shauna Garrett