“She’s a Great Female Director!” — Cool. But Can We Talk About Talent Now?

You’ve heard it. Maybe you’ve even said it. “She’s a fantastic female director.”As if the gender modifier somehow upgrades the compliment.

It’s 2025, and we’re still doing this.

Still putting asterisk praise next to women’s work. Still handing out jobs based on optics. Still pretending progress means giving a campaign to a woman because she’s a woman, not because she nailed the damn brief.

Let’s talk about it.

When Empowerment Becomes a Box

Let’s start with this: women directors? Total powerhouses. Some of the best creatives I’ve worked with are women. They see things I don’t. They challenge stuff others tiptoe around. And the industry needs more of them.

But hiring a woman just because she is one? That’s not empowerment. That’s marketing. A PR move disguised as progress. And ironically, it undermines everything we claim to be championing.

True empowerment is hiring someone because they’re the best person for the job. Full stop.

I’ve Lost Jobs Because I Wasn’t “Her”

I’m a male director. I don’t throw tantrums on set. I don’t wear ironic beanies. I don’t hide behind film school buzzwords. I collaborate. I listen. I deliver.

And still—I’ve lost jobs to directors with less experience and weaker reels. Why? Because they were women and the agency needed a “diverse hire.”

Not someone with the strongest vision. Just someone who looked good on a deck when they sent it to the client.

I’ve literally heard, “We just thought it would be cool to have a female perspective.”

Cool. But the spot was about a guy in a gas station buying beer.

Explain the logic to me.

Let’s Not Pretend Emotion Has a Gender

Here’s another industry favorite: “We need a female director. This ad is emotional.”

Apparently, male directors can shoot car chases, but not human connection. Wild, right?

I’ve directed ads that made people cry. Not a single slow motion tear, but actual, real human emotion. I’ve worked with families, cancer survivors, new mothers, lonely teenagers, immigrant stories. No one ever said, “Wait, shouldn’t a woman do this?”

Because here’s the thing: Emotion doesn’t belong to women. Empathy isn’t gendered. Vision doesn’t come with chromosomes.

It comes with experience. Instinct. Observation. And guts.

The “Hired for Her Gender” Backfire

I know incredible female directors who are quietly frustrated. Why? Because they don’t want to be hired just because they’re women either.

They want to be taken seriously on their merit.

They want to pitch bold ideas without being told they’re “too emotional” or “not broad enough.” They want their voices heard, not just seen on a diversity slide.

So when agencies play this game—checking boxes for applause—it doesn’t help anyone. Not them. Not me. Not the work.

It creates pressure. It creates resentment. And worst of all? It creates mediocre content.

Agencies, I See You

Let me just say it: some of you pick your director like you’re drafting Instagram influencers. “She’s got a great vibe.” “She’s really fun on calls.” “We love the female perspective here.”

Cool.

But will she handle the 16-location day shoot? Will she juggle the egos in the room? Will she find a creative solution when the hero prop melts in the sun 20 minutes before magic hour?

That’s not a vibe. That’s called directing.

And sometimes I wonder—do I lose jobs because I don’t giggle on Zoom calls or because I challenge bad scripts? Would I get more gigs if I flirted a little more and nodded along?

(Probably.)

But I’m not going to change how I work. I’m going to keep pushing the idea that what we say matters more than how we look saying it.

Talent > Trend

We’ve swung from one injustice to another. From “no women in the room” to “women get the room whether they fit or not.”

Neither is fair. Neither is right. And both will make your campaign suffer.

Let’s stop reacting with quotas and start responding with thoughtfulness.

Hire the best creative.

Trust the vision, not the gender.

What I Bring (That Should Matter More Than My Beard)

Here’s what you get when you work with me:

• A strategic partner who reads the brief 20 times before the call.

• Someone who shows up with original references, not recycled Pinterest links.

• A director who’s worked on tight budgets, insane deadlines, and somehow still pulled off “cinematic magic” (client’s words, not mine).

• Someone who’s kind to crew, clear with creatives, and calm under pressure.

• And yes—I’m fully capable of telling emotional stories. Human stories. Female stories. Sanitary Pad Stories. Your stories. Stories!

You don’t need a uterus to tell a story about motherhood. You need empathy and craft.

Guess what? I’ve got both.

This Isn’t Anti-Women. It’s Anti-Tokenism.

Let’s be very clear: I want more women in this industry.

More female DPs. More editors. More directors. More color. More perspective. More voices that weren’t invited to the table before.

But what I don’t want is for the next generation of directors—any gender—to be trained to believe that identity comes before ideas.

Let the work speak.

Let the best ideas win.

And let’s stop pitting talent against optics.

True Equality Means We All Get Judged by the Same Standard

Not an easier one.

Not a performative one.

The same one.

I don’t want to be hired because I’m a man. I want to be hired because I bring something better to the table. And I believe that’s what the most brilliant female directors want too.

Because if you’re only hiring someone to say, “Look what we did”—you’re not making a bold move.

You’re just playing a safer, more socially acceptable version of the same game.

Final Word (Until the Next Zoom Pitch)

So here’s what I’m saying to agencies, brands, and anyone casting for a director:

Look beyond the optics.

Look at the reel. Read the treatment. Watch how the director thinks, moves, and elevates your script.

Because you might find that the best person for the job… is the one you almost overlooked because they didn’t fit the current headline.

Don’t be performative.

Be smart.

Hire the director who actually gives a damn—no matter what box they check on a form.

And maybe, just maybe, that’ll be me. Cheers.