Meet Jill Bailey | Field and Casting Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jill Bailey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jill, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
Follow Your Dreams. I would not be where I am today without the little boy that said that to me many years ago. Before becoming a TV Producer I was a Clinical Social Worker for 10 years. The last 5 years as a Social Worker I worked in Children’s Hospice and met so many incredible kids that changed my life. One child in particular Tommy was wise beyond his years, and in his last months looked at me and said “promise me you will follow your dreams.” Tommy passed away shortly afterwards, and about a year later I lost my job and a friend of mine who worked in a local TV studio in Virginia Beach where I lived at the time asked me if I wanted to come in and PA for him until I found another job as a Clinical Social Worker. I worked at the studio for a couple of months and my 1st mentor John Forte taught me everything he knew about TV. A few months later a show with Lifetime called “Coming Home” came into town and I was hired as a Field Logger for the show and I met my LA based mentor Karin Jarlstedt who took me under her wing, and started my career as a Producer. A little boy who was only 9 years old changed my entire life with 3 little words. He was so incredibly brave and left a legacy on this world and in my life. I am where I am today because of him.  I know that God placed him in my path to change the course of my life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a Field and Casting Television Producer in the Docu-follow/Reality world. I am not your typical story of how I got into this profession. As a child, I would watch the Emmy’s and dream of being a writer or Producer for big shows, but never thought it would happen. I was one of the 1st people in my family to go to college and I wanted to help people so I got a degree in Psychology and then a Masters in Social Work and my Clinicals. I was a Medical Social Worker for 10 years and while working in Children’s Hospice had a little boy who had cancer named Tommy tell me to “follow my dreams.” After losing my job unexpectedly, a friend of mine invited me to work at a local TV studio in Virginia Beach where I lived at the time. John Forte became my 1st mentor, teaching me everything I needed to know about TV sets, being a PA. AD, Field Logging and so much more.  I owe John so much, although he is incredibly humble and would say I owe him nothing, even though he has helped so many people with their careers in this business. When a huge network show came into town, I was hired as a Field Logger and was so excited until I learned I would be logging 4 cameras when I had only ever logged one camera at a time! I was terrified I would be fired, but stayed extra time on set to learn what I needed to in order to get the job done. It was on this set that I met my now mentor Karin Jarlstedt who took me under her wing and has since taught me everything she knows over the last 14 years of my career. It has not always been easy working in this industry, there is a lot of competition, but what I learned is: you don’t know it all and you never stop learning or wanting to grow as a Producer.  I have made a lot of mistakes and had to learn from them and still learn from those mistakes daily.  Asking questions and being teachable has been what has helped me to continue to work steadily throughout the years. The biggest lesson I have learned is you can learn from anyone. The most important person to me on a set is the PA. They work the hardest and get paid the least. I always tell people that I work with that are learning the business that I want them to be my boss someday, and I truly mean it. I love seeing others succeed and try to support and help people who are starting out in the business because I had amazing mentors that did the same for me. There is room for everyone in this business, and I feel like kindness goes a long way. I also think one of the main things that keeps me focused is my faith in God, and that I am not perfect and can always grow and change for the better if I keep that at the forefront of my career. I have had the blessing of working with some of the best of the best in the business and I think everyone has something to offer. I always tell people, I am a tiny cog in the wheel of whatever show I am working on, without the whole team, you have no show. It’s so important to recognize the team around you and respect the hard work that they are putting in. I want the world to know that anything is possible if you believe in your dreams, keep your faith strong and work hard. Surround yourself with likeminded people, even when I don’t get a gig, I am happy for the person that does. Positivity goes a long way!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
LA is a hotbed for entertainment and so many of my friends and family have come to visit so here are some of my favorites that would be on the itinerary if the bestie came for a visit: The Sherman in Sherman Oaks, Firefly in Studio City, Granville and Wild Carvery in Burbank for food and drinks. The WB lot tour is always fun for showing the history of TV, Universal Studios, Malibu Beaches, Santa Monica Pier, Driving along the PCH, Cinespia movies in Hollywood Forever, Farmers Markets all over LA. These are just a few of my favorite places to take people when they come to LA. My husband and I also have an amazing church that we attend called The Flipside on Sundays. It’s a great supportive environment filled with positive people that helps us to recharge and reset our minds and hearts for the week, so I would love to share that with friends and family when they come to visit. I also have a good friend from my hometown Josh Schneider that has an amazing new tattoo shop that I refer all of my friends who want to be tattooed, New Romantic Tattoo (he has done over 20 of my tattoos!).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to several people that without them, I would not be where I am today. First and foremost, my faith in God has brought me a long way in the past couple of years, and I recognize that without faith and hope there is no way I could make it in the industry or the world in general! As I mentioned before, in my previous career, I was a Clinical Social Worker and my last job was in Children’s Hospice. I met and had the honor of caring for many amazing children and their families, but one little boy Tommy asked me to promise him that I would “Follow my Dreams,” before he passed away from the cancer that he fought so valiantly against. Because of him, I had the courage to chase my dream of being a TV Producer. I have had the blessing of absolutely incredible mentors throughout my career including: John Forte who gave me my first job in TV and taught me so much when I started out in Virginia Beach. Karin Jarlstedt who took me under her wing on my 1st big network show and has for the last 14 years been my main teacher, guide, has hired and referred me to be hired and most importantly, has become my family. Michael Selditch who I met on Catfish and since then has taught me so much through working with him.  He has become one of my mentors and become a part of my family as well. To all of my co-workers, Supervisors, and EP’s that have taught me so much over the years, I am eternally grateful. To my husband who is my biggest cheerleader, is the most patient and supportive sounding board that I have.  Most importantly to my father who was a single dad who raised not only my sibling and I on his own, but helped raise my cousins as well. My dad is my best friend and has always taught me that I can do anything I set my mind to, and has taught me faith in God is the most important thing to keep at the center of my life. He is my hero and my heart.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jilljohnson19/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-hess-44a28a87/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jill.johnsonhess/

Image Credits
All of these are personal photos. The one with Catfish casting was created by us on the Catfish team for our Facebook page, so we own the rights.