Cofounder of Ready Set Productions Says Women Should Worry Less About The Little Things And More About Quality

Ready Set Productions Cofounder Julia Fisher Farbman

Julia Fisher Farbman and her team at Ready Set Productions are determined to inspire young girls and women to dream big and not let gender norms hold them back from success. Through the video web series “Modern Hero,” Farbman will share women’s testimonials of their struggles in the workplace and at home.

The 27-year-old cofounded Ready Set Productions in 2015 with seasoned television producer Cindy Connors. With a background in journalism and television production previously at ABC, Farbman calls herself an accidental entrepreneur.

My background is in television production, so owning a business was as surprising to me as it was to all my family and friends. My partner, Cindy Connors, who also comes from the production side, and I started the company because we share a mission of creating content with a purpose, especially in the arena of advancing women’s issues. So having our own company was the natural step to producing stories that are important to us,” Farbman said.

Based in Conshohocken, Penn., Ready Set is a socially-conscious company that focuses on stories that matter. Farbman said they wanted the content to not only inspire the viewers, but also provide valuable insight and tips that are translatable to various aspects of life. Modern Hero celebrates incredible women who are defying the odds, shattering glass ceilings, and making a difference in their careers and in the world. They are educators, businesswomen, nonprofit leaders, media personalities, and everyone in between, proving that role models come from all walks of life. The series takes an interactive approach by having the audience and the women featured nominate their Modern Heroes, many of whom are then interviewed by Farbman.

This is her first foray in front of the camera as host. “It has been an incredible experience. Although a large part of my job entails overseeing productions, my heart lies in researching, interviewing, and sharing the stories of others – so this project is truly a gift,” she explained.

Connors and Farbman self-funded the company through client work. They do bi-annual travel pieces with ABC-7 New York and one-off projects with 6ABC in Philadelphia. Farbman said acquiring a handful of corporate clients early on gave the duo the confidence and financial stability to take the leap and launch Ready Set Productions.

Her advice to other female entrepreneurs is not to get lost in the details. “For me personally, I would say not getting caught up in the little things [is a big challenge]. You can ask my partner or anyone on our team, I am a perfectionist to the point where it can be detrimental to the overall production flow. Before having a company, I was working as a producer and could write and re-write my script 10 times and tweak the edit till my eyes bled if I wanted to, but when you’re overseeing productions, you just can’t do that,” Farbman said. “It not only can stall productions, but it can also deter creativity from our writers, which is the last thing I want to do, because they’re all amazing and incredibly talented. As our company has evolved over time, I’ve learned to pick and choose which aspects of projects are non-negotiables to me and which parts I can let go. My partner has been a big help in this department because she’s had much more experience overseeing large productions than I have. I’m constantly learning, asking for feedback, and trying to improve myself and the qualities of our company as we continue to grow.”

She said first and foremost, quality is number one. Farbman believes you have one chance to make a first impression and to brand your business and if you deliver a sub-par product, you will never get return clients or referrals, which she said is the bread and butter of their business.

“And secondly, networking is crucial. You can have the best product in the world, but if no one ever sees it, what’s the point? My partner often laughs at me when we’re at networking events because she knows I have no problem walking up to pretty much anyone, even if I’m terrified on the inside, and explaining who we are and why we can be a resource to her or him. To that same note, network with everyone equally, not just the person with the highest ranking title in the room. You never know who you’re talking to,” Farbman added.

For more details and to catch an episode of Moden Hero,  click here.