She is one of the masterminds behind fan-favorite series like Grey’s Anatomy, Bridgerton, Station 19, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder – but beyond her projects on-screen, Shondaland Creative Partner Betsy Beers is lending her time, resources and years of television storytelling experience to provide valuable opportunities to the next great television creative.
For the past five years, Beers, alongside Shondaland founder Shonda Rhimes and Head of Creative Production Tom Verica, have partnered with SeriesFest to offer on-the-rise female directors the opportunity to shadow Shondaland productions with the Women Directing Mentorship. SeriesFest, which was founded by Randi Kleiner and Kaily Smith in 2014, just wrapped its tenth season in Denver, Colorado, showcasing a wide array of television projects and creators who are looking to make a splash with in the entertainment industry. This year, Beers, Verica and several longtime actors of Grey’s Anatomy came out to SeriesFest to show their support for the next generation of television storytellers.
So, what does it mean to Beers to have a festival like SeriesFest in existence today, that champions modern episodic storytelling?
Beers said, “First of all, it’s a unicorn, which is one of the most amazing things because as somebody who loves the storytelling, and as somebody who watches and has watched [television] obsessively my entire life, the fact that these [SeriesFest] women started something that is absolutely and fully dedicated, not only to episodic screens, but supporting and encouraging new voices and giving us all access to talent. Nobody else was doing that, so I think that they filled an incredible void in the current landscape of festivals, so we can actually go some place that is dedicated to celebrating people who both have achieved amazing things in their work, but the other people who are rising up and who demand to be noticed.”
Grey’s Anatomy, which first premiered on ABC primetime television in 2005, is currently airing new episodes on Thursday nights in season 20, making it the longest-running television medical drama series in history.
“Can you believe that?” Beers said. “I love the show and certainly when we first started this, we were just excited to get on the air, you know? Every single step was a big step, and what an incredible thrill and what a gigantic testament to our fans that we’ve managed to be able to involve them and engage them in this storytelling on Grey’s. This season, [new showrunner] Meg Marinis is just amazing. We’ve had incredible showrunners, obviously, and the actors and the talent and probably one of the best crews in the business.”
Being 20 seasons into a series, I brought up with Beers that it is understandable to have some difficulty thinking of new or evolving storylines on a show that has had a long run like this series, so I asked Beers how she and her Shondaland creative team keep Grey’s Anatomy stories fresh and intriguing at this point, and stories that are still worth telling.
Beers said, “I think it almost reflects what the mission of this [SeriesFest] festival is. I think that so much of what I get joy out of with this job is finding voices and giving voices a platform. And by constantly having so many talented people around who contribute to the ongoing vision of a show, like somebody like Meg does, it’s part of the reason the show keeps evolving because the show just keeps growing and the thing is, you can’t have something which is incredibly long-running, that’s consistent, without continuing to allow your characters to grow and change, the storytelling to grow and change.”
She went on to say that the benefits of medical advancements and other discoveries happening within our real world have definitely contributed to the new storylines that become possible on the series, which is already confirmed for season 21.
As for the SeriesFest leadership team, they have nothing but praise for Beers and her Shondaland team, as they continue to work together with the Women Directing Mentorship program, which was awarded this year to writer/director Shelby Blake Bartelstein.
SeriesFest co-founder and CEO, Kleiner, said of Beers and the partnership with Shondaland, “It really is a dream come true. These are the types of initiatives and mentorships that we have really wanted to start working with a company like Shondaland – it just elevates the entire experience. Shondaland – Betsy Beers, [they are] changing the television landscape, day in and day out. For an emerging female director to actually get the opportunity to go shadow on one of their shows is just a tremendous opportunity and a pretty life-changing experience.”
Co-founder Smith added: “When we originally came up with the idea, we had no idea if it would go past year one. The fact that they would do a mentorship with one person was a huge deal, let alone now we’re at five years. I think that’s a testament, and Shonda and Betsy – they uplift other women in the industry.”
Claire Taylor, Director of Programming at SeriesFest, also said, “It’s truly hard to describe what working with a partner like Shonaland and Betsy Beers and Tom Verica is like – it is powerful, it is thoughtful, it’s kind and it’s the kind of leadership that we also want to bring to SeriesFest.”
During Beers’ time in Denver, she was also honored with the 2024 Impact in Television Award by SeriesFest. As for the advice that Beers would give to up-and-coming television creatives, striving to get their content shown and make an impression in the industry, she said, “If you’re first starting out, try to find a mentor. Look for somebody that you admire and who’s work you want to emulate, and even more so, someone you want to learn from, so you can articulate your own voice and go into the world and be able to explore the stories that you want to tell. If you find somebody who’s willing to go all in, I think that’s a gigantic part of getting your stories told and growing in the business.”
She added: “I know I had mentor and it’s a gigantic part of why I am here today. I make it a really large priority to make sure that there are people around at Shondaland, and I feel like I can contribute something to or I can help or I can listen to, because I’m as excited about finding new voices as anybody else. It helps the business – it helps all of us who are curious about what we’re going to want to watch next.”
