Juliette Larthe
Partner, Executive Producer & MD, Prettybird
Juliette Larthe, Partner, Executive Producer & MD, Prettybird
Juliette Larthe doesn’t shy away from authenticity, it’s an element key to her success as Partner and Executive Producer at Prettybird. Her pursuit and platforming of authentic stories is central to her vision for a fairer, robust and balanced world. “It’s possible to remain true to what you want to achieve without bullshit. It’s about doing things responsibly by getting the right people involved and getting ideas from the right places. Creative ecosystems can be fragile places. With some nurturing and support, they can thrive,” she says.
It’s been a norm in the industry for work to be made about people in ways that entirely undermine their agency and quiet their voices. For Juliette, this situation is unsustainable. In ways we’re already witnessing, voices that were previously obscured are creating bold and powerful narratives. “This is the future of the industry. It’s a train that isn’t stopping. Everyone should get on board,” she adds. “What I’m interested in is transforming old narratives and finding the means to encourage and interact with things I haven’t seen before.”
Working with others is key, and the Prettybird Collaborators Initiative she directs is an essential element to getting it done. The philosophy behind it is what makes the difference. Juliette seeks in partners what she calls: “truly 360 creative people who are doing the work of storytelling in diverse ways already, not just when they’ve been handed a brief.”
As a result, very few of Juliette’s projects resemble the last. Recently she and her team have worked with the Theo Adams Company on performances including Elton John and Years & Years at The Brits. Film productions including, Margot Bowman’s Hey Girls, Jess Kohl’s Nirvana about transgender people in India and Melina Matsoukas’ affectionate Christmas ad for Amazon, The Show Must Go On. “I have the means to insist on new ways of working, but I don’t always have the vehicles to get it going. The Collaborators Initiative is a way of getting those wheels and contributing to our global village,” she explains.
Juliette’s passion for sustainable and inclusive models often leaves her negotiating the need to work locally and internationally. As the pandemic dissipates, she reflects on the communities she has seen come together in support of each other. “We are slowly moving towards a world that I want to be part of. In work and play, we’re levelling the old to build the new. This is what we should be feeling and seeing on our screens and in our streets.”
Reflecting on the impact on the industry, Juliette has observed people taking the time to think deeply about the implications of what they create. “When you have a window into the social injustice people live with, it makes you reluctant to blow your own trumpet about leadership.” What is critical to creative leadership for her is courage and faith. “First, to be brave enough to keep having conversations about change and secondly, the conviction that the risks you take will work out.”
Interview by: Tega Okiti / Photography by: Anna McGrane
