Milana Karaica
Founder, NERD Productions
Milana Karaica, Founder, NERD Productions
“My intention was always to do something creative,” says Milana Karaica, founder of NERD Productions and a passionate advocate for diversity in the creative industry. Finding that classic creative outlet such as art and creative writing weren’t for her, she decided instead to make the most of her hands-on, get-stuck-in nature and took a job as a runner in London’s Soho. This was just over 15 years ago, and she emphasises that things were very different.
While so much is now done digitally, back then she found herself whizzing across the city, delivering showreels and pitches and coming into contact with people from all backgrounds and professions. Having become fascinated with the industry, Milana started work at production company th1ng – all the while cherishing a “secret little dream” to set up her own business one day. It was a difficult time to be a young, ethnic woman in the creative world however, and she says that after ten years of doing the job, the lack of fellow women running production companies had crushed her confidence and hope.
“It was pretty devastating, and you start thinking, well, maybe this is a thing women, especially from my background, don’t do,” she says. Milana was also frustrated that her suggestions of younger and more diverse talent often went ignored. “I started to recognise that actually, people like me didn’t stand a chance as something more than a runner, because maybe they were a woman in animation, or someone from a less privileged background,” she remembers. “Those people didn’t really get the same opportunities. Somehow, that made my dream grow bigger. I wanted to be a game changer in the industry.”
After th1ng was unexpectedly shuttered, Milana found herself struggling with a crisis of confidence. Although she considered throwing it all in, those around her refused to let her give up and NERD was born as a way of making something positive from an incredibly difficult situation. “It was a chance to finally create that dream production company that welcomed diverse talent, and gave every talented director the opportunity to pitch, regardless of their background or age,” explains Milana.
Having recently celebrated its fifth birthday, Milana says she’s proud that her company has continued to fight for diversity that goes beyond tokenism. She’s also proud to see something that started as a daydream become a real-life business – the only minority and female-owned production company in the UK – that’s collaborated with some of the world’s biggest brands and agencies.
“We empower female talent and nurture under-represented artists and filmmakers,” she says. “We have fun together, craft hard together and we do it all to make a difference, so no one has to fight just to be able to have the opportunity. If we are able to lead the change in just five short years - imagine what we could do as an industry if we join forces in even less.”
Interview by: Emma Tucker / Photography by: Joshua Lawrence
