Barb Briggs

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT BARB BRIGGS

I am a writer, director and producer for film, television and commercial projects. My journey into filmmaking hasn’t been a straight line. After university, I worked as a qualitative researcher. This suited me, as I loved talking to people, hearing their stories and finding commonalities. I collected data, developed frameworks, wrote reports and learned very quickly that while people want stats and research, it was the narratives that held their attention. After some time, I felt I needed a more creative outlet and moved into photography and visual design in roles that involved event planning, marketing, public relations and graphic design. While some thought this was a big change, it really was a logical step for me. Whether researching, taking photos or writing press releases, I was really trying to tell a story. It was only the medium that changed. My chosen medium became photography and for over 10 years I focused on documenting and capturing moments in time and place. But something was missing. I wanted motion. I wanted sound. I wanted to craft fuller stories and narratives. Filmmaking pulled all of this and my experience together – from project management and the technical aspects of camera work, to writing and visual storytelling. To learn more about filmmaking, I volunteered on sets as a Unit Stills Photographer. This placed me in a unique position where I was free to move around a set and observe all the aspects of the filmmaking process. I participated in workshops and mentorship programs to learn as much as I could before venturing into making my first short film as a writer-director. Since then I have written and directed multiple short films, award-winning web series, music videos, a documentary short, as well as directed 36 episodes of ½ hour lifestyle content which aired on broadcast television.