Hold the Door: An Entertainment Career Advice & Networking Podcast · Camille Wilson | Underrepresented Artists Advocate

Corporate vs. Freelance with Kiara Harris

·50 min·4 clips

Kiara cried in her car doing Uber Eats, then got a Disney+ job offer moments later.

Camille Wilson hosts this episode of Hold the Door, joined by guest Kiara Harris, a reality TV producer with over eight years of experience. Harris has worked on shows like Shark Tank and The Voice and currently serves as a celebrity producer on The Jennifer Hudson Show. The conversation focuses on comparing corporate and freelance career paths within the entertainment industry. Harris began her career as a post-production assistant on Shark Tank through a university internship program. She was promoted to assistant to the showrunner and then to associate producer by age 23 on that show. She explains that unscripted television encompasses reality shows, documentaries, and competition series like Survivor and RuPaul's Drag Race. The development process involves pitching materials and casting tapes to network executives, often through an agent. Freelance producers are deeply involved in the creative process, from setting up scenes to building trust with cast members to elicit compelling stories. Corporate roles, in contrast, involve supporting executives, managing budgets, and providing editorial notes on cuts from a network perspective. Harris transitioned from freelance to a corporate role at Disney+ and later to an unscripted team at another studio. She left corporate after layoffs and a conversation with her VP revealed no foreseeable growth into a management role. She took a three-month break, during which she drove for Uber Eats and sought therapy to cope with anxiety and a lost sense of identity outside her job. A former colleague, Trey, later connected her to an opportunity on *The Voice*, which she secured. A surprising insight is her view that the freelance world is more racially diverse behind the scenes than the corporate side, though leadership remains predominantly white. She recounts a project with a Black male showrunner where input from Black women producers was often overlooked. Harris finds the unpredictable, adaptive nature of freelance work more exciting and fulfilling than the routine of corporate tasks. She feels a stronger sense of community and shared creativity with freelance colleagues, such as during a travel show in Miami. A memorable moment was her grandfather advising her to pray during a low point, after which she immediately received a job lead. She emphasizes that Hollywood is heavily relationship-based, and getting on industry Facebook groups and attending networking events are key to breaking in. Her producer on *The Voice* became a champion for her after witnessing her work ethic, leading to a Netflix offer where she negotiated her rate for the first time. The tone is conversational and supportive, reflecting the hosts' existing friendship, with a strong educational focus on industry mechanics. Harris is candid about her emotional struggles during career transitions, and the style is anecdotal, filled with personal stories and specific names of shows and colleagues. This episode is ideal for early-career professionals in entertainment weighing stability against creative fulfillment, or anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes reality of unscripted TV. Listeners seeking highly structured, data-driven career advice or those uninterested in the personal, faith-based aspects of her journey might find it less applicable.

As heard by us

A candid look at the security, stress, and self-reckoning behind moving from corporate to freelance work.

Camille Wilson and Kiara Harris settle into a practical conversation about what corporate security offers, what freelancing gives up, and how a person knows it is time to move on.

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Trying to decide whether to stay safe or take the leap?

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