5 Questions with Malinda Wink

Malinda is the Executive Director of Minderoo Pictures, which invests in scripted and documentary projects that are thematically aligned with the work and priorities of the Minderoo Foundation. Projects in the portfolio include David Attenborough: Ocean, The Cranes Call, Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story, Love Apptually, Songs Inside, Left Write Hook and Mozart’s Sister. Malinda was Executive Producer of some of Australia’s most high-profile social impact documentaries of recent times, including 2040, The Final Quarter (about AFL player Adam Goodes), and Big Deal: Is Our Democracy for Sale? She is a highly regarded leader within the global screen industry and not-for-profit sector.

Q1. What has been your best career move?

Sometimes it’s being brave enough to quit. I left a role at Macquarie Bank and I loved working there – they took me on as an undergraduate, I had incredible mentoring and got to work with ridiculously ambitious, intelligent people – but after visiting microfinance programs in India, I was excited to work with a UN microfinance program in Nepal. It was probably the best thing I ever did. I’ve always had a strong sense of altruism. The work still used all that banking and finance insight, but it was towards helping women. I threw myself in the deep end and was first sent to live in a remote village in the Solukhumbu region, where I stayed in a little house overlooking Everest. It was originally built for Princess Margaret when she visited – a little pink cottage with a white picket fence. You can imagine the balance sheets at Macquarie, the huge transactions, and there I discovered how a loan as small as $100 could make such an incredible difference in the lives of women in that village. Seeing the women support each other, celebrate together as they paid off their loans, being able to bring my skills to social purpose – that’s where my career took a completely different path, a path that made more sense to my heart and mind.

Q2. Given your time over, what would you do differently?

All the mistakes you make give you insight, and I’ve certainly made a few. But sometimes I wonder if perhaps I didn’t need to be so hard on myself. I’ve always been really driven. I’ve put a lot of time and energy into my work, and have huge passion for the social purpose that’s been at the centre of my career, but there were probably times when I could have gone a bit easier on myself, because it did sometimes come at the expense of fun things that I should have been enjoying as a 20- or 30-year-old with my friends and family. If I had my time again, I’d be a bit kinder to myself and have a better sense of things not being my sole responsibility – because I take it on.

Q3. Do you have a professional hero?

When I worked in politics [as a media assistant to then federal Labor Opposition Leader Simon Crean], I was always impressed with the way Julia Gillard, in a very male-dominated environment, was always so prepared and, with her humour, could just cut through. The way she held herself in a room with her incredible intelligence and wit was something to behold. And that misogyny speech – I just thought, you’re on fire, I love you! She was masterful. She said better than any of us what we all wanted to say. I saw Justine Clarke playing Julia on stage last year and it still holds power. The real answer, though, is that I think my heroes are in the collective because there are a lot of women along the way who have given both solidarity and advice. It’s those moments of solidarity, of giving you space, offering encouragement or sharing vulnerability, that helped inform my direction and confidence in the world. It’s sometimes the simple things, like when someone acknowledges or endorses your point of view in a meeting – especially in rooms that aren’t hearing women’s voices. Men do that too – and you really notice when they’re an ally.

Q4. What is the best advice you have been given?

There’s a beautiful poem by David Whyte called Sweet Darkness and it says, “anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you”. It’s a touchstone for me, in my career and my life in general. I often ask myself, am I doing this because it’s really true to my passion and my purpose, or is it just taking up time and space? I’m sure I’m not alone in saying yes to things because I feel like I should. A wise and wonderful friend once said to me, “Just be careful of when you use a lot of ‘should’ statements” – because it’s actually, what do you want to do? It’s about giving yourself permission to take that moment, listening to what animates your heart and spirit.

Q5. What do you think the media sector will look like in 10 years?

I, like a lot of us, am trying to read the runes in terms of that intersection of media/politics/democracy and, like so many in the sector, I’m using what tools I have at my disposal to try to shape a path that values facts and accountability and is less hostile towards women and other parties who are wanting to speak truth to the world. I hope that the people who are working towards those ambitions, and those goals, prevail. Look at the moment we’re in – it feels very dark sometimes. I am inspired by Rebecca Solnit’s work, especially Hope in the Dark, where she defines hope as embracing the unknown and believing that our actions matter. She urges us to look at a situation for what it is, even if it’s bleak, and see the opportunity. That’s how I prefer to frame a response to the future of the media sector. At a personal level, the work that’s really resonated with me has often been by female creatives whose voices, perspectives and experiences we haven’t heard. In every sector, we can do what we can to challenge the structures that inform why women aren’t progressing as fast as they should. We’re not 50-50, are we? I’m committed to playing my part in supporting the incredible talent coming through in front of, and behind, the camera, in key creative roles.

Interview by Susan Horsburgh