Set boundaries for yourself and around work. The key is to find a balance between work and personal life and again prioritize self-care and well being. You only have one body, and the older you get all that misuse will pay back one day. I really wish someone told me how important it is to watch over your health and strength, now I have 4 screws in my back and I can’t recommend that at all.
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Ozlem Akturk.
Ozlem Akturk is a director of photography, and the Co-Creator and Executive Producer of the Nick Jr. series “The Tiny Chef Show.” Her previous credits include camera work on Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs” and Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie,” in addition to many other live action movies, television programs, and commercials. Her work has won two Webby Awards. Ozlem is a graduate of Stuttgart Media University, and is currently based in the UK.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born in Germany and grew up as the daughter of Turkish immigrants who came to Germany for work in the seventies. Growing up in between two different cultures, as a girl with conservative parents, was really hard for me. I always had limitations compared to my German friends or to boys. I really hated being a girl and seeing how boys always had more freedom. I was always in conflict with my parents because of trying to have the same freedom my brother had.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Art and movies were always an escape for me. I was fascinated by paintings and, of course, I loved movies. They always showed me that there is more to life and to dream big. I was very young when I managed to save up for a 35mm SLR camera and I loved taking black and white photographs, which sparked my creative path and becoming a cinematographer.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I always dreamed of working on a stop motion film, and I loved Tim Burton’s movies. The first major stop motion film I saw was The Nightmare before Christmas and amazingly one of my first professional stop motion gig I landed was a job on Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie as a Camera Assistant. It was like working for Dark Santa Claus– everything was magical and the love for detail in miniature versions was just amazing.
It has been said that mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Always be prepared and never trust the weather forecast. I was First Camera Assistant on a job and we were shooting outside in the woods. It was a beautiful day which suddenly changed and in minutes it started to rain. I had the equipment safely covered in waterproof rain cover, but I wasn’t. I believe the whole crew got soaked in water down to their underpants. Everyone was trying to use the hand dryer in the laboratory to get their clothes as dry as possible. Since that experience, I never leave the house without my waterproof shells.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
In 2018, me and my friends Rachel Larsen and Adam Reid established a production company called The Tiny Chef Productions. We first brought The Tiny Chef Show to life on social media where it got a lot of attention with 620k followers on Instagram and 3.7 million followers on TikTok. The Tiny Chef is a herbivore and makes delicious plant based dishes. We have had two children’s books published and produced the first season of the show successfully in Manchester, UK. It is by far the most exciting work I have done and it continues today. The best part is to get to hear the stories of our followers and how much they get inspired by the Tiny Chef.
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Failures are a normal and inevitable part of learning. No one succeeds without experiencing setbacks and challenges along the way. See failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. When you fail, take the time to reflect on what went wrong and what you can do differently in the future. The key is to approach failure with a positive and growth-oriented mindset. This will help you to improve and move forward.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Seeing people who look like you, talk like you, and share experiences on screen can be inspiring and help kids to realize that there are possibilities to breakout from their situation and surroundings.
By including diverse perspectives and experiences, stories can become more complex, interesting and most of all relatable.
Diversity enriches storytelling.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- Don’t only talk about an idea — make it happen. We always hold ourselves back but there is no need to. Everyone is surrounded by good and creative friends, you don’t have to do it alone, ask for help and sometimes it makes sense to team up and push each other.
2. Pick your battles. When you get a job offer make sure it is worth your time otherwise you will be very frustrated and exhausted by a project you are not even proud of.
3. Listen, observe from the best, and learn from it.
4. Learn to adapt and don’t have an attitude that you think you know better. There is no space for attitudes working in a team.
5. Make time to enjoy your life and don’t feel bad about it, even if that means you miss out on a job opportunity. Believe me there will be plenty.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Prioritize self-care, no one else will tell you that. It is important that you rest your body, but keep exercising regularly. It’s important to do other activities that bring joy and give you inspiration as well.
Set boundaries for yourself and around work. The key is to find a balance between work and personal life and again prioritize self-care and well being. You only have one body, and the older you get all that misuse will pay back one day. I really wish someone told me how important it is to watch over your health and strength, now I have 4 screws in my back and I can’t recommend that at all.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
If I could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, it would be a movement focused on promoting kindness, empathy, and compassion. These qualities are essential for creating a more caring society and they can have a powerful and positive impact on individuals and communities. A movement focused on kindness and compassion could inspire people to be more understanding and supportive of one another, and to work together to create a better world. It could help reduce prejudice and discrimination and help built a sense of connection and community. It’s a bit what the Tiny Chef does for us and sparks it to our wonderful followers. So we already started it.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I am grateful to my mom Sengul for teaching me kindness and empathy, despite the fact that we have two different views of the world.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” — Steve Jobs
It is exactly that. When we love what we do, we are more motivated, engaged, and committed and this allows us to produce our best work.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
I would love to pick the brain of THE DANIELS, they are the most talented creative beings. I was instantly amazed when I saw their short Swingers in 2009. And I am so glad they are getting success with Everything Everywhere All At Once. And if you are not familiar with their shorts and the music videos they directed, you need to catch up asap. Their way of storytelling and visuals are just mind blowing. They truly deserve all the success. Fingers crossed I get to have a private lunch with THE DANIELS.
How can our readers follow you online?
Website: https://www.thetinychefshow.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ1EK998DLCEskPsRV2virA
Insta: @ozioshiro
Imdb:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10800972/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4789359/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
LINKIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ozlem-akturk-79316b46
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
