Total Girl Boss: Blogger & TV Producer Madison of Minimal Major

Hi guys! I’m Madison Williams – TV Producer, Fashion Expert + Creator of the blog Minimal Major. Also, dog mom to #oliverpeanut, lover of a spicy marg + gal pal to my fav girl, Amy Zhang!!

A “typical” day is anything but! It varies depending on the show I’m working on; from The Oscars to The Met Gala to The Grammys. But for the most part, I’m creating all of our fashion content and seeing it through from start to finish. I work with all of the major fashion houses, from Chanel to Dior to Giambattista to obtain the looks I’d like to talk about and from there, write and produce the segments.

Once pre-production is over, I start working with our talent to make sure they’re prepped and understand what the show looks like. And then it’s show day! Aka a 3-cups-of-coffee-type-of-day! During our shows, I’m out in the field with a headset on, producing our talent and making sure everything is running smoothly because after all, we’re LIVE! (<< seriously, how cool is her job?!)

I knew early on I wanted to be a producer. And even earlier than that, I knew I loved fashion. I really didn’t know if it would ever be a possibility to do both though. But knowing that TV Production + Broadcast Journalism was something that really interested me, I applied only to colleges with that major. As a sophomore, I met an Executive Producer at E! who took me under his wing and is still my mentor today. I worked full time for him in the summer as a Production Assistant, and would help out on show weekends.

Sometimes, he would even let me film my own school projects from the red carpets. “This is Madison Williams reporting live from The Emmys!”…if you can imagine! Let’s hope no one ever finds those videos! Fast forward to post graduation, and I just continued working my way up. Now, I’ve basically made my own position on my team where I produce all things fashion and I couldn’t be happier. I think hard work, a good attitude and a constant hustle goes a long way in such a competitive business.

It’s so tough to choose! There are so many different elements that I love. In the pre-production process, I love being creative and coming up with our fashion segments and from there, writing and producing them. I love looking at the recent runways and being able tell our audiences what the next major trends are, and how they can incorporate those styles into their every day, on or off the red carpet. I’ll always try to add a little takeaway for our audiences at home. I also love our show days and the team I’m able to work with. It’s a total adrenaline rush once we go live but it’s a really amazing feeling to see everything come together!

Network network network! This industry is not only mostly freelance, but a majority of the jobs are word of mouth. You always hear, ‘it’s who you know’ but it’s true. Don’t be afraid to find people on LinkedIn who are doing what you want to do and reach out. Grab coffee with them! The worst that happens is they don’t respond back – you have absolutely nothing to use. Fortune favors the brave!

This is the hardest part of adulting! The struggle to find a good work-life balance is real. But having my blog has really helped. I was so used to spending my days writing about red carpet and couture fashion (which is not too shabby at all!), but I wanted to also write for myself. I wanted to have my own outlet, my own creative space where I could speak on a more personal level and create my own content. It’s important to work hard but at the same time, it’s equally as important to have our own “thing”; whether it’s a blog, a sport, a book club, a garden – whatever! (Couldn’t agree more! Life is alllll about balance.)

GIRL, I try! It goes back to the idea of balance, doesn’t it? Even if I’m working a crazy 80+ hour week, I try to stay in the habit if waking up early and taking a class. Lord knows if I wait til after work it’s not going to happen! I’m big on Classpass though – I’m all about pilates, boxing and hot yoga! Here in LA, I love Carrie’s Pilates, Prevail Boxing, and Modo Yoga. Not to name drop but I saw Dakota Johnson in my yoga class last week and she was a true inspiration. Hah how LA do I sound right now?

100%! Here’s the thing – when I lived in Hawaii, it was (for the most part) pre-online shopping. Everyone kind of shopped at the same stores (shout out Abercrombie!) and I hated it! I always wanted to be different so it forced me to style things differently. I also got really into vintage shopping, and cutting and sewing things myself to stand out. That stuck with me because I now covet those standout pieces I know a lot of people won’t have. I also think being from an island has kept my style a little more laid back.

Bold hues, super graphic stripes…and, the ankle bracelet trend a la Chanel. I’m v into it, you guys.

A Janessa Leone hat (it’s really become a problem), a little linen top via Reformation + pink printed Gucci slides (coming soon to a @minimalmajor Instagram near you!).

I just did a project with Honest Beauty (check it out on their FB page!), and am really loving all of their products – especially their lip crayon! it’s super hydrating and gives you a good pop. If you follow me on my social you know I never leave the house without some lip. In terms of hair, I’m so loyal to Oribe’s Dry Texturizing Spray (<< ME TOO!!). It makes every day a good hair day.