Skip to main content
BoF Logo

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Role Call | Lucy Sumner, Head of Entertainment

Lucy Sumner, head of entertainment at Alldayeveryday, says that projects evolve so much in the making, but remember the central idea that inspired you in the first place.
Lucy Sumner | Source: Courtesy
By
  • Kati Chitrakorn

There are few sectors of the economy that offer as wide and interesting a range of career opportunities as fashion. Role Call highlights some of the industry’s most interesting jobs and the talented people who do them. For more information about fashion industry roles like this and others, visit BoF Careers.

NEW YORK, United States — Lucy Sumner is partner and the head of entertainment at Alldayeveryday, a New York-based entertainment and media company, whose clients include Gap, Nike, Alexander Wang, Sephora, COS, Diesel, Mr Porter, Levi's and Rag & Bone. A graduate of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, Sumner began her career as a producer working on a number of independent films, including "Hesher," "Transamerica" and "A Guide to Recognising Your Saints," which have collectively been shown at Sundance, Cannes, Venice and Berlin film festivals, and received Oscar nominations and Golden Globe awards. Sumner joined Alldayeveryday in 2010 and has produced commercials and films for a range of brands from Victoria's Secret to Comme des Garçons.

BoF: Please describe your current role.

As head of entertainment, I develop and produce all kinds of content, including features, documentaries, TV/web series and short films, as well as experimental projects. We work in two ways at Alldayeveryday: through owned, original programming for our own brand, and through our creative services division for brands spanning the fashion, beauty and lifestyle categories. Often, these two worlds collide. Our capabilities run across entertainment, publishing, integrated marketing, experiential retail and communications. We are channel-agnostic and produce our own work.

ADVERTISEMENT

The entertainment division is relatively new at Alldayeveryday. Until the end of last year, I ran the production side of the business. Before joining Alldayeveryday, I was an independent film producer, so it feels great to be getting back to my roots. In terms of generating projects, it’s as simple as finding ideas we believe in and then setting about bringing them to life. It's a lot of fun. These ideas come from every imaginable place, often from inside the Allday family, the directors we work with or other friends and collaborators.

BoF: What attracted you to the role?

I’m obsessed with movies and documentaries. To do this kind of job, you really have to be. My husband and I both studied film at university and have been making films since we were teenagers. Movies are a huge part of our daily lives together. I climbed up the ladder working on small independent films as well as on large-scale commercials in order to make money. The idea of marrying those two worlds — art and commerce — seemed natural. As traditional advertising models started to break down and content moved to the fore a few years ago, I sensed an incredible opportunity here at Alldayeveryday.

When working with brands, you have to be cognizant of their strategies and goals, so the challenge is to maintain the heart of a project.

BoF: What is the most exciting project or initiative you have worked on?

Our documentary "52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale" is probably the project that is closest to my heart. I grew up at the beach in Sydney, swimming in the ocean everyday. That defined me, in a way. The 52-Hertz whale is a wonderful hero character that people can relate to personally and it provides a great forum for conversation about the state of our oceans. I felt there was an opportunity to go beyond the documentary. In this case, we used social media to unify our audience and bring them together for a cause. Yet, while promoting ocean conservation, we were able to use previous learnings from our work with brands like Nike.

BoF: How is your role changing? What are the forces driving this change?

Everything in the world of entertainment and content is changing minute-to-minute right now — and that's brilliant. Finding new ways to get projects financed and later distributed is a big part of what we do. Funding comes from the brands we work with, among other sources. Today, people can experience content in new ways on any number of screens. Access is just one click away. This instant access means that brands are able to reach scalable audiences, but it also gives them the ability to target niche markets, whether its in the fashion, music, art, wellness or the luxury lifestyle space. We work with them to achieve this.

BoF: Tell us about a time you failed and how you learned from it.

ADVERTISEMENT

When you’re making a film, you have to constantly recalibrate what you set out to create. They change and evolve so much in the making, but you have to remember the central idea that inspired you in the first place. When working with brands, you have to be cognizant of their strategies and goals, so the challenge is to maintain the heart of a project. If  you get away from that, it’s a failure. It’s important to me to make work that I feel personally proud of.

BoF: What advice do you have for people who are interested in doing what you do?

Learn as many facets of the industry and know physical production before taking on a bigger leadership role. My experience as a coordinator, production manager, line producer and producer have been invaluable for my current role. Working with different scales and approaches is important, too; from the scrappy, resourceful, lean-and-mean to the lovely, seamless and shiny way to achieve things. Finally, find a way to maintain a work/life balance. This is always a challenge when you have a stressful job, but ultimately, your work will be better as a result.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

For more information about fashion industry roles like this and others, visit BoF Careers.

© 2024 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Workplace & Talent
Analysis and advice on the future of work, careers and management.

The Best Jobs on BoF Careers

Discover the most exciting career opportunities now available on BoF Careers — including jobs from Carhartt WIP, Tory Burch and Casablanca Paris.


AI’s Big Bias Problem

Generative AI holds vast potential when it comes to streamlining HR tasks and eliminating manual work, but there are mounting worries about its tendency to magnify racial and gender biases.


view more

Subscribe to the BoF Daily Digest

The essential daily round-up of fashion news, analysis, and breaking news alerts.

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON
BoF Professional - How to Turn Data Into Meaningful Customer Connections
© 2024 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Accessibility Statement.
BoF Professional - How to Turn Data Into Meaningful Customer Connections