“Refusal of Old Narratives” Guides Jannie McInnes’ Approach to Production

Scheme Engine is a New York-based BIPOC-owned creative studio and production house. In recent years, it has been responsible for culture-shifting music videos like Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ viral hit ‘Unholy’ and blockbuster clips like Adele’s ‘Easy on Me,’ as well as thought-provoking spots like ‘Black-Owned Friday’ for Google that work at the intersection of art and commerce. Behind the scenes, award-winning executive producer Jannie McInnes helps drive Scheme Engine’s continuous success and cultural leadership across the music video, commercial, documentary, film and TV, and live categories. 

With a background in English literature, Jannie is used to interrogating the power dynamics at play in cultural products, and at Scheme she works to keep the company in its “own lane,” which is one of its foundational principles. She got her start as a photographer for indie bands before moving into music video production and creative direction. More recently, Jannie has been flexing her creative muscles at The September Issues, a culture publication for and by women and non-binary people. 

Jannie has a carefully-honed and critical approach to the world of commerce — a world that at one point seemed far from her interests. While she has seen how advertising can make a cultural impact, she also believes in order to do that work, it must be made by people who know how to cut through the noise of contemporary culture with artistic flair, like the filmmakers Floria Sigismondi and Xavier Dolan, and artists like Jacolby Satterwhite. 

Today, LBB’s Zhenya Tsenzharyk spoke to Jannie about her rich career, Scheme’s focus on work by women and people from minority backgrounds, and what it means to provide “entertainment excellence.”

Above: Sam Smith ft Kim Petras, 'Unholy'

LBB> Jannie, let’s start by talking about your career — how did you get into producing?

Jannie> I graduated with no plan at all, and my roommate got me in at Revolver, a production company in Toronto that I eventually ran. I started doing their press releases, answering phones, writing director treatments, random tasks. A lot of my friends were in bands and eventually, I got asked to produce their videos, which is when I took a personal interest in production.

LBB> You have an MA in Literature. How has that academic foundation informed your work?

Jannie> Grad school was about questioning the values of the Western canon. My subjects of focus were feminism and literature of the South through the works of writers like Virginia Woolf and Zora Neale Hurston. The work I love doing now often has a revisionist spirit, asserts feminist or diverse points of view, and authentically captures regional vernacular via dialogue, style, ritual, and dance.

Above: Adele, 'Hello'

LBB> You’ve been in the industry for 23 years. Can you take us through your various roles in that time? 

Jannie> I had many assistantships, including working for Michael J. Fox (the best), and I took a lot of publicity photos for indie bands while producing their videos. At Revolver, I was an EP and joined an international community through production service and music videos for U.S. and U.K. artists. At Believe in New York City, I was a commercial EP for several years, which gave me invaluable experience. More recently, I was the executive editorial director of The September Issues, a culture publication for women and non-binary contributors, created by Mary Rozzi, to challenge industry standards. I’m also a very good casting director for dance!

LBB> And what are some of the standout projects from that time?

Jannie> ‘Tightrope’ for Janelle Monáe, directed by Wendy Morgan, was a joyful document of self-realisation; ‘1234’ by Feist, directed by Patrick Daughters; Adele’s ‘Hello’ video with Xavier Dolan. The ‘Life’s a Ball’ for Equinox, directed by Sammy Rawal, was a campaign that starred trans icons of ballroom and we worked closely with the community in the making of it. Gucci and System Magazine ‘72 Hours at the Chateau Marmont,’directed by Floria Sigismondi was a favourite, starring Kenneth Anger, the godfather of music videos and LGBTQ+ cinema.

Above, Feist, '1234'

LBB> You were the creative director for Feist. What did that role entail and what did you learn from it?

Jannie> I developed the album Metals’ visual language with Feist and a handful of artists and designers for the artwork, photoshoots, merch, etc. I commissioned and oversaw the videos with directors including Martin de Thurah, who shot two videos. I learned first-hand how intense the marketing process and expectations are for artists. I learned tonnes from the way Feist and her team think outside the box. She is extremely generous, and I gained invaluable experience with new kinds of creative responsibility. 

LBB> You’ve worked with Scheme Engine for four years now. Why did you first decide to join the company? 

Jannie> Scheme is a young, diverse company of incredibly smart, highly creative people who have been in their own lane since day one. They prioritised original content early because they have something to say. Joining them was an exciting opportunity to bring my experience to develop their commercial side, and to sign a roster to help nurture those perspectives in the context of commercials, music and art, working alongside Sheira Rees-Davies, who is an absolute force of an EP. 

LBB> What’s your approach to production at Scheme Engine? What do you think the company does differently to others?

Jannie> You could say our approach is seeing creativity and filmmaking as an opportunity to solve problems in front and behind the camera while providing entertainment excellence. The focus of our roster is minority and women directors. As a BIPOC-owned company, Scheme’s foundation and values are about leveraging the creativity of that talent and building equity in their community. We follow the “If you can see it, you can be it” model.

LBB> If you compare your role to the role of the heads of TV/heads of production when you first joined the industry, what do you think are the most striking or interesting changes?

Jannie> I used to see advertising as irrelevant and inauthentic to anything I cared about, so I focused on music content as a site of creative expression. Advertising is no longer incidental and has the power to add value to people’s lives. To succeed, the work has to be highly creative and authentic. It's my job to have consciousness about the impact a project has on the audience it’s speaking to, on the people it puts in front of and behind the camera, and what the brand stands for. That wasn’t the case when I started.

LBB> The industry talks about diversity a lot but Scheme Engine lives and breathes it. Can you elaborate on your thinking around this — how do you choose projects and/or directors to join your roster with diversity in mind?

Jannie> We want to see our directors pitching on boards as different as our directors are – visual adventurists, satirists, poetic realists, digital innovators. Our directors all have a very strong personal creative practice and confidence in their identity which makes for rich, authentic storytelling.

LBB>Which of Scheme’s projects are your personal favourites and why?

Jannie>There are too many to name, but I love Charles Todd’s ‘Black-Owned Friday’ for Google for its multi-media expression of “buying Black” and its positive economic impact. Floria Sigismondi’s ‘Unholy’ video for Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras for its astonishing level of creative excellence — it’s now up for five MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year — and Jacolby Satterwhite’s monumental public art commission for the Lincoln Center, ‘An Eclectic Dance to the Music of Time,’ a 50-foot digital landscape that reconsiders the history and future of cultural institutions with an inclusive cast of over 100 performing arts students.

LBB>What excites you about production today?

Jannie> The confidence and community of emerging minority creatives and filmmakers and the refusal of old narratives. Anything that complexifies what we think we know, especially ones that use technology in ballsy, disruptive ways. Seeing formerly disdained categories like “women’s hygiene” become the site of wildly exciting, important work.  

LBB>Can you share what you’re currently working on and what’s in store for Scheme Engine next?

Jannie>I cannot wait for everyone to see the Charles Todd-directed and Drake and Scheme Engine-produced series on Magic City, the iconic strip club in Atlanta known as the “Black Studio 54.”  As always, Charles is going to push the limits of the documentary and we’ll hear from the women responsible for building the club’s mystique.