Every project at FI5TH starts with a team of inspired creatives. After many think-tank sessions with Allergan Aesthetics, thorough industry research, and guidance from a panel of renowned women physicians, FI5TH found a director for the series in Pip Cowley.

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Pip’s initial treatment stated: “This is not just a documentary series—it's a call to action. Together, let's confront inequality, empower women in medicine, and create a brighter, more inclusive future for all.”

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FI5TH is not only passionate about a #FutureForWomenInSTEM, but also an equitable future for women in our own industries of advertising, filmmaking, television, or PR. #FutureForWomenInSTEM is a project that transcends industry and geographic borders, and Pip came prepared with her own inspiration, talent, and disarming nature to help convey this message:

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"It's certainly something that I relate to from the experience of being a woman in a professional environment and being spoken to in certain ways. It really makes you understand that this is systemic."

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What inspiration did you bring to #FutureForWomenInSTEM?

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Firstly, I thought it was awesome to showcase these incredible women and physicians who are at the top of their field. It felt like the medical industry hadn't had a spotlight on it in this way. We're talking about inequity, gender, ethnicity, I just thought what a great opportunity to shed light on what's going on in the industry.

It's certainly something that I relate to from the experience of being a woman in a professional environment and being spoken to in certain ways. It really makes you understand that this is systemic.

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How is #FutureForWomenInSTEM different from some of your other work?

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This was very different for me because not a lot of the projects I'm working on relate to the medical industry. I mean, I cut my teeth in music before moving into the commercial world. I used to capture a lot of live concerts and take portraits of musicians at events like Coachella and Global Citizen. One fond memory was photographing the Grammy’s, which was something I never could have dreamt of as a young photographer in Australia. That said, I started off my career in journalism. I think that's why these kinds of projects are interesting for me because I get to flex that muscle in terms of interviewing people and researching. It's nice to bring those skills back into a project like this.

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How do you capture authenticity, even vulnerability on camera?

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I had to figure out early in my career how to be disarming. I think this comes back to being a journalist at the start, you do all these phone interviews with artists and big personalities and you need to figure out how they're going to drop their guard and be open with you within the first 30 seconds of conversation.

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I try to take that approach when I'm photographing people as well, whether it be a friend, someone I've never met before, a celebrity or an actor, I try to treat everyone at the same level. Especially with a project like #FutureForWomenInSTEM, you want these women to feel like they can be vulnerable with you and that they're in a safe space to do so: being a good listener, making sure you're engaged and present in that moment, acknowledging the experience that they've had, and coming at it from a very non-judgmental perspective.

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"I probably know fewer women that haven't experienced some level of bullying, sexual harassment, than those who have."

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Was there something surprising you learned from the doctors?

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Some of the research that Dr. Wendy Chen had done was really eye-opening and quite alarming. I think we all understand that sexual harassment exists in the workplace, but just the level that it exists… and the research only shows what's being reported. We know that it's more than what's being reported.

It was also just inspiring to know that she's working full-time, she's a mom, she's balancing that already, and on top of it, she's doing all this research and trying to help other women in the field to help find a better future for women in STEM.

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These women who have done so much training, they have years of experience, and they get ridiculed. For me, it was really listening to her, knowing her expertise, and just seeing that she's such a badass. All of the doctors are! Dr. Mona Gohara, she just has the most incredible energy. and she does have that badass attitude like she's not going to let these things affect her, she'll brush them off and keep moving forward.

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I don't think we sent Dr. Gohara a wardrobe brief because we knew she'd wear what she wanted...

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Yeah, Dr. Gohara came in her Gucci sneakers 😎

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How does that idea of ridicule evolve into something more insidious?

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I probably know fewer women that haven't experienced some level of bullying, sexual harassment, than those who have. It might start with ridicule or some off-hand comments, some casual racism, but when that becomes acceptable behavior, what else can we get away with? I think people haven't felt safe sharing those stories because they don't want to lose their job or they don't want to be targeted.

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I've had a firsthand experience in a workplace environment when I worked in television, there was someone in our workplace who was harassing multiple women. Several women including myself reported it to HR because we were concerned and it wasn't a safe work environment. They turned it on us and told us all that we were bad at our jobs. They started pushing us out of our roles. I completely understand why women don't want to report these types of issues.

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Why is it important for brands to support messaging that doesn't directly relate to ROI?

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I do think it's important for brands to have a moral compass, especially when we have a government that says they don't want to support any form of DEI. I think the brands that continue to support these initiatives are the ones that will have the support of the consumer too.

I think it's great that Allergan Aesthetics has listened to their audience. Like, “now we're going to think about what content we put out into the world and how we listen to our audience and support them.”

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"These types of projects are so important and we should keep doing them, it's just now we wonder if we're in a safe environment to do so."

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Does it feel different to be recognized for work about DEI now vs. six months ago?

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As someone who's an immigrant in this country on a green card, it feels like a daunting environment to be in, it's really difficult to speak out about these things, especially publicly. There's a fear that the next time you enter the country you might have your visa revoked if they go through your phone and see that you have a different political view. You’re not allowed to challenge the order of today. These types of projects are so important and we should keep doing them, it's just now we wonder if we're in a safe environment to do so.

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I do think we've got to raise global consciousness… finding ways to draw attention to what's going on in these industries and across the board. I think we should be able to call people out on their bad behavior because we live in a society where we should be able to be treated with dignity and respect.

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Is there a philosophy behind having a predominantly women crew?

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This was such a sensitive topic, we're interviewing women, and so we wanted to create a safe environment for them where they feel like they can share these stories. I don't think it has to be a fully female set by any means, but just to have that sense of community. You can go around to the crew and see that they have probably had some similar experiences. Both the medical field and the production world are very male-dominated, so it’s that relatability.

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Did you have a favorite moment on set?

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I think it was from Skye. I asked her “what do you want to be when you grow up?” She was like “I don't know, I would be president.” I just thought that was so awesome, you don't hear many teenage girls saying “hey, I want to be president one day.”

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It was beautifully ambitious and inspiring, we weren't expecting it at all. Before that, she was trying to make sure that all of her answers were so perfect. For her to be like, "wait a second, what do I really want…" It was fun, she really dropped her guard.

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"I think it can be very easy to stay in a place of victimhood, but you have to have the ability to move through these things and overcome them."

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What was it like working with Skye?

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Skye is just one of the most ambitious young women I’ve ever met. She's meticulous in the way that she thinks and she's wise beyond her years. It's nice to see that enthusiasm and her self-awareness, her willingness to look at problems and be like “okay, well, I'm not gonna let that get me down.”

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She's been through times where she'd experienced anxiety and she took the initiative to join programs to help her overcome that. I think it can be very easy to stay in a place of victimhood, but you have to have the ability to move through these things and overcome them. I thought that was really inspiring about her.

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What do you want people to take from #FutureForWomenInSTEM?

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I hope it helps create an environment for women where they feel like they can speak up. I sent the series to a friend in cardiology after she expressed that she'd been having a really challenging time with some of the male doctors that she was working with. She felt like she was really being given a hard time for being a woman. I said “I just finished this doc series about that exact thing in America” and I asked if it was really prevalent in Australia. She said “yeah, it's terrible. It's been to the point where I've been really depressed and had anxiety and it's impacting all levels of my health.”

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There are few jobs less stressful than being a physician or a surgeon. When someone's already working long hours, you're trying to keep people alive and do your job well, to have the extra pressure of getting harassed or whatever it might be, it's crazy. It was humbling hearing her story and that she felt like she was seen and heard from the series. I think the more that we can draw awareness to what's going on in these industries the better and hopefully sooner it starts to spark change.

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Pip Cowley is a filmmaker, photographer, and creative director/art director based in Los Angeles.

Her commercial work spans global campaigns for Nike, lululemon, Google, Spotify, Converse, Budweiser, Dollar Shave Club, Stella Artois, Youtube Music, Coachella, and more.

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Her Black Lives Matter dance film titled "Hold On" was picked up by NOWNESS and ran in Fader Digital Fort in 2020. Some of the scenes shot in Santa Monica during the protests went viral overnight with over 10M views, and Michelle Obama used footage from the film in her "When We All Vote" Campaign. Scenes were also featured in The Chicks new music video for "March March."

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#FutureForWomenInSTEM was chosen as the 2025 Webby People's Voice Award Winner in Advertising, Media & PR Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

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