Who is Jill?

Introducing our production designer extraordinaire, Jill Petracek!!

Photo by Briana Bard

Almost 2 years ago to the day, I was sitting in a bar with some friends after wrapping a tough day on set. Jill arrived with one of our mutual friends and she ended up sitting next to me. Boy am I glad that she did! Within moments of chatting, we were onto the topic of the places we consider to be our homes (though neither of us grew up in those towns) - for me it's Appleton, Wisconsin and for Jill it's Duluth, Minnesota. We both share a special love for the midwest. It's that love that helped me know that Jill is the perfect person to design the look and style of Freedom, WI.

Duluth, MN. Photo by Jill Petracek.

Ever since that fateful night, I've worked with Jill several times and we've become good friends. Whenever Jill is a part of a project, the bar is instantly raised. Her talent, creativity, attitude, vision, teamwork, and kindness radiates through the rest of the crew. I can't imagine making Freedom, WI without her!

The Birch, Season 1 (2018). Photo by Carlo Mery.

Aside from being a skilled production designer, Jill is also an excellent writer, and one of the most observant and creative people I know. We were a part of a writing group and I sent out a draft of Freedom, WI to a few members. A week or so later, Jill asked me to meet up. When I arrived, she had printed out the script and knew the script as well as I did. She has a way of making people comfortable and asking tough questions. Her script notes and tough questions helped shape Freedom, WI into the finished script it is today. I would not have reached this point without her!

The Birch, Season 1 (2018). Photo by Jill Petracek.

And now to use a Jill-ism, Freedom, WI is gonna be DOPE!

Check out Jill's website to see some of her work here: https://www.jillpetracek.com