Saturday Night Live Producer, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Producer and Mom
as told by Butterfly Co-Founder Bradi Nathan
The sleep deprivation that a new mom endures is nothing short of debilitating. You wake and dream of sleep - sleep and dream of more sleep. “Sleep when your baby sleeps.” Easier said than done. The anxiety and stress that comes along with a forced daytime nap…. When will I write thank you notes? How long do I actually have? What about the laundry? We function because we have to. And, down deep we remind ourselves that this sleepless moment in time, is actually just a moment.
Hillary Hunn’s moment has lasted a bit longer than most. While Hillary’s children are no longer keeping her up at night, her job at Saturday Night Live is. Hillary has been a Producer for Saturday Night Live for over a decade*. Her credits include: Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Primetime Extra II, Best of Mike Myers and Saturday Night Live: Mother’s Day Special, to name a few. As if that’s not enough, Hillary is also Co-President and Founder of the website suburbuzz.com! In an exclusive interview with Butterfly, Hillary shares her secrets for balancing a non-traditional work day and the needs of her family:
BN: When do you sleep?
HH: When I can. I'm up at 6 a.m. every morning so I'm ready to go when the kids get up. If I'm home by 11:30 p.m., I'll go to sleep then. Otherwise, later.
BN: How have the hours of Saturday Night Live challenged you and your family?
HH: Well, the Saturdays are hard for me, but my husband is amazing and has always been hands on and juggles activities himself. During the week, we have a live-in nanny who does not drive so I use a shuttle service to take the kids to and from after school activities, And, of course, I rely on the stay at home moms to help with play-dates.
BN: What is your typical work schedule like?
HH: Monday is my easiest day: 11-5 p.m. Tuesday: 1-9 p.m. Wed/Thurs 10-10 p.m. Friday: 10- 1 a.m. Saturday: 11-1 a.m. That's my hours at work. My commute is a little over an hour as well.
BN: How do fulfill the needs of your family with such a demanding job?
HH: When I' m home, I home. Until the kids get on the school bus, I'm all their. I'm not getting ready for work or checking emails- I'm making lunches, breakfast or hanging out with them. I go to the market on Monday before work so I'm not spending Sunday doing errands. I usually get home on Saturday night between 2:30 and 4 a.m. but I try to get up by 9.30 a.m. on Sunday and then I end up napping a bit in the afternoon so I can spend time with the family. I check homework when I get home and have the kids make fixes in the morning if they need to. I have been fortunate enough to have the summers over so for two months I'm a full-time mom. Usually, between my husband and myself, we can arrange at least one of us to be at school events or meetings.
BN: Was it challenging to find reliable care for your children?
HH: We lucked out with child care. My nanny has been with us for 8 years since my son was 2 months old. She is a relative of my nanny growing up and on the rare Saturday night out, she'll babysit or some of her friends will cover as well.
BN: Did you take much time off after having your children?
HH: My first was born in February so by the time maternity leaved ended it was summer which gave me a total of FIVE months off. I went back to work six weeks after my second was born.
BN: Were there any emotions you wrestled with in returning to work?
HH: Guilt. Guilt. Guilt.
BN: How supportive is your family of your career?
HH: Completely. Although, the kids sometimes have an emotional day when they don't want me to go.
BN: How has working made you a better wife/mother?
HH: I'm happiest when I'm busy. I love my children but I need additional things to challenge me. I think if I was with them 24/7 I wouldn't be as patient or as there when I was with them. I think my husband and I have a better relationship because we're both involved in the real world and can talk about other things beside the kids and their issues to keep our friendship and relationship fresh.
BN: Who has inspired you along the way?
HH: My mom always worked full time with four kids so I knew it could be done. Hillary Clinton's book title "It Takes a Village" is something I think of often because of how true it is.
BN: How typical is it for moms to return to work after having children at SNL?
HH: I believe I was the first woman at SNL to return to work full-time after having children. Many have followed me.
BN: SNL’s summer break allows you the luxury of having some time off… what are some special moments you can share?
HH: The summer is great. I love cooking and barbecues and even cleaning out the closets. I like to see the kids come home from camp everyday, going to the town pool and socializing and having Saturday night dates with my husband. I thing the whole thing is special because I've learned to appreciate it so much.
BN: What prompted you to start your own website?
HH: My friend an I were talking one day about how there was no place to find info about restaurants or kids activities or great sales etc. in the suburbs. Because we had lived in NYC as had a lot of women in the neighborhood, we were used to a quality that we knew had to be around us, but couldn't find. And, we thought, why not, let's do it.
BN: How did your skills as a Producer help with this venture?
HH: I'm a born organizer and information sponge. I know how to find an answer to anything in two phone calls. I know that people don't have much time so when they do give it to you, you better wow them quickly.
BN: Any resources/advice you might share for women looking to develop their own site?
HH: We subscribed to Yahoo Small Business that had hundreds of website templates that we could manipulate into our own style without having to know/learn HTML code. WE subscribed to an email marketer because we send out a weekly newsletter and this company can mange our lists, and email hundreds of people at a time is a snap. We were also on the phone a lot with customer service. The name of the site is important and getting harder and harder to find ones that aren't already taken. So, start with that. My husband, who is an internet fiend, suggested that we look at sites similar to ours or ones we frequented to see what we like and didn't re: format, ease of use, graphics, etc. which was a great idea.
BN: Additional thoughts??
HH: I think anyone who wants to "do it all" can, but you can't do it alone. And, the thing is, you're not alone.
*Hillary is now the Coordinating Producer at Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
- Click Here to visit Hilliar Hunn's Profile Page
- Back to Peer Interviews
The sleep deprivation that a new mom endures is nothing short of debilitating. You wake and dream of sleep - sleep and dream of more sleep. “Sleep when your baby sleeps.” Easier said than done. The anxiety and stress that comes along with a forced daytime nap…. When will I write thank you notes? How long do I actually have? What about the laundry? We function because we have to. And, down deep we remind ourselves that this sleepless moment in time, is actually just a moment.
Hillary Hunn’s moment has lasted a bit longer than most. While Hillary’s children are no longer keeping her up at night, her job at Saturday Night Live is. Hillary has been a Producer for Saturday Night Live for over a decade*. Her credits include: Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Primetime Extra II, Best of Mike Myers and Saturday Night Live: Mother’s Day Special, to name a few. As if that’s not enough, Hillary is also Co-President and Founder of the website suburbuzz.com! In an exclusive interview with Butterfly, Hillary shares her secrets for balancing a non-traditional work day and the needs of her family:
BN: When do you sleep?
HH: When I can. I'm up at 6 a.m. every morning so I'm ready to go when the kids get up. If I'm home by 11:30 p.m., I'll go to sleep then. Otherwise, later.
BN: How have the hours of Saturday Night Live challenged you and your family?
HH: Well, the Saturdays are hard for me, but my husband is amazing and has always been hands on and juggles activities himself. During the week, we have a live-in nanny who does not drive so I use a shuttle service to take the kids to and from after school activities, And, of course, I rely on the stay at home moms to help with play-dates.
BN: What is your typical work schedule like?
HH: Monday is my easiest day: 11-5 p.m. Tuesday: 1-9 p.m. Wed/Thurs 10-10 p.m. Friday: 10- 1 a.m. Saturday: 11-1 a.m. That's my hours at work. My commute is a little over an hour as well.
BN: How do fulfill the needs of your family with such a demanding job?
HH: When I' m home, I home. Until the kids get on the school bus, I'm all their. I'm not getting ready for work or checking emails- I'm making lunches, breakfast or hanging out with them. I go to the market on Monday before work so I'm not spending Sunday doing errands. I usually get home on Saturday night between 2:30 and 4 a.m. but I try to get up by 9.30 a.m. on Sunday and then I end up napping a bit in the afternoon so I can spend time with the family. I check homework when I get home and have the kids make fixes in the morning if they need to. I have been fortunate enough to have the summers over so for two months I'm a full-time mom. Usually, between my husband and myself, we can arrange at least one of us to be at school events or meetings.
BN: Was it challenging to find reliable care for your children?
HH: We lucked out with child care. My nanny has been with us for 8 years since my son was 2 months old. She is a relative of my nanny growing up and on the rare Saturday night out, she'll babysit or some of her friends will cover as well.
BN: Did you take much time off after having your children?
HH: My first was born in February so by the time maternity leaved ended it was summer which gave me a total of FIVE months off. I went back to work six weeks after my second was born.
BN: Were there any emotions you wrestled with in returning to work?
HH: Guilt. Guilt. Guilt.
BN: How supportive is your family of your career?
HH: Completely. Although, the kids sometimes have an emotional day when they don't want me to go.
BN: How has working made you a better wife/mother?
HH: I'm happiest when I'm busy. I love my children but I need additional things to challenge me. I think if I was with them 24/7 I wouldn't be as patient or as there when I was with them. I think my husband and I have a better relationship because we're both involved in the real world and can talk about other things beside the kids and their issues to keep our friendship and relationship fresh.
BN: Who has inspired you along the way?
HH: My mom always worked full time with four kids so I knew it could be done. Hillary Clinton's book title "It Takes a Village" is something I think of often because of how true it is.
BN: How typical is it for moms to return to work after having children at SNL?
HH: I believe I was the first woman at SNL to return to work full-time after having children. Many have followed me.
BN: SNL’s summer break allows you the luxury of having some time off… what are some special moments you can share?
HH: The summer is great. I love cooking and barbecues and even cleaning out the closets. I like to see the kids come home from camp everyday, going to the town pool and socializing and having Saturday night dates with my husband. I thing the whole thing is special because I've learned to appreciate it so much.
BN: What prompted you to start your own website?
HH: My friend an I were talking one day about how there was no place to find info about restaurants or kids activities or great sales etc. in the suburbs. Because we had lived in NYC as had a lot of women in the neighborhood, we were used to a quality that we knew had to be around us, but couldn't find. And, we thought, why not, let's do it.
BN: How did your skills as a Producer help with this venture?
HH: I'm a born organizer and information sponge. I know how to find an answer to anything in two phone calls. I know that people don't have much time so when they do give it to you, you better wow them quickly.
BN: Any resources/advice you might share for women looking to develop their own site?
HH: We subscribed to Yahoo Small Business that had hundreds of website templates that we could manipulate into our own style without having to know/learn HTML code. WE subscribed to an email marketer because we send out a weekly newsletter and this company can mange our lists, and email hundreds of people at a time is a snap. We were also on the phone a lot with customer service. The name of the site is important and getting harder and harder to find ones that aren't already taken. So, start with that. My husband, who is an internet fiend, suggested that we look at sites similar to ours or ones we frequented to see what we like and didn't re: format, ease of use, graphics, etc. which was a great idea.
BN: Additional thoughts??
HH: I think anyone who wants to "do it all" can, but you can't do it alone. And, the thing is, you're not alone.
*Hillary is now the Coordinating Producer at Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
- Click Here to visit Hilliar Hunn's Profile Page
- Back to Peer Interviews
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