Jill Niquet-Joyal | Breaking the glass ceiling of varieties

Jill Niquet-Joyal provides a clear, crisp and confident answer when asked to estimate the number of female directors at the helm, solo, of a major variety show in Quebec: zero. His assessment, however, is wrong. There is only one. And it’s her.

By taking the reins of the enormous machine that is The voiceJill Niquet-Joyal ventured into largely dominated territory. Masked singers (Luc Sirois), Star Academy (Maxime Bissonnette-Théoret), Zenith (Alain Chicoine), Live from the universe (Luc Sirois), the Gémeaux gala (Daniel Vigneault), ADISQ (Jocelyn Barnabé)… Over the past 12 months, these programs have all been the prerogative of men. And Revolution ? The result of a collaboration between Maxime Bissonnette-Théorêt, responsible for the dance numbers on stage, and Josiane Lamarre, who takes care of the segments behind the scenes.

“It’s funny when you realize it, observes the 38-year-old woman. It’s like a glass ceiling. »

At Réalisatrices equitables, an organization that aims for equity behind the lens, we also speak of a “new broken glass ceiling”, although currently, “it seems to be the exception that confirms the rule”.

The absence of female directors at the wheel of major sets is nothing new. In 2012, a research report on the initiative of the Association of Directors and Directors of Quebec (ARRQ) noted that they did not have access to more robust productions.

A boy club, variety production? “I’ve been in this field since I was 21,” says Jill Niquet-Joyal. I never felt blocked or valued differently because I was a girl. I always felt like I was part of the change. »

Jill Niquet-Joyal admits it candidly: the “pink glasses” that she likes to wear certainly color the way she looks at the television industry. But she insists: she does not have the impression of evolving in “a male preserve”.

Foraging

Jill Niquet-Joyal had not invited The Press at MELS Studios in Saint-Hubert, where she is filming The voicebut in Montreal, on the very premises of TVA, a place she frequented every day for two years, when she was making Towerwith Patrick Huard.

Watching her walk around freely in the building on De Maisonneuve Boulevard, you can see that she feels at home there. And when you see the confidence with which she recounts her career, you can easily imagine her leading a team of around fifty people.

“I’m a music lover,” she says. I was born with MusiquePlus. I listened to it eight hours a day. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Nirvana boxes… I bought them all… In addition, of course, to consuming the music of the time. THE DanceMix 94, I bought it too. »

Jill Niquet-Joyal says she has “browsed” a lot since graduating from the Graduate School of Media Art and Technology (ATM) at Cégep de Jonquière in 2005. The native of Saint-François-du-Lac has dabbled in reality TV (Double occupation, In the eye of the dragon), travel magazines (99 desires to escape), news broadcasts (Newscast), as well as cultural magazines (Sweety salty).

For some time, however, she had been dreaming of varieties. In fact, she has been dreaming about it since her end-of-studies internship with director Pierre Séguin (The little life, galas Just for Laughs), during which she had notably helped him to capture the great outdoor concert of DJ Champion at the Jazz Festival. “I said to myself, ‘I want to relive this moment. I want to do this all my life. “I really caught what. »

This is why the call from Productions Déferlantes, the company behind The voice, came just in time, last year. “When my phone rang, I was like, ‘Oh shit!’ Is it risky? Totally. Is it dizzying? Completely. Do I have everything it takes to get there? Maybe not, but I’ll manage to deliver. I trust. »

Swift sweep

For Jill Niquet-Joyal, The voice represented a double challenge, since Déferlantes’ offer also came with a particular mission: to renew and revitalize the popular show, which was back on the air after a two-season hiatus.

Thus, Jill Niquet-Joyal has started a purification operation. From the graphic design to the performances of the candidates, including the lighting, the director wanted to “go back to basics”.

“In Quebec, in variety shows, we focus a lot on the artist. But when we go to see an indoor concert, it’s rare that we just look at the person who sings. If there is a bass pass, we look at the bass. If there is a drum pass, we look at the drum. We do our own cutting. That’s what I wanted to do this season: show the band. We went to find the best musicians in the world. We want to see them play!

“I want to give viewers the keys to feeling as many emotions as possible,” she adds. It goes through the host, the coaches, the candidate, his story, his family and above all, the music. »

The “sweep” given by Jill Niquet-Joyal failed to curb the erosion of the ratings of the Sunday meeting. In 2020, The voice had an average of 1,850,000 followers. Since his return in January, this number has risen to 1,675,000, according to Numéris. However, the musical competition sits at the top of the list of the most watched programs in Quebec and posts results superior to the last two editions of Star Academy. Mission accomplished.

“Jill is the next generation in variety,” says Jean-Philippe Dion, vice-president, content and strategy, at Déferlantes. She breathed a new vision into the show, a breath of fresh air. »

Skip the puck

the adventure The voice is far from over for Jill Niquet-Joyal. The preliminary rounds (blind auditions, battle songs and duels) having already been recorded and edited, the director is currently preparing the live stage, which will begin on March 19 and which annoys and excites her quite a bit.

For the past two weeks, she has also been shooting the culinary competition The Chiefs, which will return to ICI Télé in the spring. For this 12^e season, she surrounded herself with Audrey Potvin, who will direct five episodes. “It’s my turn to pay it forward,” says the young veteran. When you realize, you have to be able to pass the puck. »

The voice is presented on TVA on Sundays at 7:30 p.m.