After reading Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, I was thrilled when an employee at the Ithaca Youth Bureau told me about an opportunity to interview someone who works with the author. On March 9, I conducted a phone interview with Hulu Publicist Melinda Casey, in which she discussed her day-to-day work with Hulu’s adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, and her experiences working with New York Times best-selling authors and award-winning actors such as Margaret Atwood and Elisabeth Moss.
J.T. Stone ’20: Describe your job at Hulu.
Melinda Casey: I am a publicity coordinator for original content at Hulu. My job consists of daily meetings and interviews to promote original programming, which include our original series The Path, and of course, The Handmaid’s Tale. I also communicate with journalists from The New York Times and other publications to help publicize Hulu and its many shows. The other half of my job is coordinating with the actors, authors, and executive producers. I plan talk-show and press appearances for celebrities who work with Hulu. For example, I scheduled Elisabeth Moss, who stars as Offred in the Hulu adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, to appear on Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and other kinds of interviews, while also providing her with some appropriate talking points.
JS: How did you get this job?
MC: I applied for an internship on Hulu’s website when I was a senior at Pepperdine University. I was surprised by how quickly I heard back from somebody, since it had only been a couple weeks since I submitted my application. I applied on the last day they were accepting applications, and so my resume was first on the list. I felt that my initial interview, which was conducted by five people sitting at a table, was very intense, but luckily, I got a job as an intern, which I kept during my entire second semester. After graduating, they decided to hire me for a full-time position. My job tasks became broader, and they trained me in areas I wouldn’t have been exposed to as an intern. Before working with Hulu, I had previously been an employee at Wegmans.
JS: Do you enjoy your work?
MC: I do! I’ve been working at Hulu full-time for almost two years now. I have a fun and very exciting job where every day is different. My work consists of me traveling across the country to promote Hulu, and visiting big cities like NYC and LA, which I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.
JS: Have you read the original book and seen The Handmaid’s Tale? If so, how do you think they compare?
MC: Yes, I have—it’s my whole life’s work. The cool thing about TV is that it lets you see the story beyond the pages. The show goes into more depth when portraying specific characters, but besides that, Season 1 is very similar to Atwood’s original novel.
JS: What is your relationship with Margaret Atwood?
MC: I wouldn’t call us personal friends, but we are definitely friendly. I email her and her assistant about press requests, and escort her on the red carpet and greet her during public events, so we do get to talk. Atwood is the author I probably work the most with, and we have a good dialogue and a working relationship. She is indeed a very cool woman!
JS: How does Atwood feel about the differences between the show and the book?
MC: Margaret Atwood is a consulting producer for the show, which means she reads Bruce Miller’s script, who’s a writer and producer for The Handmaid’s Tale, and bounces ideas off of him. So she is aware of all the decisions being made in the show and has a say in the script. She likes Season 1 of Hulu’s adaptation of the story.
JS: What can you tell people about Season 2?
MC: Season 2 definitely gets darker, and expands the world of Gilead and beyond. The next season focuses on the resistance against the highly oppressive society, and how it will play out in the rest of the story. Additionally, Season 1 left off where the original book ends, and so Season 2 will show what happens to Offred next in her journey. Season 2 will have thirteen new episodes, and its confirmed release date is April 25, 2018, when two new episodes will be available to watch.
JS: Do you have any other comments you wish to add?
MC: If you are interested, Hulu is having a special offer for students to receive both Hulu’s on-demand streaming plan and Spotify for only $4.99 a month. This way, you can also watch our original series Looming Tower, coming soon.