Month: January 2021

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TV Roles: Diversity in the Detail? From BBC Digital Cities

This week, the BBC hosted another Digital Cities event that included a series of masterclasses, workshops and panel sessions. Previous events are available for free on demand here. I’d encourage you to check out the virtual events they have held over the last year via the link above – they’ve done a lot of very interesting and engaging stuff!

On Wednesday 27th January they held a fascinating event entitled TV Roles: Diversity in the Detail? Hosted by TV Journalist Babita Sharma with Deborah Williams, Executive Director at Creative Diversity Network (CDN) as her guest. It was an open and honest discussion around their lived experiences of working in the broadcast industry as ethnically diverse people. Their conversation was structured around the CDN’s latest deep dive report (published in October 2020) around the race and ethnic diversity data outlined in the CDN’s Third Cut Report which was published in Spring of 2020. The Third Cut report represents data from more than 600,000 contributions by individuals working on and off-screen on qualifying television content produced for the five main Diamond broadcasters (BBC, Channel 4, ITV, C5/ViacomCBS and Sky) and broadcast between 1 August 2018 and 31 July 2019. I should explain that the CDN exists to enable the UK Broadcasting industry to increase diversity and inspire inclusion both on and off screen. They work with their members towards a broadcasting industry with equality at its core. They also manage Diamond, the world’s first and original online diversity data collection system, for the UK television and broadcasting industry.

The deep dive report on Race and Ethnic Diversity is segmented into four parts:

  1. On-screen vs off-screen
  2. Genre
  3. Senior roles
  4. Craft and technical roles

What struck me was when Deborah shared one particular slide (see below) and her words were: “It’s sad.” Babita concurred and said, “that’s the word that leaps out to me – it’s an experience that I totally understand. I’ve been in the media for almost 20 years now. I have seen that I am one of very very few…what saddens me is there hasn’t been a massive amount of change when you’re looking at this data. Are they reflective of how far we’ve come?” Deborah’s response: “Yes unfortunately it is.” – i.e., we haven’t really come that far when it comes to increasing diversity in senior roles.

If you’ve read my #BAMEOver article, you’ll know I have decided not to use this acronym in my vocabulary any longer… for now, I’ll gloss over the fact that it has been used in this report.

There were many discussion points throughout the hour so I’m going to share in an ‘easy to digest’ manner.

How can we build structural change?

Deborah talked about the number of training courses and masterclasses that have taken place over the last year. One masterclass she had attended showed the root of the problem. It was about directing popular drama/ continuing drama where an audience member asked “how do I learn to do this, where do I train?” The session presenter (who has worked in the industry) responded with “you just learn on the job.” Deborah explained that this is the old catch 22 situation. She went on to reveal that 40 years ago she embarked on a career as an actor. However, she found she couldn’t be an actor unless she had an equity card but she couldn’t act without an equity card. What is clear to Deborah is that people at the top of the game, learnt on the job and had more opportunities.

How can we maintain momentum?

Before this discussion point it had been explained what the big broadcasters were doing (I talk about this in my previous blog post) and Deborah highlighted Sky’s most recent announcement around their new Diversity Targets. She described this as: “a real commitment around retention and progression for black people and others from an ethnically diverse background, to move on up in the organisation.”

Babita then stated that, “we need to have honest conversations about data; around how it’s collated and reported on… you look at the representation on news for example and then see the data and it does not correlate,” – meaning that the data outlines there is more representation compared to what is actually seen on screen and behind the scenes in the newsroom.

Deborah went on to explain that the Diamond data focuses on UK transmission only and that they don’t collect BBC World Service data. This is to avoid binary collection that will skew or weight the data – and this is critical – not to say it’s not needed but CDN don’t do it. Deborah goes on to say that, “Open, Transparent and Honest are the three words I work by – if you’re serious about this stuff, then you’re willing to accept to listen and work together to find solutions.” Babita added, “It’s ok to have that conversation!

Deborah also wants to see how the next Ant and Dec will be nurtured – “how are we going to make a pathway for the rough diamonds to shine through? Because if we’re not nurturing them now they won’t be able to get on camera straight away without development.” Deborah did make a point about the fact that Ant and Dec were able to easily push boundaries without anyone ‘blocking’ them; they went from being child actors, to pop stars, to kids TV presenter and then making it into prime time TV – and staying there. Babita described the experiences of others in the industry who were being ‘blocked’ by outlining the thoughts of decision makers: “We’ll put you in Countryfile and you’ll stay there.” (I knew Babita was referring to Anita Rani in this instance, although she didn’t state that’s who she was referring to – read these articles from the Guardian about Anita Rani in 2016 and again in 2019 and you’ll realise why Babita referred to this as an example).

There has to be diversity at every level

Here Deborah spoke about the fact that there is a real issue in Drama – where most of the investment goes – because there is a lack of diversity in commissioning, production and senior roles: “This allows for the perpetuation of stereotyping and ill thought out ways of representing.”

Babita spoke of her personal experiences in pitching The Corner Shop to commissioners with the conversation going like this:

Commissioner: “We’re not sure about the popularity of that subject… and even if we do it, we’re not sure about you telling it.”

Babita: “I grew up above a corner shop.”

Commissioner: “Yes but, you don’t have enough experience in the industry.”

Babita: “I’ve spent 17 years as TV journalist.”

Commissioner: “Yes but…“

Changing the story landscape… an optimistic assessment

As the event drew to a close, Babita asked Deborah whether she was optimistic for the future. Deborah said:

“I am optimistic because I’m seeing it what is possible – it is becoming wider, e.g., Bridgerton, Married at First Sight Australia etc. The more we share our stories and narratives in a public space, the easier it becomes to tell people that those stories need to be told.”

I could relate to that last sentence. Some of you may have noticed that I have been sharing a lot of my own personal story recently. I haven’t had the backlash I thought I would. If anything, it may have opened up more doors for me. It is my hope that more doors will open, not just for me, but for every person who may have had challenges ‘making it’ in the industry.

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How to Overcome Your Childhood

This is a book that you need to be ready to read if you experienced trauma during childhood. You may not be ready to open that pandora’s box yet. It’s written by The School Of Life and I came across it as it was recommended by the author, Catherine Gray, on her Instagram page. Incidentally, I read her brilliant book, The Unexpected Joy Of Being Single, which I will write about in a future blog post.

How to Overcome Your Childhood explores just how much your parents have an impact on the person you are – which is a narrative that we hear time and time again these days. However, what this book does, is explain in layman’s terms how exactly that happens in all possible situations/examples. It doesn’t just discuss trauma. You may have had a very happy non-eventful type of childhood, but you’ve turned out to be a ‘people pleaser’ or an ‘over achiever’ (which the book points out aren’t necessarily good things) and this will be a direct result of the way your parents behaved with or around you.

I have recently come across an amazing Instagram account the.holistic.psychologist owned by Dr. Nicole LePera. I’d encourage everyone to follow her account as she also discusses the issues of childhood traumas. And like The School of Life, she explains that when it comes to trauma, “it’s not so much about the event [so does not necessarily have to be catastrophic]; it’s about how the event impacts us based on the support system of those closest to us. How it impacts our nervous system. And, how it disconnects us from our true authentic self. This is why few adults even know what their own needs are. It’s also why so few adults have boundaries or even know how to set them.”

Dr. Nicole has also written a book: How to do the Work – this is going to be my next book purchase! After I’ve read all the books I bought in lockdown 1.0 😅

Going back to the book this blog post is about – How to Overcome Your Childhood – it’s split into three parts; Introduction, Childhood-derived Challenges, Ways Forward

An absolutely fascinating read and it won’t take you long either – it took me around half a day. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.

MY ONE TAKEAWAY

In the introduction there is a section titled ‘Emotional Inheritance,’ which features a table that lists all the possible ‘childhood difficulties’ one may have encountered and beside each difficulty listed is an ‘adult consequence.’ This simple yet brilliant table is a bit of context setting to help you understand the rest of the topics explored throughout the book. Directly after this table, there is a chapter called Attraction to Difficult Partners – which features another table outlining certain behaviours displayed by a partner, our ‘child’ response to those behaviours and what our ‘adult’ response should be. I used to be quite sceptical when I heard sentences like ‘it’s your inner child coming out.’ However, this book combined with the counselling I received, changed my mind and now I realise the importance of understanding our past (every facet of it, down into the depth of the corners of our minds) in order to live a more fulfilled future. Once you’ve got it all out there and truly come to terms with it all… then that’s it. The world’s your lobster! 🌍🦞

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Diversity & Equal Opportunities Stats in TV & Radio 2019/20

Over the course of 2020 I had read every white paper and report under the sun about diversity, equality and inclusion in the creative industries, with a particular focus on TV and Radio.

In November 2020, Ofcom (the appointed regulator of the broadcast industry), published their latest report. It made for an interesting read given everything that has happened in the last year. Here’s the lowdown from the report:

There are x3 key areas where Ofcom wants to see tangible progress during 2021

  1. Critical Under-representation – greater progress in the representation of disabled people on all levels and a faster increase in the diversity of crucial decision-makers (senior management, as well as employees in commissioning, content and creative roles), specifically addressing the under-representation of colleagues from an African or Caribbean heritage.
  2. Understanding class and geographic diversity – Ofcom have acknowledged that a person’s socio-economic background and where they live has a massive effect on their opportunities in broadcasting. This particular area, is something close to my heart given my own background.
  3. Accountability – Ofcom expects broadcasters – in particular those in leadership roles – to be accountable for delivering not just diversity initiatives but real change by:
  • setting clear measurable workforce targets and diversity and inclusion targets, with tangible outcomes
  • undertaking better, more transparent, evaluation of work designed to produce change, so that efforts can be focused and results accelerated
  • holding production partners to account for meeting diversity requirements

Update on Progress of Protected Characteristics

The stats on the progress of each protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act are insightful. I’ll share the key ones where infographics were produced.

Disability: only 7% of TV employees and 6% of Radio employees are disabled compared with 19% of the working age population in the UK.

Ethnically Diverse Groups: Ofcom refers to this group as Minority Ethnic Groups (MEG). Since reading the #BAMEOver Statement for the UK, written by Inc Arts – details of which are in my #BAMEOver article – I will never refer to myself or any other ethnically diverse person as being within a ‘minority’. I plan to write to Ofcom to share this statement with a view that they change the language used in future reports. This group – and particularly those from an African or Caribbean heritage – are under-represented in senior management. There are 8% of those who are ethnically diverse working in senior management in TV, compared with a national workforce average of 12%. Only 1% of this group are from an African or Caribbean heritage, compared with 3% of the working population.

And below you can see a detailed breakdown of people working in the industry by ethnicity:

Gender: This focuses on the representation of women. It shows that that the proportion of women closely reflects the UK working age population (47% of which is female). However, they remain under-represented at senior levels.

It’d be good to see Ofcom obtaining stats on other genders, e.g., those who identify as being transgender or non binary etc.

Social Mobility: Last year’s report was the first time that socio-economic backgrounds/ class were reported on. The volume of data submitted was limited however, and it’s the same for this year. That said, it formally shows what was thought to be the case; that those working in TV are twice as likely to have attended private school as people in the working age population more generally and that twice as many TV workers come from ‘professional’ family backgrounds.

Data, data and more data!

I cannot stress the importance of data collection like this. The industry has to understand where they are now to then figure out how to address where we need to be. That process has to include creating a long term strategy with clear, tangible, measurable and actionable objectives. Not just with broadcasters but also with independent production companies. I would caveat this by stating that indies need the support of the big broadcasters generally and more specifically by the commissioners. Because once a commission is green-lit, it’s all systems go and productions simply do not have the time or resources needed to nurture diverse talent. That’s why in the past, they’ve generally picked up the phone to people they know, and the people they know look like them and that generally tends to be people of European ancestral heritage. I know it’s easier said than done when the deadlines loom and the pressure increases to deliver a production in a really short space of time. The whole process needs time, money and most of all commitment to ‘do the right thing’. However, things are changing for the better, or at least there has been some momentum. There is a lot to do but the intention for change is there like never before.

What are the broadcasters doing?

Channel 4 announced Babita Bahal as Head of Creative Diversity in November 2019. She started her role in early 2020 having previously been the Diversity and Inclusion Lead for BBC Content. Channel 4 have shown great commitment to the diversity cause by opening new Headquarters in Leeds and also opening Creative Hubs in Glasgow and Bristol. They have also set a target of having 50% of its production spend in the Nations and Regions by 2023. In the summer of 2020, they announced the launch of their Indie Accelerator in a two year partnership with The TV Collective. This will focus on matching commissioning heads of department for unscripted genres with independent production companies led by ethnically diverse people. They have also launched The Black Takeover – an ambitious day of programming for Autumn 2021 which will see Channel 4’s entire programming schedule fronted by Black talent as part of the Channel’s ongoing commitment to improve Black representation both on and off screen. And applications are open right now until 29th January 2021 for their Production Training Scheme, with opportunities available right across the UK in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Belfast, Cardiff, North Wales and Glasgow.

ITV also launched their Diversity Acceleration Plan in the summer of 2020. This includes an initiative called ITV Step Up 60, designed to increase Diversity at senior levels of decision making in TV production, both within ITV Studios and independent producers. The ITV apprenticeship programme also has a remit to attract diverse talent. In the summer they announced the appointment of Ade Rawcliffe as Group Director of Diversity and Inclusion. Just before this they had appointed Nana Hughes as Head of Scripted Comedy. You can find out a little more about Nana in this Facebook Video where she talks about what she is looking to commission. She is joined by BBC 3 Comedy Commissioner, Sarah Asante.

The BBC appointed June Sarpong as Director of Creative Diversity, also in November 2019. It’s clear that through her leadership, many great events and initiatives have been delivered under the BBC Creative Diversity banner. She also led the creation of a Blueprint for Belonging which has received much praise in the industry. In December 2020, the BBC announced their Creative Diversity Plan to accelerate diverse representation on and off screen. Click here to find out more. On the BBC Creative Diversity page (link above) June shares a story about a nineteenth century abolitionist, Frederick Douglass – he was a man of African heritage who challenged the status quo. A former slave, he rose to be a trusted advisor to the US president Abraham Lincoln. Douglass argued that art and imagery provided a mechanism for societal self-refection, critique and progress. Through this story, June has reiterated the importance of diversity in the broadcast industry in such a poignant way.

If like me, you love reading a report, because I mean, who doesn’t?! 🤪😅 …then you can read the Ofcom Report in full here.

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There’s a Reservoir of Resilience in your Brilliance!

This week’s blog was going to be about Ofcom’s report on Diversity and Equal Opportunities in TV and Radio, which was published back in November and a Screen Skills survey to understand current skills gaps and shortages, the impact of bloody Covid-19 (I now can’t just say Covid-19, the word ‘bloody’ always precedes it) on working practices and what the media and entertainment industry will look like in the future. BUT… then this week started with lockdown 3.0.

Instead I have decided to share my thoughts on resilience. At some point I will write a blueprint mapping out what I do to maintain ‘the reservoir of resilience in my brilliance’ which I will make available for free on my website soon. Some may say it’s a little cocky to describe oneself as possessing brilliance. I say it’s being self assured with a healthy dose of self confidence to boot. And yes, of course there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. No one likes a smart arse. But I can tell you, I ain’t no smart arse! 🤓🍑

So… where did this ‘reservoir of resilience’ I have come from? If you’ve read my #BAMEOver article (which was recently published on Thrive Global) you’ll know that I didn’t have the best of childhood’s… it could have been better, but then it could have been worse. Yet, those shitty experiences (and the few more that came after it) are the very things that have built this ‘reservoir of resilience’ in me. It laid solid foundations of my inner core and the subsequent building blocks to just… keep going. 2018 was the toughest year of my life, and it was that summer where the husband of one of my dearest friend’s said to me: “You’re always smiling,” in a kind of bemused way, as if he couldn’t believe it given everything that was going on. I will admit that for some time that was more ‘for show.’ It was my coping mechanism. That said, I’ve always had a naturally sunny disposition. You could say it’s innate. What is also innate in me is ‘Being More Kid.’ It’s true, I am a big kid. A responsible big kid I hasten to add… but nonetheless, I have always embraced a child like quality where my mission in life is to radiate joy… that’s my ‘superpower.’

Over the last year ‘Being More Kid’ and ‘Radiating Joy’ have been my two staple mantra’s. And when one lives on one’s own, the ability to ‘Be More Kid’ increases because no one else is around to watch! It’s bloody brilliant. Although I have to say, I know now that if I ever live with anyone else again, this is the kind of crazy shit they’ll have to put up with, because nothing or no-one is ever going to stop me from ‘Being More Kid’ and ‘Radiating Joy’!

So what does ‘Being More Kid’ mean exactly? Whatever you want it to! For me, it’s indulging in my two of my passions… Music and Dance. I pretend I am a combination of Madhuri Dixit (my favourite Bollywood actress… watch this dance number and you’ll realise why. I mean first off, she is proper beautiful, second off just look at how she moves!) and Beyonce (one of my favourite female singers…I mean, she is also proper beautiful and she also knows how to move to the groove baby!) I whack on my tunes, I move my coffee table over to make more room in my tiny living room and then I let go of my inhibitions, imagining I’m dancing on stage in front of a packed audience. I do all this completely sober by the way! But I can tell you it’s so much fun! I forget about the shit show going on out there and just pretend I’m the world’s biggest superstar and let rip, singing at the top of my voice. Malcolm (my 80 year old neighbour) hasn’t complained – he says he can’t hear me!

When it comes to ‘Radiating Joy’… I’ve done it more with the aim of affecting others in a positive way. Back in the day it was more face to face. Now it’s more online, through my LinkedIn and Instagram posts. I write without holding back. Maybe I do overshare, maybe it’ll put off future boyfriends, maybe it’ll put off future employers! But I do it all with a pure sincerity and joyfulness in a way where people respect me for ‘Keeping It Real.’ I know some people think I’m a bit deep or a bit ‘extra’. But this is me 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’ve let go of the fear of what people think about me now. I’m happy and I like to spread the joy I’ve found in myself and in my life. And when you ‘spread the joy,’ you get what you give. And I get back loads. I’ve had a few people say to me recently that they love reading my updates. I love that. I never write with the intent of getting people to ‘double tap.’ I write in the hopes it will make people smile. They don’t need to tell me it does, but when they do, it’s a lovely feeling.

So that’s it, that’s two of the ways I stay resilient (more to follow in that blueprint I’m going to write!) Is it a bit bonkers? Yes absolutely. Do I care? No I bloody well don’t. And if you ever get in touch or see me you better watch out because I will zap you with my joy radiation superpowers! 😁💥🔫 🦸🏻‍♀️

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Visualising Your Goals

Just over 6 months ago, I joined a membership group called The Money Lounge – set up by The Money Whisperer. It’s a group for women to build ‘wealthy mindsets’ with a view to becoming financially resilient. Two weeks ago I booked a 1:1 coaching session and Emma – The Money Whisperer herself – walked me through a visualisation exercise. It was pretty powerful.

Joining this membership group has transformed my life in the same way that journaling has. {Read the About section of my website that outlines my ‘journaling journey!’}. Well, actually it’s transformed my approach with money more so my life, but things have changed for the better already as a result and I have no doubt those little changes will turn into big transformations.

If you’ve heard about the book The Secret, then you’ll be aware of The Law Of Attraction. I have been applying this in the last year or so and without delving into too much detail, it has been working for me. Basically – the premise is you attract whatever ‘energy’ you give out to the world. It may seem a bit ‘mystical’ and bit ‘woo woo’ – all I’d say is keep an open mind. There’s a film on YouTube about it – which is grating, well I found it grating – but work past the ‘fluff’, the dramatic music and the dramatic editing and be just be open. I’d encourage you to also watch The Secret: Dare To Dream which is available to watch on Netflix. Whilst it’s considered a ‘chick flick’ it outlines the theory of The Law Of Attraction in the form of a romantic film in a more ‘palatable’ fashion. And yes, I do like romantic films, so sue me.

A couple of days ago, one of my dearest friends and I had been messaging one another – catching up on all the goss! She suggested that I write a letter to myself on New Year’s Eve, outlining what I want to achieve and learn in the year 2021, what I’ll be most proud of and how I will feel at the time of opening this letter next New Year’s Eve. As you can see, I wrote the letter a day late! That aside, as I was writing this letter to my future self this New Year’s Day, I visualised what it would be like to achieve what I plan to set out to do. I have set myself three goals which I’m going to share because ‘putting it out there’ will make me accountable! There are tonnes of other things I want to do. But these are the main ones.

1: Sort out my broadcast career: to keep working in TV production in Bristol and to continue to advocate diversity in broadcast

2: Buy my home: I really want somewhere to call my own in the city of Bristol. I have grown to love this city more and more each day

3: I’m not going to share this one because I can either take it or leave it. I’ll be ready for it once I’ve achieved the first two goals – but – if this happens sooner then great…gotta keep myself open to new possibilities!

I took the letter with me to the beach for my New Year’s Day walk, as you can see 👆🏼(I was once given the name Glam Tan at a previous workplace…it’s one of my favourite nicknames!)

Whilst I was walking along I focused in on all the things I want to happen for me in 2021 and I daydreamed, i.e., visualised what it would be like when those things happen and how I would feel. Essentially I pretended that the things I want are not just ‘wants’ but are a reality. Let’s see what my energy brings back for me!

2021 better watch out!

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