TV Roles: Diversity in the detail?
Join 麻豆社 News鈥� Babita Sharma in conversation with Deborah Williams, Executive Director of the Creative Diversity Network, for a frank and lively appraisal of the TV sector鈥檚 latest race and ethnic diversity data.
In 2020, race, representation and rising racial inequalities made global headlines and sparked a tidal wave response from the grassroots and big corps alike. In the UK, all major broadcasters announced multi-million pound 鈥榙iversity鈥� initiatives to accelerate the on and off-screen opportunities for people from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
As welcome and needed as these ring-fenced budgets are, just how will they impact the highly complex and intersectional barriers that exist for diverse talent accessing, and being retained in the media industry? And are they focusing their attention in the right areas?
Using CDN鈥檚 latest report from October 2020: Race and Ethnic Diversity: a deep dive into Diamond data, as the starting point, this session will look in particular at senior and creative off-screen roles to uncover the stories behind the stats, and the opportunities for change in an almost 鈥榩ost-Covid-19鈥� world.
Deborah brings over 30 years鈥� experience working above and below the line in television, film and theatre, as well as policy development across the wider creative and cultural industries. She is an adviser to the UN and UNICEF on the rights of disabled people to cultural activities. She previously designed the BFI diversity standards and Arts Council England鈥檚 equality analysis process; for public sector equality duty compliance.
In 2019 she was awarded the Life Time Achievement award from Inclusive Companies for her body of work in the area of diversity and culture. She is a Disabled Powerlister 2018 and 2019.
Babita Sharma is a News Presenter, Documentarian and award-winning Author. She presents regularly on 麻豆社 Breakfast and 麻豆社 World News where she is the lead anchor for Newsday. Her critically acclaimed book The Corner Shop charts the social history of this unsung hero of British everyday life. Her TV documentaries include 麻豆社 One鈥檚 Supermarket Secrets and 麻豆社 Four鈥檚 Booze, Beans & Bhajis: The Story of the Corner Shop. Babita鈥檚 landmark series Dangerous Borders: The Story of India & Pakistan for 麻豆社 Two took her to the India/Pakistan border 70 years after partition, following her family鈥檚 story. She is passionate about diversity and mental health issues; mentoring BAME journalists and also working with charity Mind to raise mental health awareness in schools. Alongside the FCO and 麻豆社 Media Action, Babita has developed training for young aspiring journalists in London, Cambodia and Myanmar