Greater diversity can make programmes more commercially successful as well as more creative, said Channel 4’s Oona King as she wound up the ITF Open Forum for indie TV producers at C4 on Thursday 8th October. She encouraged programme-makers to take risks, show untold stories through different eyes, and give chances to new talent both in front of and behind the camera. Peter Kay, for example, was found by C4 Talent scouting in Manchester. She added that two of C4’s greatest successes in the past 2 years both had diversity at their core: the movies “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Last King of Scotland”.
The Indie Training Fund had given Channel 4 and the BBC the chance to join forces to support the broadcasters’ new Diversity Pledge by staging an ITF Open Forum called “The Creative Opportunity”. It was the first time this event had been staged for the indie sector, and seen outside the BBC where it has previously only been available to programme-makers in its Vision production unit.
The Forum was the first in a series of similar events and other half-day Diversity workshops that ITF (the leading charity providing training for the indie sector) will be staging around the UK.
It was led by the same two facilitators who have run similar sessions so successfully in the BBC: Kate Rowland (the BBC’s Creative Director of New Writing and writersroom) and Daniell Morrisey (Vision’s Talent Business Manager, and a member of the Indie Talent Forum).
In the opening interactive quiz the small teams of delegates from several indies (including Diverse, Endemol, IMG, Initial, Leopard & Windfall) had some surprises in what they knew about their audiences. Guided by the workshop leaders they then discussed some successful current programmes, and came up with ideas about how they could be improved by working towards more diverse elements and perspectives:
- Offer & support work experience for young people from a wider range of backgrounds
- Offer some shorter flexible and part-time contracts
- Go out into local/regional communities to find more diverse contributors and presenters, as well as more female, disabled & older people
- Form partnerships with local, regional or underprivileged community organisations
- Offer mentoring to regional schools/colleges on CVs and interviews for media jobs
- Today’s school-leavers are very at ease with new digital platforms which will also be ideal for niche audiences
Everyone present felt they gained new perspectives from the event which they would aim to include in the content of their future projects.
Channel 4 & the BBC have this year also jointly funded the appointment of a new Diversity Adviser post to the industry’s producers at its trade association Pact. Recently appointed to the role, Angela Chan took part in this Forum event. She has previously worked as a diversity consultant to the BBC, and in the indie sector as both a producer (Firefly & Keo) and in C4 commissioning.