Heloise Wood has written in The Bookseller about our research, coinciding with our 10-year anniversary, revealing the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on people from under-represented groups in publishing.

Read in The Bookseller.

As Plan B comes into action and we move back to working from home, Creative Access revisits a blog from 2020 looking at how to host a remote internship.

The shift towards working from home as a result of lockdown caused organisations to rapidly rethink their ways of working. Whilst this has undoubtedly seen some benefits (like minimising commutes), one of the downsides has been a hugely reduced number of opportunities for new graduates and aspiring creatives. Young people from under-represented communities have been disproportionately affected by recent events and more than ever, organisations need to find ways of engage and providing access to experiences and opportunities.

Managing a remote internship is not only viable, but can be hugely effective. We’ve put together seven best practices for managing a remote internship, supported by The Climate Group who recruited two interns through Creative Access…

1. The recruitment process: Coronavirus has allowed for the rethinking of recruitment processes. The most notable shift in the hiring process is the interview stage, whereby currently all interviews are conducted online through video conferencing software. When it comes to running video interviews, experiment with different platforms. For more tips, check out our top tips for online interviews here.

Here’s what The Climate Group had to say about their recruitment process: “The recruitment process was straightforward. As HR, we issued some guidance on how to conduct interviews remotely (such as use of video calls instead of phone calls). Creative Access were really helpful in sifting the CVs before shortlisting interview candidates. We did have to review the Job Description of the one of the roles to take into consideration the working from home environment and a change in our events calendar.

2. Induction: Onboarding the successful candidate needs to be carefully planned, to ensure the new starter is well inducted with their line manager and team and that they start their internship with high morale and confidence. Here’s how The Climate Group onboarded their interns: “The Hiring Manager introduced (on video) the new interns to the whole organisation via our global staff meeting. As HR, we have arranged face to face inductions with the interns. We have also arranged for the interns a video call with each member of our management team as a way of introduction.”

3. Technology: Ensuring your intern is equipped with the right technology and software tools and that they have an effective space where they can work from at home is fundamental for remote work. They must have a reliable and secure infrastructure and have the relevant tools which allow for effective communication and collaboration with you and other members of your team:

• Your intern will need access to a lap top or a PC and possibly a work phone. You might need to consider other modifications to the workplace such as a connectivity booster if their wi-fi connection is weak.

• File hosting and editing documents collaboratively has been made possible through the use of online services such as Dropbox, Sharepoint and Google Drive.

• Communicating with your intern is easy through various video conferencing software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet.

• Setting and managing tasks between you and your intern can be facilitated through task boards such as Monday, ClickUp, Trello or Slack.

• In addition to the above, for interns whose responsibilities include utilising creative or industry specific software, whether that is the Abode packages, or Biblio for those working in publishing, ensure your intern has access to those as well.

There are many online options to pick ‘n’ mix from, so experiment with which suits you and your team.

4. Communication, communication, communication! While emails are the primary method of communication between you and your intern, you should incorporate other communication options for simpler, less formal and time-sensitive terms. However in order to use multiple avenues of communication effectively and without doubling up on messages, it is important to establish the ‘rules of engagement’ between you and your intern. For more urgent messages, you may decide to text or WhatsApp, and for daily check-ins you might want to use Microsoft Teams. Whichever way you decide, make sure this is consistent and accessible to the intern.

5. Ensure you establish daily check-ins: Establish frequent check-ins with your intern, ideally on a daily basis. This could take place as a one-on-one call with them, or a joint call with the rest of the team. Whichever way you choose, regular check-ins provide a forum for your intern to ask questions, catch up with the rest of the team, provide support and boost motivation during these unprecedented times. Ensure that interns are a part of events and team meetings as often as possible to ensure they are kept in the loop and have an avenue to participate and share their ideas.

Here’s how The Climate Group have established a routine: “The line managers have several catch ups per week with their interns to support them. Interns also join any relevant team meetings to keep them up to date on what’s going at. We also send frequent check in messages on our Teams platform to say hello and ask if they need any assistance.”

6. Be a source of encouragement and support: We are currently living through a pandemic, and as of the past few weeks, a time of civil unrest, both of which have a significant impact on the wellbeing of interns from underrepresented backgrounds. Living through this while being isolated is very difficult, and support is important now more than ever. Ensure your intern has a place to express themselves when they feel stressed or anxious and make sure you proactively ask for feedback on how they’re doing. If they are struggling, make sure you listen carefully, show empathy and try to make adjustments where possible. 

7. Be social: Reinforcing a sense of belonging is imperative in maintaining confidence and morale. Continuing to interact socially, and not solely for the purposes of work, can allow interns to feel part of the team. One way to do this is to establish time to socialise in the first few minutes of a catch-up call. Ask your intern what they did in the evening after work, or if this is a Monday catch-up, ask them what they did over the weekend.

Alongside this, don’t hesitate to also arrange calls which may exclusively be social. As you would arrange work lunches or drinks in person, try to arrange something similar with your intern and the wider team through a video call if possible. Efforts such as these would be greatly valued by your intern and in turn, they will feel much more comfortable to speak with you openly when it’s time to talk about work.

Challenges are inevitable, but while you’re learning to manage an internship remotely, your interns are also learning to adapt to the changes and demands of a post-Covid world, where remote working and tech savviness will be more normal and required than it was before. The most important thing is to ensure your intern enters into an accessible and welcoming space. With patience and empathy, your intern will undoubtedly thrive and you’ll be sure to reap the rewards too.

Creative Access has partnered with ITV for 10 years in a trail-blazing partnership to improve accessibility to the television industry.  

Creative Access has developed a pioneering mentoring programme with ITV. The programme provides access to those aspiring to work in the sector and to those needing support to progress their careers. By 2025, we will have matched 500 individuals in 6-month mentoring partnerships with ITV staff. This creates a positive impact for both ITV and the wider television sector. 

Creative Access has been at the heart of ITV’s diversity and inclusion strategy for the past decade. We have supported ITV in multiple aspects of their work, from placing interns and alumni across the suite of ITV companies to hosting outreach events in London and Manchester. 

ITV is the UK’s oldest commercial television network; a leading media and entertainment company, home of shows including Coronation Street, Love Island and The Voice.

Last week, we were privileged to host a Masterclass on how to access and navigate the PR industry with Creative Access Alum and associate director of healthcare communications MHP, Jaber Mohamed, Shereene Witter, vice president, communications at NBCUniversal International Studios and Yinka Akindele, vice president, communications at ViacomCBS UK and chaired by our own director of communications, Bibi Hilton. We learnt the ins and outs of working in PR, the differences between working in-house and in agencies and our panellists shared their top tips for how to get into and thrive in the industry.

Jaber Mohamed started off his career in journalism as a Creative Access intern at the Daily Mail. Jaber worked in journalism for 6 years before deciding it wasn’t for him and pivoting into PR. He worked in communications in the public sector, including within the Department for Transport and the Cabinet, before becoming the Chief Communications Officer for the Department of Health and Social Care, where he served as Chris Witty’s chief of press during the Covid-19 pandemic. He then moved into private healthcare communications for communications agency, MHP.

Shereene Witter started her career in communications with an internship through the Taylor Bennett Foundation. She began her time at NBCUniversal International Studios in 2017 as a communications manager and moved up the ranks to become vice president of communications last year in 2020. She is passionate about “helping the next generation of television makers get their foot through the door” and is an ambassador for ‘No Turning Back’, which aims for 20% of all communications professionals to come from Black, Asian, minority ethnic communities.

Yinka Akindele has worked across in PR across the broadcast media and tech sectors within both the corporate and consumer experience spheres for over 15 years. As vice president of communications at ViacomCBS UK, Yinka oversees the management of all ViacomCBS brands in the UK, including Channel 5, MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. Prior to this, she was head of PR at Yahoo UK and Ireland.

Bibi has over 20 years’ experience working in PR. Before joining Creative Access, she was Managing Director of PR agency Golin, where she launched progressive initiatives such as a returnship programme and ‘Golin B&B’, which sought to help people from under-represented communities access the industry. She is also a former President of Women in PR and in 2020, she was awarded the PRCA Trailblazer award for her work in DE&I.

When discussing what drew them to PR and communications, our panellists all discussed their love of writing, language and storytelling. But Jaber was quick to reassure the audience that having a degree in English is not the only way to gain the skills needed for the industry, having done a medical science degree himself. He said, “you don’t need to have loads of writing experience to make it in PR, but have an interest and learn how to do the basics.” He said that when it comes to practical skills like writing press releases, you must:

Similarly, our panellists stated that they were all sociable people – another factor which drew them into the industry. Shereene explained that “PR is about people” and therefore, learning how to communicate and network with different people is a key way into the industry. She encouraged aspiring comms professionals to “let their passions shine through” when connecting with people in the industry because, ultimately, working with people is all about how you fit into the team dynamic. Your unique interests will make you stand out against others, even if they have more experience than you. Another important point that all panellists agreed with is that “you’re always learning in comms”. Yinka told us that working in the industry is “all a building block”, no matter how senior you are, you always have more to learn. Shereene stated that she learns as much from her interns as she teaches them, leaving the audience inspired to have confidence in their skills and opinions, even if they don’t have years of experience or the skills that are typically expected in PR.

All three of our panellists wanted to acknowledge the challenges that the pandemic brought to this ‘sociable’ industry, which relies on networking. Yinka explained that the social aspect is one of her favourite parts of her role, but it is now “on temporary hiatus” due to the pandemic. Bibi asked Jaber what it was like working in frontline comms for the Department of Health during the height of the pandemic. He emphasised the stress of living through the event, as well as working on the story impacted his and his colleagues’ mental health. At points, they were releasing “9 press releases a day” about everything from vaccines to daily figures to PPE advice. Despite this, he recognises how the media appetite for health stories has increased, making it an exciting time to be working in healthcare communications, especially at firm like MHP.

Meanwhile, Shereene’s perspective took into account the murder of George Floyd in combination with Covid. She explained that the period forced a moment of self-reflection. After years of struggling with imposter syndrome in an industry that can too often be a ‘boys’ club’ and perceiving herself as “a young black woman who didn’t really feel like she could contribute”, she began to remind herself of her capabilities.

Of course, you will face challenges in your career; PR can be a busy and fast-paced world. Yinka discussed the fact that when she entered the industry, it was dominated by those who were privileged and had attended public school; “I didn’t fit the mould”, she said. But she landed her first TV job because of her writing skills, despite not having the experience required for the role, proving Shereene’s earlier point about utilising your passions to stand out and get ahead.

Their advice for dealing with these challenges? Yinka recommends keeping a “calm disposition” throughout it all. Whereas, Jaber said that in the face of challenges, you have to be proactive. “Make the most of opportunities. Creative Access helped me but I had to fight for those opportunities myself. There’s a door, but only you can walk through it.” Again, we were reminded that it is necessary to have determination, but to have belief that your passions and perspectives are worthy and valuable. As Shereene stated it’s “your perspective” and “your opinion on the world” that you need to harness and tailor towards the role that you’re going for.

Bibi stated that, “there are so many different types of roles in PR” and the panellists discussed the differences between working in-house and in an agency. Both Yinka and Shereene work in-house. Both she and Yinka described the benefits of working in-house, with Yinka highlighting that you are really able to “get under the skin of a brand”. However, she added that it is valuable to have an ‘agency’ mentality, even in-house as you work with multiple “clients” and stakeholders everyday

In contrast, MHP is an agency and Jaber stresses that the agency world is very fast-paced. “You get to work with lots of clients and you’re exposed to lots of different things. No two days are the same,” he said. He also told the audience about the breadth of work within an agency, focusing on the different skills you can acquire and areas of interest that you can discover: “You can do everything from writing copy to editing scripts, working with influencers and brainstorming”.

Overall, our panellists stressed that those wanting to get into the industry must make the most of the resources available to them. Bibi wanted the audience to know that, in her experience, most people at senior level remember the difficulties of starting out – they want to give back to the industry and they would generally be open to having a 10minute chat with someone looking to get into the industry and asking for advice. Jaber also advised people to leverage their contacts emphasising the value of having good mentors to guide you. He said: “They’ll be lots of bumpy times, but keep an eye out for opportunities.”

Ultimately, our panel emphasised that you need to have confidence in yourself, whether you have the ‘right’ skills or not, and the importance of carrying that confidence into to everything new you learn. Yinka told the audience,

You have to have as many strings to your bow as possible to ensure you can find a way into the industry. Shereene told the audience to have confidence in themselves and their abilities even in the face of uncertainty, “Be fearless! You will find the role that’s made for you”.

A massive thank you to our wonderful panel! We certainly learnt a lot about the inner-workings of PR and communications. You can watch the Masterclass in full here.

If you’re looking to take your first steps into PR, or if you’re seeking a career change, check out our Opportunities.

Originally a guest-blog for the Advertising Association.

People from working-class backgrounds are under-represented in many industries, however the Advertising Association’s All In Census found that, in advertising, they were outnumbered almost two to one by those with a privileged upbringing. The creative industries, specifically advertising, need to do more to represent society as a whole, not just one subset. At Creative Access, we recognise the barriers people from under-represented communities face when entering the creative economy, but there are ways your organisation can attract, support and retain employees from all different walks of life. 

The most fundamental way to improve diversity of social background in your organisation is to pay your employees a fair and living wage. The London Living Wage is now the standard for agencies and organisations based in the capital. This may seem obvious, but too often agencies rely on unpaid or low-paid interns. Most people cannot afford to work for free, so by taking on unpaid labour, you deny a whole host of people a way of gaining access into the industry and limit access to those whose families can afford to subsidise them.

In fact, our recent research shows that financial barriers, such as re-locating, living and commuting costs, have prevented a staggering 77% of our community working in advertising and PR from even applying to jobs. Anecdotally in this research, numerous people from low-income backgrounds explained that they would be unable to live if they took on an unpaid internship and even some paid internships as the salary is so low. Many also said they struggled to find an entry-level salary in the creative industries on which they could survive living in London. 

Paying your employees a fair and living wage is not only a way of attracting a breadth of talent which might not usually be able to join your organisation, but shows potential employees that they are valued. In entry-level positions, this is key for gaining confidence and providing a helping hand into what can be an unknown world. 

Young people from working-class backgrounds cannot afford to make the jump into advertising unless they are offered job stability. Internships or contracts that last only 3 months do not offer this. Yes they provide experience but they make financial and living situations too precarious and people from lower income backgrounds cannot risk taking on a role with such little job security, especially without the promise of being offered something longer-term afterwards. 

Value your employees’ time and work. Are there long-term internships, entry-level training positions, or mentoring opportunities that you can offer them to help them progress? How can you ensure that employees from working-class backgrounds progress into more senior levels? Are you able to provide support with re-locating, living or commuting costs such as the Career Development Bursary, Creative Access offers in partnership with McLaren Racing. 

Analyse your data. Figure out which demographics are under-represented and why and develop specific initiatives or processes to tackle these in the long-term. Stop hiring by word of mouth, which excludes people who do not have networks within advertising. Instead recruit across a range of platforms. 

Ensure your recruiter roster is fit for purpose. Do your recruitment partners have a strong enough network amongst under-represented groups? Are their own teams diverse and representative? Are they incentivised just to ‘close’ a role or to think creatively and look for talent via different networks and communities? And when you do advertise a role, make sure to state the salary. Transparency with contracts and payment is key for potential employees to gain a clear picture of the role. 

There are ways that you can ensure different social backgrounds feel comfortable and confident within your organisation. At Creative Access, we offer a wide-range of employer training that can benefit all staff, from senior to junior levels. We conduct training on unconscious bias, class and inclusive leadership with expert professionals, such as clinical psychologists, lawyers and diversity experts. 

Being outnumbered in a work environment can be a very lonely experience. Employers must instil in their employees that their differences are not a point of contention, but a point of a celebration. Supporting your current staff helps retain them, showing potential employees that your organisation takes diversity seriously.  

Across the advertising industry, not enough is being done to ensure that diversity in social backgrounds, ethnicity and disability is improved. We need to break down the barriers that make any industry difficult to enter, but advertising specifically will improve with a broader range of backgrounds, experiences and ideas. Diversity fuels creativity, and how can you speak to a diverse audience without an inclusive team? 

You can find out more about Creative Access positive-action schemes, paid internships, diverse recruitment and training here. 

Getty Images and Creative Access are pleased to announce a new collaboration to award a USD$5,000 grant to an individual keen to pursue a career in photojournalism.

These Getty Images iStock Creative Grants are being offered globally, with a specific grant of USD$5,000 for the UK (equivalent of approximately £3,655, but this will vary according to currency conversion rates at the time).

Applicants need to submit their portfolio or examples of their work, along with a cover letter outlining the project they wish to be funded. This will be reviewed by a panel made up of members from Getty Images and Creative Access. Selection will be based on the judges’ determination of the applicant’s ability to execute the submitted project with a compelling commercial visual narrative based on either still images or video. The jury will consider the calibre of the portfolio, the project’s merit and the artist’s professional ability. The judges will also be assessing how the submitted projects draw attention to, and depict, underrepresented communities through their commercial photography work.

Candidates will be judged on the strength of their photographic portfolios, and a demonstrated commitment to the field of visual journalism. Applicants need to submit:

• A portfolio/work samples (digital only)
• A short biography and CV
• 200‑500‑word summary of the proposed project and an explanation as to how the project will draw attention to, and depict, under-represented communities through their commercial photography work

• Contact information
• Social media links

Ken Mainardis, Senior Vice President of Content, Getty Images &iStock said: “The first-ever iStock Inclusion Grant series is a continuation of our commitment to foster greater representation and inclusion within the photographic and photojournalism industries. Since Getty Images was founded 25 years ago, our mission has been to move the world with authentic, inclusive visuals which represent the society we live in, and that’s something we feel strongly about for each of our brands, including iStock.”

Josie Dobrin, Chief Executive of Creative Access said: “Creative Access is so thrilled to be partnering again with Getty Images. Commercial photography cannot reflect society, if society is not reflected in commercial photographers. This is as much about business as it is about doing the right thing. We are excited to be able to offer this grant to someone from a community that is currently under-represented in the sector as part of our wider mission to make the creative industries more representative, accessible and inclusive.”

Grant eligibility

Successful applicants will all need to meet the following criteria:

• A photographer/videographer who is EMEA or UK based or a resident
• Not been working professionally for more than three years
• Identifies as Black, Asian or ethnically diverse

Applications close 6th December. Apply here.

The grant has been featured in DiversityQ and Cision.

Creative Access has hired ex-BBC journalist and leading diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, Elonka Soros, into the newly created role of Development Director, working alongside CEO and founder, Josie Dobrin.

The new role will play a key part in the delivery of Creative Access’s mission to make creative organisations more accessible and inclusive and enable people from communities that are under-represented to access, progress and reach leadership in creative roles.

Elonka has a three decade career in the creative sector spanning advertising, publishing, broadcast journalism, multimedia content production, DE&I consultancy and training. She works extensively in Europe with cultural and creative institutions and brings global perspectives and best practice to her work with Creative Access.  Elonka has worked with Creative Access as a consultant for 4 years designing and delivering action plans and training sessions that have helped employers in the creative sector move from words to action on diversity equity and inclusion. Prior to Creative Access, Elonka was a BBC journalist, programme maker and special advisor to Tony Hall, the then Director General of the BBC, where she lead the actions to kick start the corporation’s DE&I activities.

“Elonka is one of the leading DE&I experts in the creative sector and we are thrilled to have her take on this new role of Development Director. DE&I is a constantly evolving and complex space and as we look to the next 10 years of Creative Access, Elonka will play a critical role not only in shaping our own future strategy but continuing to work in close partnership with our clients in the C-suite to make their own organisations more accessible, representative and inclusive,” says Josie Dobrin, CEO and founder, Creative Access.

“There are many organisations that speak of shifting the dial on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the UK’s creative and cultural sectors but none has the impact of Creative Access. The #morethanwords campaign sums up Creative Access’s practical and action focused approach that is yielding results for individual careers and supporting employer partner aspirations to build sustainable, inclusive cultures and outputs. I am excited to take on this new role alongside Josie and the team, to help shape the next 10 years of Creative Access in its continuing mission towards the day when the creative industries reflect society,” says Elonka Soros, Development Director, Creative Access.

Elonka’s new position has been reported in Broadcast, Arts Professional and TV Collective.

Former Creative Access intern, Nimra Shahid talks us through her role as an investigative journalist and why the environmental sector is such an interesting space to be working in right now…

Who are you?

I’m an investigator at Global Witness, an NGO specialising in hard-hitting investigations and advocacy relating to climate and the environment. My team’s work focuses on deforestation and subsequent human rights abuses happening in Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Papua New Guinea, as highlighted by our recent investigation, The True Price of Palm Oil. This was broadcast on Channel 4 News and the Washington Post. I also assist with data-led investigative journalism including our latest analysis, which revealed on BBC News that over 500 fossil fuel lobbyists have been attending COP26.

How did you get into your role?

While completing my journalism training, I started freelancing as a news reporter at the Guardian and became interested in digging a bit deeper into stories beyond the fast daily output. Around the same time, I started to learn about data journalism and how powerful it is for storytelling and investigations. So I applied for the Google News Initiative fellowship for a few months at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, to learn about data led-investigations. I really admired their focus on creating impact and making the world a slightly better place with their reporting. After completing my fellowship, I came across an insight day hosted by Creative Access and Bloomberg about financial journalism. That opened my eyes to how markets underline so many events in our day to day lives ranging from Brexit and Covid to what really peaked my interest – the environment, inequality and the role capitalism plays.

I started a 3 month internship at Bloomberg in January and with support from Creative Access, I’ve received mentoring since from some fantastic journalists including fellow CA alumni, Lizzy Burden. The newsroom’s motto of “following the money” and climate coverage got me interested in the role banks and financiers play in the crisis, through their choice of investments in big fossil fuel companies and agribusinesses. I’d always understood the climate crisis from an individual perspective i.e. being more conscious of recycling, so Bloomberg’s output exposed me to some of the big players involved.

One day, I was sent an ad by a former colleague about my current role at Global Witness, which seeks to break the links between deforestation and harmful investment through investigation and advocacy. I knew I had to apply and here I am now!

Why is it an interesting time to work in this space?

Of many possible answers, working here during COP is the most obvious one! Seeing how our investigations and advocacy are creating impact and directly influencing coverage makes me hopeful that change is possible. COP is only for two weeks though and countering the climate crisis will be a long work in progress. Communities in the Global South continue to be directly affected by deforestation and our overheating planet. There may never not be an important time to work in this space, as much as I would like to hope otherwise for the sake of our future.

What is your response to COP?

There are vital conversations happening about our world inside and outside the summit and it’s crucial that those who are most affected by the climate crisis are well represented and have seats at the policy-making tables. The Runnymede Trust stated that people of colour in the UK will be disproportionately affected along with those in the Global South. Unfortunately, our own investigation at Global Witness has shown that fossil fuel lobbyists at COP outnumber the UN’s own official indigenous delegation by around two to one, while a number of activists from diverse backgrounds have expressed that they have felt excluded from key decision-making processes. Without their voices, pledges will not go far enough in tackling the climate crisis. We have already seen the final agreement fall short on fossil fuels, by only calling for an accelerated phase out of coal when emissions from coal are less than half the problem. And while it’s great that world leaders have pledged $19 billion to ending deforestation by 2030, we need strong and binding legislation to stop banks from funding the destruction of our forests.

Do you have any thoughts about diversity and sustainability?

My thoughts build on my sentiments around COP. Climate will continue to dominate our news cycles after the UN summit finishes in Glasgow and it’s essential that those leading the coverage, whether they are journalists or campaigners, come from a range of different backgrounds and experiences. There are stories waiting to be told in the UK and across the globe that will best come from those with direct lived experiences of some of the issues at hand. But they will also need resources to ensure their voices are effectively heard. I’m incredibly lucky at Global Witness that investigative journalism is well funded and seen as a core part of the organisation. However, I rarely see grants generally in the UK for journalists of colour to specialise in areas such as climate, data and investigative journalism. I would love to see initiatives similar to the Ida B. Wells Society and IRE & NICAR fellowships in the US being offered here as well to undertake important reporting that holds those in power to account.

I’m Sunita Ramani, and I work at Greenhouse, a specialist green communications agency focused on delivering positive social and environmental impact. I found Greenhouse through Creative Access in November 2020 when I was hired as a Trainee Administrative Assistant, and I have since progressed to Senior Account Executive, opening up a whole range of opportunities – including most recently, being involved in several exciting initiatives around the COP26 climate conference.

Why does diversity matter at COP26?

This summit is significant for all of us – the future of our planet rests on the commitments being made in Glasgow at this very moment, and the steps that world leaders take to meet them. But as with any global disaster (the Covid19 pandemic being a prime example), not everyone is equally affected, and people of colour worldwide are suffering some of the worst impacts of the climate crisis, despite contributing the least to its causes.

How communications can help to achieve climate justice

For me, getting to work with organisations fighting for climate justice is what I love most about my work at Greenhouse. In the lead up to COP26, I supported the international charity ActionAid with their EarthWalk campaign which highlighted the unequal representation at the climate conference. In particular, many invitees from the Global South have missed out on attending the negotiations due to vaccine inequalities or a lack of funding.

By supporting ActionAid with their PR and digital communications, we encouraged thousands of people across the world to take part in EarthWalk, collectively marching over 43,000km to call on world leaders to Step Up for Climate Justice. On the third day of the summit, ActionAid projected videos from people across the world taking part in the campaign in central Glasgow, as a way to bring their voices to COP26 and remind negotiators of their duty to listen to those on the front lines of the crisis.

I have also been supporting the work of the Just Rural Transition, an initiative bringing together food producers, governments, businesses, civil society, rural and Indigenous peoples to champion people-centered solutions to our food and land-use crises. Providing nutritious, affordable food for a growing population in a way which is both just and sustainable is an enormous challenge, and it is essential that we centre the food producers and rural communities who hold the knowledge and experience to tackle these issues.

By amplifying the JRT’s messages through PR and social media during COP26, we’re helping to increase awareness and understanding of a ‘just rural transition’ and ensure it is on the agenda as world leaders discuss how to transform our food systems for the better.

Going to Glasgow

Whilst I’ve been able to do all my work remotely, COP26 being only a train ride away is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I decided to head up to Glasgow over the weekend for the Global Day of Action – a day for people everywhere to come together in support of climate justice, and to centre marginalised voices who have largely been excluded from the official negotiations.

Marching on the streets alongside nearly 100,000 people, and hearing the firsthand stories of those who have experienced the devastating realities of the climate crisis were a powerful reminder of why it is so important to do this work. At the rally on Glasgow Green, I listened to Indigenous leaders, trade unionists, and activists from the Global South all describing their fears for their future, and calling on us to unite and stand with them in demanding a better one.

I’ve come away from Glasgow reminded of how essential it is that people of colour bring our voices, perspectives and stories to every aspect of environmental justice work, from campaigning on the frontlines to re-telling the stories of our communities behind the scenes. Each one of us is needed in the fight for a better planet, as there is no climate action without climate justice.

If you’re interested in working for a sustainability organisation, keep an eye on our Opportunities page for our latest roles.

Opera has a very unique diversity challenge as it is perceived as elitist and inaccessible.

Creative Access delivered a tiered training programme to equip staff with the confidence to navigate diversity and inclusion, working with Opera North’s board, senior management and entire team. We worked with the Opera North team to advance their wellbeing agenda, delivering workshops including managing work-life balance. Creative Access also created bespoke training for the Opera North education team to help peripatetic teachers better support the children from disadvantaged schools in which they were working. 

Creative Access partnered with Opera North to shift the way the team thinks about the diversity and inclusion agenda. We helped devise a new approach tailored to their specific challenges, leading to substantive changes in programming and recruitment. We also enabled them to widen the funnel of applicants from under-represented communities applying for roles at Opera North. This contributed to a change in the perception of opera as being inaccessible to those not from a privileged background.

Opera North is a national opera company based in Leeds, and is a leading UK arts organisation. They create award-winning work that tours theatres and concert halls across the UK. You can find out more here.

For our October Masterclass, we were proud to host three of our Creative Access alumni who delivered an exciting and insightful session discussing their careers so far in the music industry, their advice on how to stand out and how to make connections. 

Our chair Kyle George is a Brand Partnerships Co-ordinator at Warner Music UK, connecting brands like 1800 Tequila with artists such as Ed Sheeran and Kojey Radical. Having studied Law at the University of Southampton, Kyle wasn’t aware of the different roles within the music industry – such as brand partnerships – but used his transferable skills to get an internship at Warner Music through Creative Access in 2018. He has stayed there ever since. 

Kyle was joined by radio presenter, journalist and DJ Kamilla Rose. Kamilla was one of the firstinterns we ever placed in 2012, with TV production company TwoFour where she learnt the “inner workings of a media company”. However, unsatisfied creatively working in “corporate” TV production, Kamilla successfully moved into music. She volunteered at community stations such as Reprezent Radio and Foundation FM and began blogging and interviewing artists on her own account. She then got a paid position at BBC 1Xtra and now hosts a show on Capital and has begun to work in audio production. In 2019, Kamilla was awarded the prestigious Radio Academy’s ‘30 Under 30’. 

Sadé Lawson is a Producer and Creative Consultant, whom we placed with Sony in 2013. Hailing from Scotland, Sadé did unpaid internships throughout university and struggled to find paid work when she moved down to London. She praised Creative Access as the “turning point” for helping her access her first “industry job” which allowed her to get her foot in the door. Throughout her time at Sony and later as a Product Manager at Warner, Sadé had side-gigs such as running events, DJing, forming networks with other creatives and starting up her own production company – COZY – with a friend. She is now freelance and has worked within artist management on the likes of FKA Twigs’ album Magdalene.  

Much of Sadé’s experience in the industry came from her creative projects outside her jobs at record labels, emphasising that these became the things which people began to approach her for. She said: “These things help you stand out because you have lots of different facets to what you do.” Kamilla echoed this sentiment as she didn’t have one “set first job in music”. She explained that whilst volunteering at community radio stations like Reprezent, she was able to gain an insight into the music industry that she wasn’t possible in her corporate TV production job. Through this, she honed her presenting style enabling her to get presenting gigs at BBC 1Xtra and now, Capital. Both Sadé and Kamilla demonstrated that if you are a creative person, you have to throw yourself into a variety of different projects in order to learn. 

Importantly, all three of our alumni recognise the difficulties that come with balancing a career and gaining work experience in the creative industries with the realities of living costs. Sadé knows how “lonely” this experience can be for people trying to break into the industry, especially those coming from outside London with no connections in the city. Kyle, Kamilla and Sadé all recommend planning and to keep reminding yourself that the hard work will benefit your career in a few years. 

A way of breaking down these barriers though, for Sadé, was making connections with her peers working in music. Similarly, when Kyle asked the panel how people can stand out, Kamilla stated that networking is one of the most important things in the industry. She stressed that it was essential to gain the details of all those you work with because without these lines of communications, you might miss out on opportunities for which you are a perfect fit.  

These insightful words are especially true if you are freelance. One fantastic example of the importance of networking and getting to know people within the industry was Sadé’s story of how she came to work with FKA Twig’s management team. Sadé explained that she ended up having a job in the same office as them and having been around them and understanding their processes, when she got the role with the team, was able to integrate into it easily. She emphasised the importance of a management team understanding the artist’s vision, but also how her previous label experience gave her perspective executing the project keeping the label in mind as well as the management and the artist.  

Kyle, who has never been freelance, gave a different perspective. He explained that despite not having a creative background, he took what he could from his degree to make himself stand out. In his applications for music jobs, he spoke about intellectual property, copyright and trademark laws to show his transferable skills for the roles. He advised that:

All three of our alumni encouraged the audience to be open to opportunities, with Kyle urging them to “Apply for everything!”. Sadé and Kamilla also advised people to try different things outside their comfort zone. Alongside this, the panel recommended researching the companies and people that you want to work with and connecting with creatives who are both your peers as well as those who are senior to you. Kamilla was an advocate for harnessing the power of LinkedIn, suggesting people to drop someone a message and say, “hey, can we go for a coffee?”. 

In regards to their hopes for the future of the industry, Sadé said that because of the pandemic, she is now able to work with creatives remotely. She hopes that if the pandemic has changed things for the better, it will be so that people will have the chance to make networks across the world. All three of our alumni highlighted their hopes for more representation within the music industry, with Sadé looking forward to it becoming more accessible for young creatives who are from outside London, or who don’t come from monied backgrounds. Kyle’s hopes also arose from his experiences working within a label, making the point that “initially it felt like all they wanted to hear from Black people was about hip-hop. It feels like that’s all we can contribute, when there’s loads of people making rock, house, pop, all sorts of stuff. That has to change…”. Meanwhile, Kamilla’s hopes focus on those working behind-the-scenes in music and she has a network called the Bring In which aims to equip the next generation with the networks and skills for the music industry. She told the audience that she was looking forward to seeing more diversity in senior positions. 

It was inspirational to have our alumni Kyle, Kamilla and Sadé speak to the Creative Access community about their journeys in the industry, proving that despite the barriers that make the industry sometimes seem inaccessible, getting started in music, forming valuable networks and moving into more senior positions is achievable. So, if you are interested in taking up the challenge to break down barriers and realise your own hopes and aspirations by choosing a career in music, make sure that you check out the current opportunities on Creative Access.

Watch the session in full on our YouTube channel here.

Georgia Snow in The Stage has reported on our survey into how financial barriers affect career progression in the creative industries, in which we found that 85% of participants are held back in theatre careers by economic obstacles.

Read more about our findings for the theatre sector in The Stage.