Danielle Harrison talks to Prospects about how Creative Access supported her progression from Trainee Researcher at BBC to the Researcher/Casting Researcher role she is in now.

Danielle discusses the support on offer from Creative Access for interns, her experience and aspirations, and the importance of increasing diverse representation in TV.

You can read the full interview here.

Creative Access has been mentioned by Georgie Holt, Managing Director for ACAST, in an article on ELLE.

The article details ways in which you can find your dream role in the creative industries.

You can read the full article here.

The Bookseller reports on the latest recipients of the Mo Siewcharran Fund, run by Creative Access; including Faber and Faber, Canongate, Profile Books, Stockroom, and Cloud Cuckoo Land.

The grants are awarded to publishing and theatre companies in memory of Mo Siewcharran, who was a Director at Nielsen Books.

You can read the full article on The Bookseller.

We were proud to host a Masterclass with our very own April Brown chairing a conversation with curator and Director of The Chisenhale Gallery, Dr Zoé Whitley. Both April and Zoé have extensive experience in the arts and shared their insights into breaking into the industry. They emphasised the importance of staying authentic to yourself, discussed their passion of making art accessible to a diverse audience and explained what it means to be a curator.

April Brown is a former Creative Access intern, turned Creative Access member of staff. She started her career at LIFT Festival as an Assistant Producer 7 years ago and since then she has continued working in arts and youth engagement at organisations including Somerset House and Tate. She has over 10 years’ experience in developing cultural programmes for young and diverse audiences and now works as Programmes Coordinator at Creative Access.

Dr Zoé Whitley is a curator – and Board member at Creative Access – who started as an intern at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She is director of the Chisenhale Gallery in East London; a charity which both commissions art and works to develop projects and relationships with the local community. Zoé has a distinguished background in the arts, having worked in curatorial roles at the V&A, the Hayward Gallery and Tate. She has curated notable exhibitions such as the ground-breaking Soul of a Nation at Tate and the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

April and Zoé both spoke about not seeing themselves in museum and gallery spaces; not being sure that they ‘belonged’. Despite having worked at the V&A for years, Zoé only had the confidence to apply for a curator role at the Tate because it was part-time: “Whatever I thought of as a curator at Tate, I didn’t think it could be me.” Similarly, April stated how she had to do many years of unpaid work whilst trying to break through and was ‘overjoyed’ to be placed by Creative Access at LIFT. She explained that she felt the same as Zoé when she began to work at Tate:

Despite this lack of self-belief at the beginning of her career, Zoé stressed the importance of finding a supportive network that can be trusted to give constructive criticism. When April questioned how Zoé progressed into these leadership roles, she explained that as a Black woman in the arts, having experienced the inter-section of sexism and racism, she never aspired to be leading those institutions. Yet, it got to the point where artists specifically wanted to work with her.

Zoé’s definition of what it means to be a curator goes back to the root of the word: to care. Ultimately, she said, it’s about channelling knowledge into something people can access. She continued that it’s about wanting to be a conduit so that the artwork connects to the audience in the right way

Both Zoé and April wanted to emphasise how their roles facilitated a connection between the audience and the art, explaining that the reason why an exhibition exists is because you want to connect with the audience. Zoé spoke of her desire to make the artist feel happy. She works to prioritise their needs and respect the context of their art. This inclusive approach paid off particularly in the exhibition Soul of a Nation at Tate. “We did right by every artist in the show”, she said, and importantly through this, it connected with the audience.

April and Zoé then discussed what makes a good leader. Zoé made it clear that:

She then stressed the importance of staying authentic to yourself whilst in a role at a big organisation and the value of holding onto your emotional and intellectual curiosity. Zoé emphasised that young people wanting to get into curation should recognise their own power: “I don’t want anyone to talk themselves out of it”.

When questioned on their tips for breaking into the industry, Zoé drew attention to the need to harness your interests and to enhance your skills outside ‘work’, such as starting a zine or an Instagram page, or writing about your interests. Zoé explained that there wasn’t a job she spoke about that she got the first-time round. Likewise, April stated it was her DIY work that was crucial in securing her paid roles in the sector. With this understanding, April recommended recognising the requirements of the role, such as that of a curator, and working out ways to gain those skills without actually being a curator. Zoé encouraged the audience:

Both speakers brought to the fore the importance of self-belief and urged people to recognise that they can be there, even if they don’t see themselves in museum and gallery spaces. Their strong message is: don’t be disheartened by rejection, keep finding innovative ways to put yourself out there and develop your passion.

A huge thanks to Zoé for her inspiring and wise words and to April for being a fabulous masterclass host.

You can watch the session in full here.

Publishing companies Profile Books and Canongate, as well as theatres Cloud Cuckoo Land and Stockroom, have been awarded the latest grants from the Mo Siewcharran Fund

The Fund was set up in memory of former Nielsen Books Director Mo Siewcharran, whose passion for theatre and publishing lives on through this Fund. The Fund, administered by Creative Access, supports internships for young talent from ethnicities that are under-represented in the creative industries.

Birmingham based theatre company Cloud Cuckoo Land Theatre is recruiting a Children’s Theatre Leadership Trainee to support the company with creating children’s theatre for and with systemically marginalised communities.

London theatre company Stockroom works with artists from all backgrounds to bring the best work to the most people. They are hiring a Trainee Dramaturg to contribute to the creation of new plays for the stage. Kate Wasserberg, Artistic Director for Stockroom said:

Canongate, a leading publishing house based in London and Edinburgh, has also been awarded the grant. Francis Bickmore, Publishing Director for Canongate said:

The final grant has been awarded to leading non-fiction independent publisher, Profile Books. Niamh Murray, Campaigns Director at Profile Books said:

John Seaton, who set up the Fund, said:

Any theatre or publisher wishing to apply for the next round of Mo Siewcharran Fund should email here for the application form. The deadline for the next round of submissions for the Mo Siewcharran Fund is Friday 3^rd December 2021.

The Bookseller was the first media outlet to cover our State the Salary research.

Creative Access analysed 500 of the most recent job listings featured on our website. We found that jobs where the employer chose to list the salary as “competitive” attracted nearly 40% fewer applicants than jobs where the salary, or a salary range, was stated in the advert.

You can read the full article on The Bookseller.

One of the first outlets to cover the launch of this new mentorship Hearst UK is launching with Creative Access was PR Week.

The six-month-long scheme aims to provide insight into opportunities in the media, publishing, and PR sectors. Hearst UK has a long history of publishing many successful titles, including Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, and more. Now they are taking their success further by teaming with Creative Access to help give those who are under-represented in the creative sectors the chance to learn more about what’s available for them. It will also include training and guidance from the PR and comms team, individual mentoring, workshop sessions, and potential attendance at events. The overall aim is to help improve diversity within the PR and Magazine sectors.

Along with being featured for PR Week, the story was covered elsewhere, including on the InPublishing website, PPA, and Diary Directory.

It’s time for our Spotlight Series blog post once again! Creative Access Chair and Executive Chair of Faber Books, Stephen Page OBE talks to our Marketing Assistant Larah Yearwood about all things publishing and Creative Access…

You began your career in bookselling, how did you get into that?

I grew up near Birmingham and I actually never thought of working with books or in publishing. I didn’t read very much, and I was very content with playing catch with my brother and playing the drums in my band. I then went to Bristol to study History but truly in my mind, my future was coming back home to the band and then going to London and becoming rockstars. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. So, to pay the rent I got a job in a bookshop with my twin brother, and at that time (1987) I wrote to all the major bookshops during a period of expansion. Essentially, I got a job in publishing to support my errant desire to be a rockstar. I quickly realised I loved the book world in a way that rock and roll hadn’t proved to quite as enjoyable as I imagined.

You moved to Faber in 2001, why was this the company for you?

When I was a bookseller, I began my self-education in reading, and it just turned out that so many of the books I was reading were published by Faber & Faber. I grew up in a house of music. My dad was a teacher, but his real love was classical music and putting on concerts and my mum’s love was reading – so there were plenty of books in the house. Alongside Penguin Books, Faber was very present, so it became an identity for me.

Faber then went through an extraordinary period in the 1980s where the double F was born and there were iconic book covers that were born with black and white backgrounds with small images and were highly branded. Because of this Faber was imitated by other publishers. So, I had quite a branded version of publishing in my head, but Faber carried the writers I absolutely love, such as Seamus Heaney, Milan Kundera, and Lorrie Moore. They were writers that made me feel like a reader, like an adult. I did also work at an independent start-up called Fourth Estate and I loved working in the independent sector. But when the chance of working for Faber came about, I knew I had to take it.

If you could name your favourite book or author, who or what would it be?

It changes with the seasons for me! I’m passionate about 19th-century books and I love Russian writers such as Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekov along with novels by Charles Dickens. Bleak House is for me one of the greatest books ever written in my opinion. One of the things I really love about the publishing industry today is that there are so many strong up-and-coming writers. I just read a wonderful novel by Claire Louise Bennett, and it’s called Checkout 19 and I was as excited about that novel as I am reading Chekov, to be honest.

What were your motivations for joining the Creative Access board back in 2020?

When I came into publishing, coming from the Midlands, it felt very counterculture. A lot of publishing was very Oxford/Cambridge and south of England. So, given that over the last 20 years publishing had been trying to make itself more for everybody, I felt rather uncomfortable – as a middle-class white man – knowing that the industry didn’t appear to be for everyone.

Our staffing was looking homogenous, and questions about what was being published and why, were being asked. The sad truth is that without Creative Access we made very little headway as an industry in creating change. It was with Creative Access, while I was at Faber, that we found a partner with who we could really make a palpable change and find wonderful cohorts of potential employees to bring through on internships.

So, I wanted to support Josie and Creative Access and their brilliant team in any way I could. It wasn’t just about publishing, it was about managing to give a really practical partner to the whole of the creative industries, all of which have the same problem, that there’s too much expectation that people will be willing to work for not very much money for quite a long time and people coming from particular university backgrounds. I wanted to do more than I could do at Faber, and I just really admire what Josie and her team achieve.

If I can bring some of the things I’ve learned, help grow the organisation, and chair it while speaking up on behalf of the issues that Creative Access represents, then it would be a very proud thing for me. It’s fantastic work and it’s not about me, it’s about creating positive change. Last summer the BLM protests really highlighted the upset and hurt over the lack of change my generation of leaders had made. If we leave the creative industries anywhere near the approximation of what they are it would be a total failure and that felt truly awful.

What’s next for you as Chair for Creative Access?

As Chair, it’s a supporting role and a role to give the Creative Access team confidence to have the maximum impact and that’s what the board is about, to give Creative Access the backing to really be ambitious about making change. What Creative Access has been able to achieve has been extraordinary for quite a small-scale organisation. I think we’re in the foothills of this change and if we can build Creative Access to become an even more impactful organisation, the industries themselves will have a partner they can transform themselves with more quickly. That’s what I’m after. I’m always motivated by making things work and Creative Access works.

Final question, what do you love doing when you’re not reading?

Playing the drums! During the pandemic, one of the things I really missed during lockdown was playing music with other people. I also decided to learn something new, and I love Jazz, so I decided to learn how to play the drums with brushes. There are limits to me being a musician. I’m not terrible but I’m not brilliant. Playing music for me is like a wordless version of reading literature. It’s a way of experiencing the mysteries and wonders of life. The language of music is the language I grew up with really.

You can follow Stephen on Twitter here.

Sky Sports were one of the media outlets to cover the launch of our new alliance led by McLaren Racing. As one of the four organisations partnering on the McLaren Racing Engage project, we have taken our track record in the creative industries and are applying it in the motorsport sector, which still relies on creatives in their marketing, design, and branding functions. McLaren Racing Engage has plans for initiatives over multiple years to improve inclusion and increase opportunity for all in motorsport.

As well as appearing on Sky Sports, this story was also covered widely, including on the Formula 1 official website, The Race, GP Fans, DriveTribe, F1 Beat, and Race Fans.

McLaren Racing’s CEO Zak Brown also tweeted about it, to a positive reception.

Creative Access is teaming up with McLaren Racing as part of a unique industry-first alliance working towards diversifying talent in motorsport, particularly in creative roles.

The multi-year McLaren Racing Engage programme will leverage the expertise of Creative Access to drive forward the 20-time Formula 1 constructors champions’ diversity, equality, and inclusion agenda.

Working alongside the Women’s Engineering Society, EqualEngineers, and the Smallpeice Trust, Creative Access will support McLaren Racing to promote STEM and Formula 1 as an accessible vocation to under-represented groups, foster a culture of inclusion within McLaren, and advance meaningful and sustained change in the motorsport industry. This will be achieved by investments in grassroots-level education and training through various STEM initiatives, funding, and mentorship programmes.

“We are thrilled to be part of this coalition with McLaren Racing,” Josie Dobrin, Chief Executive of Creative Access, said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to work with like-minded organisations to truly make a difference to one of the sporting world’s most prestigious brands.”

Creative Access will be the lead partner for aspects of the programme that focus on improving inclusive strategies, policies, and recruitment practices to hire, upskill, and advance diverse talent in McLaren Racing’s creative functions, including in their marketing, brand, and design teams.

The initiative will also see the launch of the Creative Access Career Development Bursary, a new fund aimed at talent from under-represented communities who have aspirations to work in motorsport. The bursary will support them with financial grants as a means to overcome some of the real obstacles they face in entering the industry or progressing in it.

Josie Dobrin added:

Details of the bursary scheme will be unveiled later.

Given the fast-moving nature of motorsport and the technological advances that underpin optimal performance, Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren Racing, has highlighted the importance of innovation driven by diversity that will enable his team to stay competitive.

“McLaren Racing is fuelled by brave innovation, but brave innovation relies on diversity of thought and experience across all levels and functions, reflective of our fans, our partners and our communities,” he said.

Although there are no official figures on the make-up of the workforce across Formula 1 teams, there is a perception that the sport is inaccessible to those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and that there’s a lack of diversity across the racing industry. Formula 1 has stated a commitment to building a more diverse and inclusive sport by breaking down the stereotypes associated with a motorsport careers and encouraging people from all backgrounds to get involved so that the sport better reflects the world in which it races.

A press release from McLaren Racing can be viewed here.

We were delighted to be joined by Mark Simon Hewis from the world-famous, four-time Academy Award-winning animators, Aardman Animations in a Masterclass chaired by former CA alumnus Mohamed Orekan, now at Lighthouse Films. Their illuminating conversation spanned from discussing their respective careers, and advice on breaking into animation to how the industry is adapting to become more accessible and diverse.

Mark Simon Hewis is Head of Aardman Academy. He spoke about his upbringing in a small, northern working-class farming village, his struggles with dyslexia, his ambitions to becoming a filmmaker. He was the first in his family to go to university before moving to Bristol where he began to work at Aardman Studios, the home of iconic character such as Wallace & Gromit, Morph, and Shaun the Sheep.

Mohamed Orekan is a Senior Animator at Lighthouse Studios. He secured his first role via Creative Access as intern at Illuminated Films back in 2014. He then moved on toMohamed Orekan Blind Pigs, a motion graphics studio. Despite not having previous experience in motion graphics, Mohamed explained he ‘learned on the job’. Now as a Senior Animator, his role involves supporting Junior Animators. Mohamed advised interns to ask as many questions as possible to “learn as much as you can and don’t be shy”. He continued that if you’re willing to learn, people are willing to teach you.

Mohamed and Mark both stressed the importance of having confidence in yourself and your abilities. It is completely normal to experience Imposter Syndrome at the beginning of your role, but, as Mark says, “we all feel like that”. He spoke about how he did not know growing up that being a filmmaker, or an animator, was even an option. Continuing that he had undiagnosed dyslexia, Mark felt he could not go down the academic route – which again reflects how the industry has changed since then to become more accessible for those with disabilities.

Your background shouldn’t determine your ability

Both Mark and Mohamed stressed their fundamental beliefs that your background should not affect your ability to get into the industry; in fact, diversity is what is needed in the industry to tell compelling stories and reflect the diversity of different audiences. Mohamed passionately highlighted that:

Mark assured that there is no ‘one way’ into the industry. Both he and Mohamed shared their thoughts on how the industry has changed rapidly over the past 10-15 years. Mohamed believes it is easier now to break in than it was even when he began his career. He explained that networking before was impossible if you did not know people within the industry to begin with, however now, with the internet, people can share their portfolios and connect with industry professionals with more ease.

They advised listeners not to be intimidated by the tools and software – these are skills which can be (and often are) learnt on the job. Mohamed and Mark agreed that your role as an animator relies on your talent – not the tools you have, which emphasised Mohamed’s earlier point that you pick up these skills as you go. Mark echoed this:

Win awards from your bedroom

The conversation then turned to the effects COVID has had on the creative industries and animation in particular. Mark and Mohamed discussed how the animation sector had adapted very well to the pandemic and that – because of working remotely – animation has become accessible to more people.

Mohamed stated that the past year has proved that ‘you can do this from your bedroom’ and still win awards. He hopes that companies see the strides they have made to be more accessible during the pandemic and continue to use that model of working. Both Mohamed and Mark highlighted how exciting the future of animation was because of the increasing accessibility and diversity within the industry.

Similarly, Mark discussed Aardman Academy’s ethos to be as accessible as possible to aspiring animators around the globe. He spoke passionately about Aardman’s goal to nurture talent no matter someone’s circumstances. Far too often there are financial barriers into the industry, but Mark explains that:

Harness your uniqueness

Ultimately, both speakers delivered the message that if you find yourself in a role within the creative industries, such as animation, you have done so because you deserve it and you have a passion for it. Your background and previous experience all feed into the unique perspective that only you can offer your industry. Mohamed and Mark both drew attention to the importance of harnessing your uniqueness and not letting self-doubt get the better of you. You can watch the session in full here…

Pride month 2021 may be coming to an end but that doesn’t mean we should stop celebrating the wonderful LGBTQIA+ community and sharing the love with them. Have a read of our latest blog post featuring our Creative Access colleagues Jade and Asha. In it, they explain how the creative industries have progressed with acceptance and they share just what Pride means to them.

How have the creative industries progressed with inclusion for the LGBTQIA+ community?

Jade: As someone who identifies as queer, growing up, I didn’t really see same-sex couples on TV. The same applies to other media – like books and video games – they weren’t as inclusive as they are now. The way industries are writing their characters these days and looking to diversify their content as well, as their audiences is fantastic. You don’t have to look very far.

You can also see this very clearly in children’s shows; with the emergence of Steven Universe as well as the Disney show The Owl House. The directors are openly able to say their characters are part of the LGBTQIA+ community and the relationships feature same-sex couples. It’s great to have something so overt which everyone can enjoy. Seeing these characters as a part of everyday life is super important as well.

Asha: There’s definitely been an increase in LGBTQIA+ representation in the media and I’ve noticed a growing awareness of intersectionality and with things like race and class. I’ve also seen an even greater understanding of the range of gender identities. A good example of this is seeing people state their pronouns in their email signatures, which is very encouraging.

What more can be done to help with the progression?

Jade: When companies speak about people from under-represented groups, I think it would be helpful to specify the LGBTQIA+ community as well. Visibility on-screen should really reflect visibility off-screen, as that’s where it starts. It’s just as important to have LGBTQIA+ characters, as it is to have queer writers, queer artists, and queer novelists who can help bring worlds to light in a way that reflects experiences. It’s different when you’re viewing LGBTQIA+ identities through the lens of somebody who is perhaps cis and heterosexual, because they might not have an understanding of experiencing homophobia within family and friendship groups.

It’s really important for audiences to relate to the characters they are watching or reading about and making sure it isn’t just a typecast or a stereotype of their identities. To really help with progression you need to make sure everyone is being cast correctly at pre-production and onwards from there.

Asha: Don’t get me wrong, I am super encouraged about the progress that has been made over the past decade, but there is

still quite a lot of work to do. It’s great that we are seeing more and more LGBTQIA+ characters on screen but it’s important that this is reflective behind the scenes and across the creative industries as well. It’s also important that more LGBTQIA+ people are creating things and are paid fairly for what they create. We need to make sure that representation is reflective and it pushes the community forwards. Just listening to others, colleagues friends, family members, and not expecting other people to always educate you is key too.

Can you tell us what it’s like being women of colour and part of the LGBTQIA+ community in the creative sectors?

Jade: I’ve always felt really proud of it and something I have realised over time is that when you’re trying to find your place in the world and when you’re realising your identity, it can stir up a feeling of loneliness. You may not have others around you who can fully understand you and you may also have not come out to anyone yet.

Being a woman of colour is a pride I have been able to share with my family and learning about my heritage is part of my identity and helps me relate to my community around me.

When you’re queer, you spend a lot of time figuring out who you are and what your understanding of the world is. Then comes expressing your identity and telling people around you. For me, that happened quite young. I knew I was LGBT when I was 12, but being so young and not having a lot of inclusive media that reflected my experience made me feel like an outsider. So, for kids growing up today, I hope they have a different experience. This is the motivation for me with whatever work I do: I work to make sure what I do is reflective of different groups.

Asha: I’ve only been in the creative sectors for a few months, but I’ve had a really positive experience. I know this isn’t the case for everyone and again, improvements still need to be made. But, compared to other sectors I’ve worked in, there is a greater understanding of accepting people and being more approachable. People seem to be more willing to listen in the creative sectors and hear what you’re saying.

Who do you look up to for inspiration in the creative sectors and beyond?

Jade: I have so many inspirations, to be honest. I adore Indya Moore, who identifies as non-binary and transgender. They’re an actor and they play a character called Agnel in the TV show Pose, which is just an amazing project as it explores the impact of HIV/Aids and how a community can be a family and celebrate each other’s creativity. Everybody who plays a part in that TV show is aware of just how important it is to still be an activist now as there will always be room for improvement. Especially for gaining more LGBTQIA+ rights in other countries as well as overcoming discrimination in workplaces and other environments and Indya Moore is very on the ball with that.

A sector I’m passionate about is animation and Rebecca Sugar is leading the way in that field for me. Rebecca is a bisexual and non-binary American animator and they helped create Steven Universe as well as Adventure Time and other shows. Steven Universe was a huge landmark for TV because you have two female characters getting married and that was the first time it had been done on Cartoon Network, so it was huge.

How long have you been with your girlfriends and when did you know they were the ones?

Jade: I’ve been with my partner since last summer and everyone jokes that it’s a ‘covid romance’. We’d actually known each other for a few years prior to that and we studied the same course, but we were in different year groups until the final year. She moved into a house with some friends of mine and I got to know her. The most important thing for me is that everything feels natural. It’s very easy to feel a little afraid in relationships at the beginning but if there’s no hesitancy, you get along well, you’re excited and happy and everything falls into place, then you can’t really ask for anything else.

Asha: We’ve been together for four and a half years and I knew she was the one for me around two months into our relationship. We were living together, that’s how we met and I’ve been extremely happy ever since.

And finally, what does Pride mean to you?

Jade: To me, Pride is an opportunity to acknowledge that there comes a great joy in gathering around others who have shared the same or similar experiences with you with their sexualities, identities, and genders. Having so many people around openly celebrating – despite circumstances that may have made them feel excluded – feels like a chance to fully embrace yourself and just acknowledge that despite anything and everything, you didn’t let yourself stop being you. I think that’s the most important part.

Asha: For me, Pride is the past, the present, and the future together as one. It is a celebration of history, optimism of what’s to come and celebrating the here and now.