For this week’s Thursday Thoughts, we were thrilled to be joined by British television presenter, children’s author and wheelchair basketball player Ade Adepitan and Raj Sandhu, Westminster Correspondent for BBC Scotland.

An international athlete (his team won the bronze and gold medal at the Paralympics), Ade then made his debut on the screen presenting the Games on Channel 4 in 2012. Since then, he has gone on to write several successful children’s books, Ade’s Amazing Ade-ventures, featuring a black, disabled protagonist at the forefront – making a huge impact in the sporting, television and publishing world.

Raj – a former Creative Access intern at HarperCollins – was in publishing for two years before realising that her heart was in journalism. Raj went on to win a place on the prestigious Gareth Butler trainee scheme before joining The Nine, a channel covering stories across the globe from a Scottish perspective.

Raj launched the conversation on the various careers Ade has had so far. Ade responded that, ‘the idea of being a one career person is over … It’s quite exciting because it means you have an opportunity to try so many different things throughout your life.” When reflecting on his work from being a Paralympian to currently working on a climate change documentary, Ade admits, “I don’t often take time to look back and think look what I’ve achieved, I try very much to stay in the moment … yes, it is probably a lot, but I’ve never really thought about it!”

When making the transition from sport to television, Ade revealed he was “lucky to meet a few people who got me and understood I had more to offer than just sport”. Raj stressed the importance of having “a cheerleader team behind you, it’s not just about you and being resilient … you also need a team of people behind you, and when you’re in your down days, they can lift you up and tell you, no you need to keep going.” Ade agreed, saying, “You need enablers who believe in you, and sometimes believe in you more than you believe in yourself.”

After initially feeling embarrassed to get an agent because he believed he wouldn’t get into the industry, Ade was approached by an agent when his television show Tiger, Tiger ended. Raj then asked whether Ade had any advice for those aspiring to get into television today: “How do we get more enablers into the industry that can bring in people who aren’t the norm?” Ade’s answer was in the opportunities around today’s technology and platforms: “You no longer have to rely on TV as the only way to get into the media industry … you can make your own stuff” such as livestreams, videos and blogs. He encouraged this as a great way to enhance your own skills for future roles during lockdown.

The conversation then closed with a discussion on the Black Lives Matter movement, tackling systemic and institutional racism, and what the industries can do to change. When Raj asked what Ade’s experience has been as a black man in the media industry, he answered honestly:

“Complicated. It’s been difficult because there’s always been preconceptions and misconceptions about who I am, what I should present and whether anybody would watch what I’m on … It’s really important for people coming into TV, and this isn’t just about your cultural background, this is also about your class, you have to fight for the right to be you. Don’t try to modulate who you are to fit into TV and try to be someone else. You have to be yourself. I hope the hard graft and work I’ve done will make it easier for other people like to come in because I’ve shown it can be done.”

With huge thanks to Ade and Raj for their time and wise insight.

You can watch the whole discussion on our YouTube channel here.

We were thrilled to be joined by the team behind the new standalone BBC drama Sitting in Limbo for this week’s Thursday Thoughts session.

Written by novelist Stephen S. Thompson, the drama is based on the experiences of his brother Anthony Bryan who was wrongfully detained by the Home Office and threatened with deportation. This shocking and powerful insight into the Windrush Scandal will air on Monday 8^th of June at 8:30 pm on BBC One.

The discussion was chaired by Creative Access CEO Josie Dobrin and included panel members Stella Corradi, Stephen S. Thompson and Patrick Robinson. An award-winning director, Stella has directed acclaimed work, including Trigonometry and Through the Gates, which was nominated for Best Single Drama at the BAFTA’s. A leading writer, Stephen’s novels include Toy Soldiers and No More Heroes and is currently a Senior Lecturer in Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction at the University of Winchester. Playing the lead, Patrick is an eminent figure of British television and theatre and has been on screen in Casualty, The Bill, Strictly Come Dance and Mount Pleasant. We are in awe of all their work!

Each of our guests had important things to impart on the industry and representing this deeply troubling part of British history on screen. Reflecting on playing the part of Anthony, Patrick shared that, “you don’t need to act … you feel what you experience.” He revealed that “when I saw the script and read it, I was in tears by the end … I knew I wanted to be a part of the production.” After meeting the team, he became part of a “fantastic story that needed to be told for the whole of this country to hear and to see.”

Stella shared that she wanted to direct Sitting in Limbo as soon as she came across it: “it was a hard job to get, it was a really great script.” She discussed the responsibility a director has when looking out for her cast and crew. She ensured the cast were kept uplifted outside of the heavy drama they were filming as she revealed, “we laughed a lot.” Stella also emphasised that the director is part of a much wider team: “As a director, you need to be clear in communicating your vision to every head of department so they can filter it through their individual teams. It requires a lot of trust.”

Stephen spoke about his personal highlight of the whole process: “Overall seeing the very first cut, when it’s all stitched together and seeing the whole thing come together.” When discussing the nature of Sitting in Limbo as a story, he stressed the importance of diverse storytelling: “Too often diversity is associated with race racism, and the challenge for the broadcasters and the industry is for us to go beyond that. This is obviously an important story for us to tell, but we want to be able to tell stories beyond this as well.”

Lastly, when Josie asked for one line of advice for people who want to direct, act and write, the panellists offered the following:

• Stella advised directors to “try and get on set and see how it works, try and figure out all the roles and understand what everyone does, that’s the biggest education you can have.”
• Patrick said, “Just do it! Use your imagination and just do it, use your phone and make something.”
• Stephen advised aspiring writers to “write everyday. Try and make the writing the centre of your being, your existence and your daily existence. Practice, practice, practice.”

A huge thank you to Stella, Stephen and Patrick for their brilliant and inspiring discussion and to the team at IJPR for organising the session (especially to our brilliant former Creative Access trainee Nicole Campbell). 

You can watch the session in full here.

Q&A with Yamin Choudhury and Stephenson Ardern-Sodje

We were delighted to be joined by Yamin Choudhury and Stephen Ardern-Sodje for this week’s Thursday Thoughts on theatre!

Yamin is Artistic Director of Hackney Empire, a renowned theatre that has seen a score of talent come through its doors over its one-hundred-and-twenty-year history. Yamin first joined the Empire in 2003 and has a background of work in inclusive theatre spaces such as the Haringey Shed and the International Village in Australia and China. An award-winning arts practitioner, he has been instrumental in catalysing the careers of the next generation of talent with his Creative Futures programme. The programme encourages young artists to immerse themselves in the world of theatre and build their skills and confidence, regardless of their ability or background. We love his work!

Stephenson has dazzled on stage in Hamilton, playing no less than four roles, including the lead, Alexander Hamilton. After studying English and Creative Writing at Brunel, he gained an internship at Green Door Pictures through Creative Access in 2015. Stephenson then decided to take a chance and audition for Hamilton. Despite having no experience on the stage, he impressed them so much that they funded a Master’s in musical theatre. Stephenson later re-auditioned and made his West End debut a year later.

Both of our speakers had incredible stories to share on their journeys into theatre. Stephenson kicked things off by asking Yamin what exactly being an Artistic Director entails. After joking that most Artist Directors like to “mystify the job”, Yamin explained that his role at Hackney Empire “involves a lot of people management, a lot of planning and administration, a lot of meetings, and a lot of trying to identify opportunity, artistically and professionally”.

While the position might sound more business orientated, Yamin’s passion for theatre began from a love of the stage. He was first introduced to Hackney Empire when going through a “very difficult period in my life, I was lost, I was isolated”. However, when he encountered performances on the Empire’s stage, he was blown away by the range of performances on offer: “As soon as I was introduced to theatre at 18, it was like a drug. I couldn’t imagine life without it”.

Yamin was inspired to pursue a career in theatre before eventually returning to the Empire. He emphasised “there’s literally nothing I wouldn’t do for this organisation, because it saved me. Arts and culture transforms my ability to understand myself and others, and if it can do that for me it can do that for everybody.” Stephenson agreed on the powerful impact theatre can have: “When theatre’s at its best, it feels like nothing else.”

Addressing a question from an attendee who asked, “How do you overcome imposter syndrome?” Yamin answered, “I haven’t … In the spaces I enter, looking the way I do, speaking the way I do, you are the odd one out.” However, he acknowledged that not everybody feels it. Referencing Sharmaine Lovegrove, Yamin explained “she doesn’t suffer from it at all, because her sense of value and self is so strong that it goes above her head. That’s what I aspire to be.” Stephenson also encouraged surrounding yourselves with people “whose opinions you value … When I’m worried about not being worthy of something, having other people understand that feeling can help you realise you’re not alone in it.”

When discussing taking chances in the industry, Stephenson also stressed:

“What is stopping you really? You know you want it, so try and make it happen.” He encouraged attendees to not let having the right experience or qualifications hold them back; the first step in achieving your goals is allowing yourself to pursue those dreams.

Finally, in the Q&A, when asked what changes we might expect in theatre, Yamin and Stephenson looked towards the changes that might shape the stage. While Yamin acknowledged the uncertainty in the industry, he encouraged creatives to take this as an opportunity to spark change:

“Covid-19 has proved that innovators will thrive. Revolutionise. Be cutting edge. Be exciting. Reframe models of success. Don’t wait for the establishment to do so.”

A huge thanks to Yamin and Stephenson for their thoughtful, moving and inspirational words. You can watch the session in full here. 

Every fortnight, we hold a discussion with leading figures in the creative industries, each one hosted by a former Creative Access trainee. Yesterday we were thrilled to be joined by Jonny Geller and Cameron Myers.

Jonny is CEO of Original Talent and Chairman of Curtis Brown Literary & Talent Agency which represents actors, presenters, authors, playwrights and directors including Robert Pattinson, Margaret Atwood, Stacey Dooley, Sacha Baron-Cohen, Robert Peston and more. Jonny was awarded Literary Agent of the Year Award in 2012. He consistently appears on Evening Standard’s 1000 Most Influential People in London list and was named amongst Britain’s most influential 500 people by Debrett’s 500 in 2015 and in the same year as one of GQ’s 100 Most Connected Men in Britain – so it was a real privilege to have him join us!

Cameron is an Assistant Editor with Hodder & Stoughton’s General Non-Fiction team – where he started as an intern via Creative Access – and was one of SYP London’s Events Coordinators in 2019. In 2016, he graduated from King’s College London with a degree in Law, and has since gone on to pursue a career in book publishing.

Jonny began his discussion by acknowledging that ‘Creative Access is an extraordinary organisation that I’m glad to say that we’ve not only supported, but that we’ve benefitted from. Over the years we’ve some excellent people coming through our agency.’ We’re delighted to have placed so many talented interns at Curtis Brown.

Starting off with a little about his background, Jonny had some advice for those starting out in the creative industries and are unsure of what direction to take. After realising he would have to re-evaluate his decision to become an actor, his friend offered a useful strategy on deciding what to do next, saying that the only way to give up on a dream, is to replace it with something else:

For Jonny, the lines crossed at books and selling. This resulted in Jonny finding himself at Curtis Brown as an assistant, where he is now CEO of Original Talent and Chairman of the agency twenty-seven years later. Discussing the role of an agent, Jonny said: ‘My job is to pick the best possible creative talent. It’s a fantastic feeling taking someone’s dreams and hopes and finding them a publisher and then seeing their books on the shelves of a bookshop a year later.’

When Cameron asked what skills make a successful agent, Jonny responded with the fact that, ‘You need empathy’. Empathy for your client’s work and empathy for them. Followed by ‘clarity, in your objectives’ and the ‘joy of discovery’. As an author’s agent, Jonny is ‘at the beginning of that chain. If I don’t believe in it, nobody else will’. Enthusiasm for the book is essential behind a book’s success.

In our Q&A, when an intern asked about the aftermath of being furloughed and missing out on valuable experience, Jonny stressed the importance of staying committed. ‘If you’re starting off in a career, you must keep absolutely focused on what it is you want to achieve and why you’re in it. Don’t give up.’ He then offered valuable advice for interns when they start work: ‘My experience is the people I remember who come to the company full of enthusiasm, full of positivity and full of knowledge’ about the company they’re going into. ‘Everyone notices a good intern’.

After Cameron enquired how things might change in the creative industries, Jonny finished the discussion by acknowledging that ‘the great thing about crisis and chaos, creativity is always the first thing that comes out of it… People need storytellers. People need creative industries’.

With huge thanks to Jonny and Cameron for their time and wise words.

You can view the whole conversation on our YouTube channel here.

From Spike Lee, to Martin Scorsese… we were thrilled to host a Q&A between Times journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera and award-winning writer, producer and director Asif Kapadia on all things film…

Hosted on the 17th floor of News UK, yesterday’s masterclass boasted beautiful views of the city and a night of illuminating advice. Sathnam’s insightful questions for Asif led an incredible discussion on how to thrive in the film industry.

The evening kicked off with a viewing of the trailers for award-winning films, Amy and Senna. Sathnam acknowledged that it was the first time we had an Oscar winner at a Creative Access masterclass.

He started the discussion asking Asif about his roots and where his journey into film started. The filmmaker recalled “I came from the most unmedia background ever. I grew up in Hackney, I was working class, Muslim – the youngest of five children – I didn’t know anyone in the media.” But he didn’t let this deter him: “I was lucky because I worked hard and I fell into something that I loved; it didn’t feel like work.” Asif’s passion for what he does was a real staple of last night’s discussion.

Asif discussed his route into cinema, citing the number of rejections he received from arts schools and universities. Despite not taking any A-levels, Asif went on to study for several degrees and is a big believer in the value of education. After a multitude of awards and recognition for his creative talent, Asif is now able to ask, “What was it about my application form that never got me in?”

Asif’s love of film didn’t initially come from studying, like many other great filmmakers, but rather from being involved in the process and creating film itself: “My love of cinema and filmmaking has come from working on film, making them, a being part of a gang, a crew, making it happen.” 

Sathnam then asked Asif how he felt about diversity in film. The question touched on the recent controversy, following allegations that award ceremonies don’t favour people of colour. However, Asif doesn’t hold these awarding bodies to blame. Instead, he asked, “tell me which films get made, who is financing them, who are the people who run Film 4, the BBC… who do they hire? It starts really far back. We can’t just blame awards.” 

The discussion then led to advice for aspiring film directors. Sathnam enquired whether you need to be fundamentally a self-starter? Asif responded that “if you want to direct, you’ve got to teach yourself to write, you need to have an opinion, watch movies and be interested in characters and stories, travel and culture.”

Asif also stressed the importance of discipline; “it’s all about deadlines – set yourself a target to make one film every year.”

The masterclasses then ended in an engaging Q&A; from Asif encouraging creatives to create work they themselves would enjoy, to making sure they can also take on work to pay the bills: “If you are working on something you don’t even like there’s something wrong.” 

He urged the audience to question, “what draws you to a story? I think generally it’s like a question.” He recalled the making of Senna, a film that prompted him to explore how to make “some bloke driving round and round a track, wearing a helmet, emotionally engaging.”I like that challenge“.

Other advice involved pursuing education and its value for creating content and being patient in cultivating relationships that will drive a story and its characters. Asif finished by asking our interns, “What is interesting you to you? What is personal to you?” to find out what works.

Massive thanks to News UK for hosting us in their fabulous space and of course to our speakers Sathnam Sanghera and Asif Kapadia. 

Creative Access hit the road for the first 2020 event in partnership with The Publishers Association. Aimed at encouraging under-represented audiences to pursue a career in publishing, we were thrilled to be hosted by University of Brighton in the Sallis Benney theatre…

With a 100 strong audience of wannabe publishers, our panel kicked off by talking about their routes into the industry. Jason Hook, Publisher at Ammonite Press said he did everything “back to front”; dropping out of college to write freelance. He then wanted to get an editorial job but was told he needed a degree so went back to University and finally got the job of his dreams – only to be made redundant when the publisher merged with a larger company. Cut to now and Jason is publisher and author for non-fiction and illustrated publisher Ammonite Press, which is part of the much bigger group GMC. An amazing journey!

Following her degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, Saidah Graham started her career doing social media for her university. She then went on to do a Masters in publishing media at Oxford Brookes. Her degree helped her get some internships including one in the licensing team at Wiley before securing a role via Creative Access as Trainee Office Administrator that resulted in her getting a permanent role at Bonnier Books as a Rights Assistant working across a variety of children’s and adult imprints.

Explaining her current role, Saidah said: “When a book is acquired, we agree with the agent and author whether we have any other rights (e.g. to translate it into another language, to make an audiobook, to make a TV show). Our job is to meet with publishers around the world to talk about their industries and what kind of books they are looking for. If they want to buy something, we work out an agreement and write up a contract. Once that’s signed, the publisher can translate the text.”

Jason spoke about the income from these extra sales which are needed to make a profit out of book publishing, saying there are always surprises; he was convinced his word puzzle book wouldn’t work overseas but a German publisher bought and translated it into their own version.

Saidah said the skills needed to work in Rights include “being a people person. You need to build relationships with people all over the world and remember their interests. Being personable and communication are key, as are a willingness to travel and being able to summarise a book in three sentences.”

Phil Manning, Senior Marketing Manager, Bloomsbury Professional spoke about his journey – first at Reed Business Information and then at William Reed before landing at Bloomsbury Pro. Of his role now, he said: “Publishing is always evolving; the digital aspect in particular, whether that’s routes to market or format. You’re always chasing the next big thing. Fundamentally, publishing is a business and your job is to look for opportunities to make that business work.”

Anna Burtt graduated six years ago and spoke about her portfolio career which spans foreign rights, scouting, creative consultancy, editorial, marketing and teaching. She currently works for Myriad Editions and RedDoor Press in Sussex, hosts Radio Reverb’s Brighton Book Club show and podcast, and is the founder of the West Hill Writing group. She is a guest lecturer at Westdene College and New Writing South and speaks at various publishing events across the country. Busy woman!

She says: “Every time you publish a book, you need to know where your audience is and where your book sits in the market. How does your cover look against similar books? What do their campaigns look like? All of it is part of the marketing campaign.”

Anna’s top tips for working in publishing were:

1. Go to literary festivals and events
2. Send speculative applications to a select few publishers that you really love and feel like you understand
3. Be prepared to do casual, project-based work to get your foot in the door

The panel opened up to some excellent questions from the floor, kicking off with whether it’s worthwhile to do a Publishing MA. Saidah, speaking from first-hand experience, said: “Publishing MAs give you a lot of broad knowledge about the industry that help you when you get your first job. However it’s not particularly necessary as you will learn all of those things on the job anyway.”

What kind of person makes a good marketer? In Phil’s view it’s:

1. Be a great communicator
2. Be Persuasive
3. Be willing to try new things You can get marketing experience in other industries and then move into publishing to build up your skills.

Saidah was asked how she succeeded in securing a full-time role at the end of her internship. She said: “The people working with me liked my work, especially the person that became my manager. My manager knew that I liked rights and she championed me to the CEO and HR department so they made a position for me.”

Jason was asked if a passion for books was enough to sustain you in the work place. In response, he said: “Book publishing is hard. It’s badly paid and it’s hard to have a bestseller. But it’s a creative industry and there’s something quite magical in the creative process when it all goes right.”

With huge thanks to our brilliant panel for their wise and inspiring words and to the University of Brighton for hosting us. Stay up to date on our website to hear about our events taking place later in the year in conjunction with the Publishers Association.

The first masterclass of the year was held at the award-winning news and media powerhouse ITN. Put together by the brilliant former Creative Access alumna Hila May, the event offered a unique insight into the world of broadcast journalism

The legendary Jon Snow kicked off last night’s masterclass, making an appearance to give an inspiring introduction into the necessity of diversity in journalism to a packed audience of over 100 students, alumni and current interns. He was glad to see that Britain is finally “waking up to a massive talent that has been neglected among minorities in particular”, recognising that “Channel 4 is beginning to lead the way and are proud to be doing that”.

Masterclass Chair, Girsh Juneja, started things off with a discussion on what drives people to get into the newsroom. After joining Channel Four in the “last millennia”, he revealed that “the great thing about journalism is that you get to pursue what you’re interested in.” He enjoys seeing what motivates people in the newsroom, reminding budding reporters in the room: “don’t lose sight of what drove you to get into journalism in the first place”. After first joining ITN in the mailroom handing reporters their scripts, Girish recalled the excitement he felt when finally in the newsroom, describing the feeling that “this was it”. Now Senior Producer, he demonstrates how anyone can start anywhere in journalism and work their way up.

Creative Access alumna and Assistant News Editor Hila May embarked on her journey into journalism after first arriving at Creative Access five years ago via an internship at Mentorn Media which gave her experience working on Question Time. After working at 5News for a number of years, she joined Channel 4 two years ago, bringing exciting fresh perspective to the editorial team. Hila spoke about how she creates content on culture pieces, delivering media that “Channel 4 needed for younger audiences”. While she had to “fight to get cultural stories out there” at the beginning of her career, she now finds that “I don’t have to fight so much anymore”.

Multimedia journalist Zahra Warsame spoke about entering journalism later on than her peers and not letting that deter her. She emphasised that “people have different journeys into journalism” and that “every journey can be different”. Like Girish, when she arrived at ITN, she knew that this was what she wanted to do. Zahra encouraged aspiring journalists to “find the little gap to see what you can personally do” and write about something no one else is reporting on. She also imparted wise words on writing in a world obsessed with the next viral content. She advised us that “you have to have a news sense in journalism. Don’t go in with an idea that’s just supposed to be controversial and go viral, because eventually it loses you your journalistic integrity.”

Channel 4 reporter Symeon Brown also had a great story on how he got into journalism and the nature of the industry. Viewing journalism as “part of storytelling”, his career started by getting “bored of other people telling stories” and not being the one to pursue them. Like Zahra, he advises aspiring journalists to “have something others don’t have”. Symeon’s most successful piece includes a viral drill track that uses real quotes from MPs that employ violent rhetoric. This prompted a vital discussion into language, politics and hypocrisy in the nation. Lastly, Symeon imparts the knowledge that “journalism is a transactional industry; it relies on the transaction of stories and ideas”, encouraging people to utilise their distinctive backgrounds and bring their own ideas to the table.

Last and by no means least, we had the privilege of hearing the Head of Foreign News at Channel 4, Liliane Landor speak. She began with the motivational advice: “If I can do it, each and every one of you can do it too.” Liliane first started off at the BBC in 1989, becoming a controller for languages at the BBC World Service. The most important thing she learned here was to “find a mentor, someone you can trust, who is open and honest and will give you good feedback and learn from them”. Her own mentor gave her a piece of advice she has never forgotten: “Always keep your eye on the horizon”. Liliane certainly did so and has become a defining figure in the world of journalism. She advises our interns to “never box yourself in and go out of your comfort zone. there’s a great deal more to us than the place we are from and the languages we speak.”

Following the introductions, the Chair opened up the floor to questions. When asked about how to pitch an article, Liliane said the first things she does is look at the Twitter feed of the person sending her the email to make sure they’re authentic. The panel spoke about public engagement with their pieces with Gurnish reassuring the audience that they let people see and check their work to avoid mistakes with most pieces been seen by the journalist, a lawyer and a duty editor.

The women on the panel were asked how they navigate a traditionally male world. Zahra said she had been inspired by other women to enter journalism.  Lilian said that the gender pay gap still has a huge impact on the lives of women and that it’s still hard to be a working mother in the newsroom. Hila gave some important advice for women in the media industry: “I had to train myself not to be super nice … you’re just doing your job. You don’t need to apologise for doing your job.”

With huge thanks to our panel and hosts for their time and advice.