John Harrington has written in PR Week about our findings regarding under-represented groups in the creative industries, that almost 1 in 2 PR creatives feel ‘financially unstable’, which is more than in the early stages of the pandemic. However, many are optimistic for the future, with fewer experiencing job insecurity or mental health problems.

Read in PR Week.

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.

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.

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.

Creative Access, the leading social enterprise in progressive career development and support and McLaren Racing are today launching the Creative Access x McLaren Racing Career Development Bursary.   

The Bursary is a new fund aimed at supporting talent from under-represented communities who aspire to work, or further their career, in the creative industries, but who are currently held back from doing so because of their financial status. 

Creative Access surveyed more than 1,900 people working in, or looking to pursue, a career in the creative industries to examine how financial barriers impact career progression. The results demonstrate how crucial the bursary will be to enabling people from under-represented groups to access and progress in the sector. Key findings include:  

• Just over three quarters (77%) have not applied for a job due to the associated high living or commuting costs 
• Over a third (35%) have refused job offers because of financial obstacles 
• 76% of 18 – 25 year olds and 79% of 26 – 35 year-olds have not applied for roles due to financial pressures and 69% of 18 – 25 year olds have not taken up a role  
• The most common financial pressures impacting career progression are cited as unaffordable living, commuting and relocation costs  

• 47% people surveyed say financial barriers have ‘greatly’ impacted their career progression – this increases to 61% for those from under-represented socio-economic backgrounds  
• 80% of people who identified as having disabilities did not apply for a role and 59% did not take up a job offer because of financial barriers 
• Financial status also prevented 82% of people from under-represented socio-economic backgrounds from applying for roles and 58% from taking up a job offer  

The top 5 creative sectors where potential candidates did not apply for a role due to financial reasons are:  

1. Film – 86% 

2. Music – 86% 

3. Theatre – 85%  

4. TV – 82% 

5. Museums & Galleries – 81%  

The Bursary is the first initiative from the Creative Access and McLaren Racing partnership, which was formed in June this year under the McLaren Racing Engage alliance, which aims to diversify talent in motorsport. 

The Bursary will fund training courses, software, equipment and relocation costs, as well as disability access support, care costs and bespoke coaching or mentoring.  

The application window for the first round of bursaries will open on Wednesday 27 October and close on Wednesday 8 December. Applicants can apply for bursaries of £250, £500, £750 or £1000 by logging in to an existing Creative Access account or registering at creativeaccess.org.uk.  

Coverage of the bursary, as well as our research has been featured in PR Week, The Bookseller, The Stage, ArtsProfessional, Broadcast, UK Screen Alliance and DiversityQ.

In an article on closing ethnicity and gender pay gaps, PRWeek spoke to agencies about the biggest barriers within the advertising agency and how to change.

WDW Entertainment spoke of calling out the limitations of advertising roles in the echo chamber. They explained that their partnership with Creative Access have helped diversify their applicant pool:

“When we have advertised jobs historically on our social channels or via word of mouth most applicants have been white. The biggest challenge has been the pipeline. since working with Creative Access this has changed exponentially.”

Read the article in full here.

Demand for diverse talent to fill vacancies in the creative industries increased by a staggering 331% in August 2021 compared to August 2019 Creative Access have seen as employers seek to use the current vacancies boom to address the sector’s longstanding diversity problem. We have also seen a 185% increase in the number of employers wanting to recruit more people from under-represented communities, showing that employers are seeking to understand how best to create an inclusive workforce and want to increase their confidence in navigating the diversity agenda and terminology and take appropriate action.

Creative Access saw the most significant rise in vacancies in music and the performing and visual arts as theatres, film and TV productions and entertainment venues re-open and need to hire staff post-pandemic.

Our data research has been covered by The Bookseller.

The Drum recently covered creating a more diverse talent pipeline in the advertising, PR and communications industry.

Katie Edwards at Publicis•Poke Publicis Groupe explained how they set up Publicis Poke Talent by

While Nicola Statham at FleishmanHillard said,

The article can be seen here.

Maja Pawinska Sims has covered Bibi Hilton’s new position at Creative Access in Provoke Media. Speaking to Sims on her role, Hilton stated:

You can read the full article here.

PR Week have reported that Bibi Hilton has joined the Creative Access team, acting as the new Director of Communications. She has over 15 years experience in PR, working as MD of Golin London and, most recently, as Global Engagement Director for Unilever at Interpublic. Bibi is also the former President of Women in PR.

Read the full article here.

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.