Georgia Snow in The Stage has highlighted our research into impact of Covid-19 on under-represented communities within the creative sector, explaining that: “Theatre workers are prioritising their mental health over increased financial stability as they enter 2022”.

Read the full article in The Stage.

Our recent research regarding the impact of Covid-19 on under-represented groups in the creative industries, particularly within the publishing industry, has been featured in an article by Adam Rowe in Forbes Magazine.

“Data out from the London-based diversity organization Creative Access and reported on by The Bookseller this month compares responses from a December 2021 survey against the same survey results from May 2020. The respondents were a cohort of 250 people in creative industries, most of whom were from under-represented groups. One and a half years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the results suggest, have taken a big toll.”

Read the article in full here.

To coincide with our ten year anniversary, we are today releasing new research showing the impact of covid-19 on people working in the creative industries. It particularly highlights the impact on those from communities under-represented in the sector.

The research was first run in May 2020 and then again in December 2021 to look at changes in financial and job stability, career optimism and sources of income for people working in the creative industries as a result of the pandemic. Our research found:

• Financial stability has declined – in May 2020 53% said they had enough money to live on versus 42% in 2021
• 45% said their mental health had been negatively impacted – rising to 64% amongst those with a disability
• 42% said their ability to save money had been negatively impacted
• 25% said it had negatively impacted their job security
• Over 10% have had to re-locate due to Covid-19 to find work – 48% re-located to London/the South-East showing how important it is for employers to support housing costs in the capital

But there was some positive news:

• A third (33% said their mental health had been positively impacted through greater flexibility and time at home
• A third (36%) said the pandemic had a positive impact in giving them more time for hobbies and interests outside work
• 30% said they felt their creativity had been positively impacted

Two thirds (63%) felt quite or very optimistic about their careers going into 2022. Their top priorities going into 2022 are:

• Improve their mental health – 61% (65% for women, 45% for men)
• Get a permanent job – 41%
• Maintain flexible working – 26%
• To find a paid internship – 22%
• Leave current job for a new opportunity – 20%
• Get a pay rise or promotion – 20%

Since the end of lockdown, 51% have applied for a new role; 46% have started looking for a new role; 39% have started a new role. 7% have received a pay rise and another 7% a promotion in their current roles.

Since 2012, Creative Access has been working to enable people from communities that are under-represented in the creative industries, to access careers, progress and reach leadership. This under-representation may be in terms of ethnicity, socio-economic background and disability or those facing significant barriers to employment. Creative Access unique combination of mentoring, training and a progressive approach to recruitment has completely changed the face of many sectors in the creative industries. The organisation has:

• Placed 2,194 individuals in paid internships
• Supported 58,773 candidates with employability skills
• Enabled 2,261 to participate in mentoring programmes
• Delivered 3,319 hours of inclusive employer training

Read about our latest research in PR Week, Forbes and The Stage.

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.