Anoushka Dossa, Creative Access’ director or recruitment, has contributed her advice to Rafe Uddin‘s piece “How to use your experience for a standout job application” in the Financial Times weekend edition.

Advanced Television report on the findings of the Freelancer Report, conducted by Creative Access, ‘Data: UK TV freelance creatives demand change’. Creative Access research showed that although freelancers are broadly happy with their career path, there is a breakdown in the relationship between freelancers and employers within the creative economy, as over one in two freelancers say they ‘don’t feel supported by employers’ they work with.

Read the article in full here.

• Freelancers ask for reasonable adjustments & employer training to thrive 
• 50% of freelancers don’t feel supported by the employers they work with  
• 1 in 5 (22%) became a freelancer due to negative experiences in a perm role  
• Disabled individuals 30% more likely freelancing after negative perm role experience 
• 54% say they’re offered a day rate or salary below their level 

Creative Access, a leading UK diversity and inclusion social enterprise today reveals new research that shows although freelancers are broadly happy with their career path, there is a breakdown in the relationship between freelancers and employers within the creative economy as 1 in 2 freelancers say they ‘don’t feel supported by employers’ they work with. 

This is despite the creative industry’s heavy reliance on its freelance workforce. Self-employed talent currently represents a third of resource in the creative economy (source) – sectors such as film, TV, journalism, PR and many more have historically relied on freelance support to deliver projects and plug valued skills gaps.  

Creative workplaces ‘excluding’ freelancers   

Although demand for freelance workforce support in the creative industries shows no signs of shrinking, overall satisfaction is waning among the self-employed. The report from Creative Access surveying under-represented freelancers in the creative industries highlights poor standards from employers. When asked ‘do employers support freelancers and include them in their teams & organisations?’ half of respondents (50%) said no. 

Unsurprisingly, 1 in 2 freelancers also said late payment from employers was an issue. And 1 in 3 disabled respondents said they went freelance due to a negative experience in a permanent role, this was higher than the average 1 in 5, which sadly raises a bigger issue of disabled freelancers being 30% more likely to have suffered bad workplace experiences as staffers, this ‘otherised’ treatment seems to continue into self-employed life.  

Not all bad for freelance talent 

Despite challenges freelancers face, respondents are overall pleased with their career path, pointing to several positive aspects about being self-employed, suggesting their job gives them satisfaction, namely around:  

• remote work (62%) 
• project diversity (61%) 
• independence (61%) 
• it being beneficial to their health & wellbeing (42%)  
• and freedom to select clients (32%) 

How can employers & the industry help freelancers thrive? 

Despite positive experiences being self-employed, freelancers didn’t hold back in identifying how employers and the creative industry at large can better support them to do great work. It’s no coincidence that respondents said employer training on how to best support freelancers is one of the most important resolutions to the freelance, employer disconnect. 

Respondents also pointed towards several key action points employers and the creative industry at large can take to help them thrive: 

1. Make it clear as an employer you will make reasonable adjustments for disabled freelancers – 91% of disabled freelancers in our survey highlighted this was an issue with employers.  

2. 78% of freelancers in our survey said professional training was one of the most important areas employers and industry bodies can support them 

3. Providing access to a mentor with a similar lived experience, was valued by 63% 

4. Access to networking events to build their client and peer contact base (67%)  

5. As well as training for employers on how to best support freelancers (48%) 

“Freelancers are all too often the lifeblood of a creative organisation,” says Creative Access CEO, Bibi Hilton: “They’re the flexible extra resource we bring in when the workload suddenly spikes and there’s no time or budget to hire to plug highly valued, and often specialist skills gaps. And yet, our survey shows, many employers are not treating their freelancers in this way. They are treating them as ‘other’ to their permanent employees; investing in training or wellbeing for everyone except their freelancers or worse, claiming to create a culture of ‘belonging’ that includes everyone except the large proportion of individuals not on permanent contracts.   

“At Creative Access we’ve been at the forefront of supporting diverse talent for over a decade, it’s all part of our mission to make the creative industries reflect UK society. However, we also appreciate our own role in offering career-long support – particularly when talent is self-employed and lies outside the safety net of an organisation.” 

Read the report in full here: Freedom or working for free? Freelancers in the creative economy 2023

Read our recommendations for employers here: How employers can better support freelancers

Nicola Kemp in Creative Brief has written: “The rhetoric of ‘bringing yourself’ is not living up to workplaces in which employees are consistently facing the pressure to ‘code switch’ and cover up their accents” following Creative Access and FleishmanHillard’s report into the impact of accent bias in the UK’s creative industries.

Read the article here.

Creative Access and FleishmanHillard UK’s report into the impact of accent bias in the creative industries has been reported on in Little Black Book. Read in full here.

Marian McHugh has covered Creative Access and FleishmanHillard UK’s research into accent bias in the creative industries, specifically looking at the impact and experiences of those working or aspiring to work in film and TV.

Read the coverage here.

Creative Access and FleishmanHillard UK Research Found 77% of Those in the Creative Industries Feel They Must Change Their Accents at Work to be Taken More Seriously

Creative Access, a leading social enterprise specialising in diversity and inclusion across the creative industries, and global communications agency FleishmanHillard today launched the Language of Discrimination Report. The report reveals the impact of accent bias within the creative industries, and how those affected are feeling under pressure to change their accents to advance in their careers and appease management and clients.

The report draws on a survey of 301 members of the Creative Access community, and a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK adults based on age, gender, region, ethnicity, sexual orientation and socio-economic status.

For an industry with language as its main product, the research found that accents continue to be seen as a marker of class, education and background – impeding talented individuals’ access to, and progression within, the industry. Over three quarters (77%) of respondents working in the creative industries have felt they had to change their accents in the workplace – specifically when dealing with clients.

Official statistics state that over two million people across the UK work within the creative industries, however according to research from the PEC over half (52%) of the creative industry workforce is from high socio-economic backgrounds, compared to 38% across all industries.

With social mobility remaining an acute issue within the creative sector, addressing the issue of accent bias is a key step in driving more inclusivity. Recent research conducted by experts from the Universities of Manchester, Edinburgh and Sheffield reveals that class inequalities within the creative sector had not evolved since the 1970s. It highlighted data from the Office of National Statistics that outlined 16.4% of creative workers born between 1953 and 1962 had a working-class background, but that had fallen to just 7.9% for those born four decades later.

Today’s report highlights that many in the creative industries, as well as the UK at large, have felt prematurely and subconsciously judged because of their accent and manner of speech in formal, workplace scenarios.

Some key responses from Creative Access community members, include:

• 35% were told to change their accents when speaking to customers or clients, compared to 21% of the surveyed general population
• 89% believed that others had made subconscious judgements about them based on their accent or how they speak, compared to 65% among the general population
• 62% were taught from an early age by teachers they must ‘speak better’ to be successful

Impact on career progression:

• 90% agree that those who speak in Received Pronunciation are more likely to be hired and promoted within the PR and Communications industry
• 87% agree there are barriers to entry in PR and Comms depending on your accent and voice, compared to 32% of the working UK adult population
• 60% agreed they had to change their accents to progress their career, compared to 25% of the UK population

Lack of diversity and inclusion:

• 81% of the Creative Access community respondents code switch (changing behaviour to match your peers) for a number of reasons, most notably to be taken more seriously (67%)  
• 69% agree they do not hear many people with accents and voices like theirs in the workplace
• 89% agree that their voice and accent affect how they are perceived in the PR and Communications industry specifically, compared to 41% of the working population

Elonka Soros, Development Director at Creative Access: “The emotional labour of frequent code-switching – the change in one’s behaviour to match their peers – remains an issue in the industry not just in how it impacts the quality of the work produced, but more importantly on the wellbeing of employees. For those who constantly change their manner of speech, a core part of their identity, it leads to higher rates of burnout and anxiety, highlighting the need to foster more inclusive environments for diverse voices.”

Ben Levine, Senior Partner and Head of the UK socio-economic employee resource group at FleishmanHillard: “Accent bias won’t go away on its own. There’s always more we can do as individuals, and as an industry, by fostering inclusivity among our ranks. Be it by adapting blind recruitment processes further, checking our own internalised biases or by calling out remarks about our colleagues’ accents, we can create a more welcoming workplace. Thanks to our partners at Creative Access, we can have those honest conversations and reflections, and take them in our stead to bring in, keep and nurture the diverse voices our industry needs.”

Today’s research supports the findings of The Sutton Trust’s Speaking Up report, which revealed that public attitudes to different accents have remained unchanged over time. Its findings revealed that Received Pronunciation remains the dominant accent in positions of authority across the media, despite less than 10% of the population estimated to have this accent, exclusively from higher socio-economic backgrounds.

About FleishmanHillard  
FleishmanHillard specializes in public relations, reputation management, public affairs, brand marketing, digital strategy, social engagement and content strategy. FleishmanHillard was named 2021 PRovoke Global Agency of the Year, 2021 ICCO Network of the Year, 2021 Campaign Global PR Agency of the Year, 2022 PRWeek U.S. Agency of the Year and Outstanding Extra-Large Agency of the Year; 2021 PRovoke APAC Consultancy of the Year; 2021 PRWeek UK Large Consultancy of the Year; Human Rights Campaign Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality 2018-2021; and to Seramount’s (formerly Working Mother Media) “Top Companies for Executive Women” list 2010-2021. FleishmanHillard is part of Omnicom Public Relations Group, and has 75 offices in more than 30 countries, plus affiliates in 45 countries.  

About Omnicom Public Relations Group   
Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, language strategy, global health strategy and change management. As the largest group of communications professionals in the world, our employees provide expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the Communications Consultancy Network, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC).    

Marian McHugh in Broadcast has focused on the most popular request in Creative Access and McLaren Racing’s latest bursary – driving lessons. Read in full here.

The latest announcement of the second round of Creative Access and McLaren Racing’s Career Development Bursary recipients has been featured in DiversityQ. The outlet highlighted the increased demand for the bursary and wrote: “Sixty-one people working in the creative industries will receive vital funding for equipment, training, driving lessons and travel costs to support their career progression in the sector, thanks to  the annual Career Development Bursary.”

Read in full here.

60% increase in applicants reveals impact of cost-of-living crisis on career progression of those from under-represented groups   

Creative Access, the leading social enterprise in progressive career development and support, and McLaren Racing have today announced that 61 people working in the creative industries will receive vital funding for equipment, training, driving lessons and travel costs to support their career progression in the sector.  

The now annual Creative Access x McLaren Racing Career Development Bursary is in its second year, aimed at supporting talent from under-represented communities aspiring to work or further their career in the creative economy, but who are currently held back from doing so because of their financial status.   

Increased demand 

Demand for the bursary has more than doubled, year on year (2022-2023). Receiving over 500 applications in comparison to 2021, when it received just over 200. This 60% increase comes at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is increasing financial pressures for people across the country, especially those from already marginalised groups. Research has shown that workers from ethnic minority backgrounds are being disproportionately affected by the crisis, with more than a third unable to cover their essential costs each month. 

Due to the crucial need for funding, Creative Access and McLaren Racing increased the amount of money available and in doing so, more than doubled the number of people able to receive the bursary in comparison to last year. The successful recipients are located across the UK and work, or aspire to work, across the breadth of the creative industries including publishing, TV and film, theatre, visual arts, music, fashion, and technology and gaming.   

How the bursary will be used    

Each successful applicant will receive a grant between £250 and £1000, which must be used to enable them to progress in their chosen creative career. The most common request was for funding for driving lessons. Many applicants stated that driving was essential in their industry, such as journalism, film and TV, but with learning to drive costing on average £1,350, according to the RAC, this is prohibitive to many trying to break into the industry. Many applications came from people living outside London, seeming to highlight the impact of rising travel and rent costs. The other most notable request was for equipment, specifically laptops and Macbooks.   

Funding was also requested for: 

• Training and courses   
• Essential equipment such as cameras, microphones, lighting, and digital software
• Commuting costs
• Care costs 
• Living costs   

Shannon Rewcroft, who is an actor based in Yorkshire said: “This bursary is unbelievably helpful. It allows me to invest in my creative practice and enables activities that wouldn’t have been possible before. As well as the financial support, being awarded this bursary has been reenergizing, giving me confidence and focus to move ahead and make exciting plans for 2023!”

Glenda Gaspard, an architecture graduate and artist from London, explained: “This bursary is supporting me in taking the next steps to grow my creative practice. Not only has it opened the door to more resources, it’s also unlocked a new level of confidence in me. It’s an incredible feeling to know that your visions are believed in and backed by others!”  

This is the second bursary from the Creative Access and McLaren Racing partnership, formed in June 2021, under the McLaren Racing Engage alliance, which aims to diversify talent in motorsport.  

Bibi Hilton, CEO of Creative Access says:

Kate O’Hara-Hatchley, Head of Diversity, Early Careers and Development, commented:

The Mo Siewcharran Fund has awarded its latest round of grants to four dynamic, creative organisations across publishing, theatre and music: Good Chance Theatre,  Mark Rubinstein Ltd, Sound and Music and Edinburgh International Book Festival.   

The Fund was set up five years ago in memory of Nielsen Books’ former director of marketing and communications, Mo Siewcharran, by her husband, John Seaton and is administered by leading diversity and inclusion social enterprise, Creative Access.

Mo Siewcharran was passionate about ensuring theatre and publishing were accessible to all and the grants fund internships for talent from Black, Asian and other ethnically diverse backgrounds to improve accessibility and representation in the creative industries.   

Since the Fund started in 2018, it has supported 32 Black, Asian and ethnically-diverse trainees in publishing, theatre and music across the UK. Its impact can be clearly seen across each sector: last year Creative Access found that two-thirds (63%) of interns supported by the Fund stayed on at their host organisation at the end of their traineeship, whilst 9 out of 10 (89%) trainees continued to work in the same sector.  

On this latest round of recipients, founder of the Fund, John Seaton said:  

“The Mo Siewcharran Fund, now in its fifth year and having already supported over thirty interns in the creative industries, is delighted to welcome these four companies who share the same urgency in wanting to improve diversity. It is pleased, also, to extend its reach to include young people from refugee backgrounds. The quest for greater fairness continues.”  

The grants contribute to the salary of an intern for a six-month traineeship, and trainees benefit from a full programme of support from Creative Access to ensure that they thrive in their new role.   

London-based theatre Good Chance is an arts charity, bringing diverse people and communities together through theatre and art. Good Chance is seeking a production and communications assistant trainee from a refugee background to help the company get its international theatre and art projects out into the world through marketing, events production and social media content creation.   

On being awarded the Fund, Good Chance said:  

“We are absolutely thrilled to be working with Creative Access on our Stage Door programme, an opportunity for young people from refugee backgrounds to gain paid work experience in the arts industry. With the support of the Mo Siewcharran Fund, we will not only be able to reach further in our efforts to change the negative narrative around people seeking sanctuary in the UK, but we can also embed deeper the employment practices championed by Creative Access to create an industry more reflective of our beautifully diverse country. Thank you so much to Creative Access and the Mo Siewcharran fund, we can’t wait for all that’s to come!”  

Mark Rubinstein Ltd, a theatrical production management company, providing general management services in London’s West End is another recipient of the grant. It will be hiring a production assistant trainee to work on the opening of Alice’s Adventures Underground, as well as the recast of TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, and overall, understand the role of a general manager.   

Dave McNeilly, head of production, explained:   

“This grant will enable us to offer a production assistant internship to a young person from an under-represented community and introduce them to the commercial theatre management sector. It is key that we open a door to a wider range of individuals to ensure that theatre, and the stories told on our stages, represents our society as a whole. We are excited by this opportunity to continue making positive change in diversifying and strengthening the industry.”  

The national organisation for new music – Sound and Music – supports a diverse range of composers and aims to help audiences discover new music, as well as enable young people to explore their musical creativity. It will also be hiring an education and communications trainee through the Fund to help with the delivery of its programmes and learn about communications and music participation.   

Its head of education, Beatrice Hubble said:   

“Sound and Music are so delighted to receive a Mo Siewcharran Grant and are excited to meet our intern! We are committed to improving access and representation within the arts and look forward to learning from our engagement on this scheme to further develop our own skills as diverse recruiters across our team and the artists we support.”  

The final grant has been awarded to the largest public celebration of the written word in the world, the Edinburgh International Book Festival. It will be recruiting a festival intern to support for the festival’s programming team with planning and delivering events.   

On receiving the grant, the festival’s creative learning manager Catherine Jones stated:  

“At the Edinburgh International Book Festival, we seek to be an open and inclusive festival that aims to showcase a diverse range of voices, from all backgrounds and ethnicities in our events. In 2023, thanks to the generous support of the Mo Siewcharran Fund, we are excited to welcome an intern into our team. We are looking forward to sharing with them our knowledge of events in the literary sector and look forward to supporting them in their career.”  

The Fund is once again open for other theatre, publishing or music organisations wishing to support internships for those from under-represented communities.  

Those interested in applying should contact recruit@creativeaccess.org.uk. The deadline for the next round of applications is 30^th June 2023.   

Edinburgh Book Festival is one of four organisations to have been awarded a grant from the Mo Siewcharran Fund in its latest round, Lauren Brown writes in The Bookseller.