ScreenSkills’ Head of Policy Mark Heholt opened ScreenSkills’ 2020 diversity conference with a few staggering statistics to illustrate the diversity and inclusivity challenges the industry faces. “Only 13% of broadcaster employees are from black Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, frankly that’s a bit embarrassing,” he said. “There is a 14% pay gap between the average pay between men and women, equally embarrassing. And something which I think really strikes a chord with me, and maybe with the rest of you, is that that 60% of TV workers are from better-off backgrounds.”
ScreenSkills executives Kaye Elliott (high-end TV) and Gareth Ellis-Unwin (film and animation) then gave an overview of some of the initiatives ScreenSkills supports in television and film and how they improve diversity and inclusion, including Trainee Finder, Make a Move for film, HETV and children’s TV and First Break.
You can watch more videos from this conference here.
About the speakers
Mark Heholt is ScreenSkills Head of Policy. He is responsible for developing and articulating ScreenSkills’ policies on the screen industries. He has been involved in policy making and influencing in one form or another for more than two decades
Gareth Ellis-Unwin is ScreenSkills Head of Film and Animation. BAFTA and Academy Award-winning producer Gareth leads on delivering the Future Film Skills 10-point plan and sets the strategic direction for the Film Skills Fund.
Kaye Elliott is ScreenSkills Director of High-end TV. She oversees all aspects of HETV industry-led investments. Previously she was director of partnerships and head of production services at Creative England.
About the event
The UK screen industries need to be more inclusive. People such as women and people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are under-represented across the sector. People from disadvantaged backgrounds also often struggle to break in.
ScreenSkills organised a half-day conference in Leeds on 11 March about the practical ways in which the industry can improve diversity and inclusion in screen. The conference was supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery funds as part of its Future Film Skills strategy.