RTS Yorkshire joined forces with the Creative Diversity Network at the Queens Hotel, Leeds, in early July to find ways to increase the black and minority ethnic (BAME) diversity of TV crews in the region.
Among the solutions suggested at the event were better recruitment practices, removing barriers and on-the-job mentoring.
This was the second in a series of regional discussions held by the Creative Diversity Network and the RTS. The first was held in Cardiff in June.
The Leeds session was facilitated by Fraser Ayres, who runs the Triforce Creative Network which aims to promote equal opportunities in the entertainment industry. He was joined by Sarah Lee, creative director of The Talent Manager, Nicola Lees from the Sara Putt Agency and Minnie Ayres, TriForce director of operations.
Lees showed a clip from this year’s Glastonbury festival in which superfan Alex Mann joined the rapper, Dave, on stage, offering it as a masterclass in support and mentoring. However, one of the attendees at the RTS event argued that this interpretation depended on the prism through which you were watching – as a black person, it could be seen as an example of cultural appropriation.
“This is just the start of these important conversations – but what a start,” said RTS Yorkshire Chair Fiona Thompson.
