RTS Futures turned the spotlight on TV’s diversity – or lack of it – at its final event of the year where a panel of young Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) talent revealed their struggles and triumphs in the industry.
The panel was drawn from Broadcast’s 26 BAME Hot Shots of 2015, which the magazine announced in August.
Breaking into the industry is tough. Funmi Olutoye, a news features producer at ITV’s Good Morning Britain, reckoned that only one in 20 to 25 emails she sent out looking for work elicited a reply, let alone an interview. ‘It’s a test of your mettle and whether you’re tenacious enough to [work] in this industry,’ she said. ‘There are many people I started with who are no longer here… it’s not because I’m more talented, it’s that I had more tenacity to stick with it.’
Jasmine Dotiwala is the executive news editor of the youth London 360 News TV Magazine Show at the Media Trust. She has experienced first hand how to work your way up the ladder and now has a wealth of experience in the entertainment journalism industry. Starting out as a runner on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast, Jasmine went on to present The Word before moving to MTV where she spent the following 13 years, ultimately heading up MTV BASE production. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in showbiz, from Mary J. Blige and Destiny's Child to Eminem and Jay Z.
