22m 44s

Making the Screen Industry a Workplace for Everyone

There’s a simplicity in the word ‘Diversity’, but there’s so much surrounding it which needs a nuanced, considered approach from every one of us in the screen sector.

From Stacey Carr’s experiences with Nickelodeon, Endemol Shine, the Oprah Winfrey Network and now Donmar Warehouse, she’s seen how EDI as a ‘way of life, not a set of rules’ creates better, more inclusive workplaces.

For those looking to make their projects and businesses as welcoming as possible, join us on Episode 3 of Work Wise for Screen to learn how best to engage with diverse voices throughout the sector.

The Work Wise for Screen podcast is supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery Funding.

This episode covers:

Current challenges facing the UK and US in embracing diverse content
Intentionality and creativity in diversifying your worldview
Celebrating EDI as an opportunity to attract new, exciting talent
Developing innovative new ideas
How to engage with different generations to bring diverse perspectives

Episode Topics

Introductions, background on Stacey’s path in the industry, and a baseline understanding of diversity (0:00 to 7:00)

Challenges that uniquely face the UK vs the US screen sectors (7:00 to 11:45)

Intentionality and creativity being key to bringing diverse voices into the sector (11:45 to 13:00)

Opportunities for smaller organisations, and the challenge of shifting focus (13:00 to 17:45)

How we engage different generations, and be active in seeking diverse viewpoints (17:45 to End)

Episodes Highlights

“I really think that it's about trying to be as holistic as possible in the work that you're doing, bringing in different voices, people with different perspectives, and finding a way for all of them to have a place.” - 3:15 - Stacey Carr

“People need to start making changes and keep that curiosity and openness to people of different backgrounds, cultures and belief systems in their personal life. Once you cultivate that value, those practices and that intentionality, it bleeds into the workplace. This is not rocket science. This is not a math problem. This is real life. These are real people. These are real relationships.” - 7:15 - Stacey Carr

“What comes out at the end of that intentionality is the best stuff. It's the best culture, it's the best working relationships. It's where the best creativity lives.” - 12:00 - Tacita Small

“This is one thing that I feel like the US understands a little bit more, is that even if people don't maybe necessarily care about making things more representative, deep down in their soul, they at least know that audiences want to spend money on watching content.” - 12:20 - Stacey Carr

“I really think that people need to have open doors and to really create time to meet different types of people. I think that there's just an authenticity that needs to be leaned into, but I think curiosity is key.” - 14:40 - Stacey Carr

“We need to help the algorithms realise that we value diversity. The risk is all the information I get served up on my feed is information that is very close to me, and I think that starts feeling really difficult if that's the only way that I'm reaching out to find information.” - 19:00 - Keith Arrowsmith