Soho Media Club held its annual BeYou festival in London last week to address and celebrate key changes in creating diverse and inclusive spaces across the UK’s media and entertainment industry.
The day consisted of talks exploring how traditional TV can support young, exciting content creator talent from all across the UK, recognising and managing the cultural barriers, all delivered by important industry voices including Cimran Shah, Commissioner, Channel 4 and Kalpna Patel-Knight, Senior Head of Commissioning, Entertainment, BBC.
Other discussions delved into the macro and micro trends impacting roles in media, presented by Claire Tavernier, Senior Media Advisor and Chair, UK Film & TV Charity. Disability representation, LGBTQ+ rights and the importance of representation at all levels of production and how to keep the momentum going were also brought to the floor. Additionally panels discussed what is next for AI for creative technologists.
Speakers held workshops on mental health in the industry, and leadership success, giving an opportunity for executive coaching as well as younger members of the community being inspired by experienced professionals.
Muki Kulhan, Chief Innovation Officer, XR Producer & Creative Technologist on BeYou’s advisory team, and Project Lead on IBC Accelerators, explained that: “Soho Media Club brings together the wider industry of production, post and emerging media, on the common themes that we all share, and where those opportunities lie in creating, from development up. These are all human centric stories that we can all relate to regardless of your gender, skin colour or background.
“(We want to) show what change has been made, and to enable those who might be inspired to start a career in the industry to know that something is being done, to feel confident that they can have a career in front of them without being left out.”
The event took on a holistic approach to inclusivity across all areas and levels, from breaking into the industry to upskilling, creating a safe space for working in the screen industries. The day ended with networking where connections and ideas were shared amongst new and experienced members.
“The aim is to create a safe environment where changes being made and if they’re not, maybe set them up for the right kind of playbook on what they need to take to the table to help them find the right allies,” said Kulhan.
Soho Media Club is keen to open the conversation on an international level, as the topics are not limited to the UK, and the IBC audience are welcome to share their thoughts on these themes ahead of IBC2024.
Kulhan concluded: “The end of the BeYou festival is not the end of the conversation, all the topics are completely universal and they’re relevant to no matter where you work in production, what language you speak and where you come from in the world.”
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