Diversity Behind the Camera: The State of Play

There are numerous initiatives and groups in the production industry created to make it more inclusive and accessible, however, considerable barriers remain and when it comes to the crunch jobs are still going to the same people. 

So why isn't change happening fast enough, are there any areas we're seeing meaningful progress and what role can clients play? These are questions that LBB’s Addison Capper posed to production companies from the UK, US and Canada who are leading in this space. 

The first question we need to ask ourselves is, why is it important to have a diverse talent pool in front and behind the camera? Many people see it as a sentimental or emotionally driven desire, but the answer is straightforward and data driven: we must have a diverse talent pool to continue to grow our business. It’s survival. All you have to do is look at the numbers. The traditional ‘general market’ (i.e. Caucasian) had a population loss of 5 million people in the last 10 years. In that same period the US Hispanic GDP grew from $1.7 trillion to $2.8 trillion, making it the fifth largest GDP in the world, bigger even than the UK, India, or France*. Simultaneously, Hispanic wages grew 4.3% per year while non-Latino income contracted by 1.1%*. Another insightful detail is the average age of each demographic with Latinos common age being 11, Anglo-Americans 58, African-Americans 27, Asian-Americans 29*. If our wages increased 4.8% per year, we added $1.1 trillion in our GDP, and our average age is 11… imagine the economic power we’ll yield when we turn 35. And let’s not forget, all recent US population growth comes from people of colour***. 

This information alone should scare the bejesus out of anyone who’s not redefining their marketing. As P&G’s Mark Pritchard said, “If you are not doing multicultural marketing… you’re not doing marketing.”  The challenge, of course, is that for said marketing to work it must be authentic and that right there is the answer to our first question.  

I’ve written before on the importance of diversity in the production pipeline, but I can’t say whether the efforts being done as an industry are having any measurable effect. If representation in front of the camera serves as any reference, Hispanics are seriously lagging behind even with all of this data at our fingertips. According to Nielsen, total screen representation for White, Black, and Asian Americans is greater than their percentage of the population, but when it comes to Hispanics even though we account for 18.7% of the population, we only represent 5.5% of on-screen roles**. Behind the camera the stats can't be much better.

At ALTERED.LA we see this as an opportunity to bring value to our clients simply by being ourselves. We recognise that our demographic is young and may not have the experience the previous majority has but we actively create an environment which allows for the development of talent and acquisition of that experience. And to those who say that the future is multicultural, we’re here to tell you that the future is now. 

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* 2022 LDC U.S. Latino GDP Report

** “Being Seen on Screen: Diverse Representation & Inclusion on TV, a Nielsen Diverse Intelligence Series Report.

*** Brookings Institute.

In the industry, various groups and initiatives are driving fundamental change. Proudly partnered with two of them (Collective Bunch - board member, Dearfriend.tv - partner), I acknowledge that meaningful progress towards diversity in production can feel slow. Barriers persist, favouring the same individuals for crucial job opportunities. To address this, understanding contributing factors, identifying progress areas, and exploring the role of clients and agencies are vital.

While initiatives and groups drive change, significant barriers impede diverse production talent. Systemic biases, limited resources, and inadequate representation hinder progress. Overcoming these challenges requires ongoing commitment, collaboration, and a comprehensive approach that addresses individual and systemic issues.

At Dearfriend.tv, my production company, we actively engage in this issue through prioritising diversity and inclusion in our hiring practices, fostering a perspective-valuing culture, and collaborating with organisations like the Collective Bunch to amplify underrepresented voices. However, meaningful change takes time and requires collective effort from all industry stakeholders.

While progress is evident in areas like increased diversity awareness and discussions, the pace may still feel insufficient. Achieving meaningful change demands a multifaceted approach involving clients and agencies. Clients can drive change by demanding diverse talent, supporting inclusive storytelling, and actively seeking underrepresented voices. Agencies can diversify their teams, challenge traditional hiring practices, and foster inclusive work environments.

Ultimately, achieving diversity in production necessitates sustained effort, accountability, and a collective commitment to challenge and transform existing power structures. By working together and addressing persistent barriers, the industry can create a more inclusive and representative creative landscape.

The number of communities that celebrate diversity has grown so much since I first started out in production over 15 years ago. Untold Fable has been one of the biggest initiatives in the industry, driving the lead in diverse production crews with the aim of 50/50 male to female ratios and 20% BIPOC in line with BFI guidelines, enabling us to make this the norm, not the exception just like other talent platforms like Free the Work, Girls in Film or Thursday’s Child.

As a producer, we all have a black book of contacts. However, in order to keep the work fresh and diversify talent pools there needs to be significant time invested into seeking new talent and building relationships. Whilst I’m happy to see lots of schemes that are broadening opportunities for junior members, I know a lot of my experienced peers still find it hard to break out of being pigeon-holed for certain jobs.

Untold Fable holds one of the most diverse talent networks, as most of our creative roles are advertised as open briefs to all. We present a shortlist of talent to our client, which gives us the opportunity to talk about what we love about their work and what we think they can bring to the project.

When shortlisting, experience isn’t always the top criteria - we consider those with a personal connection to the project and talent who can bring a different perspective. For example, we worked with a 3D animator to create a pelvic floor animation. The animator’s background was in luxury fashion. Although they hadn’t worked with healthcare or tech brands, they had a personal connection to the content, and they created beautiful animations of the pelvic floor that the client loved.

There are a lot of good intentions when it comes to creating meaningful change to make our industry more diverse and accessible. Many businesses now consider inclusivity to be more than a moral obligation - they recognise having a diverse workforce is essential for both relevance and longevity. There’s a lot being done with entry schemes to try and support this, but it would be good to see better representation amongst leadership teams and decision makers. 

Rather than reaching first for the people you know already, think about who you don’t know and figure out how you can connect with them instead. 

The state of play in the production industry reveals both inspiring advancements and persistent challenges. Deep-rooted industry norms and hiring biases often favour the familiar, perpetuating a cycle where the same people are repeatedly entrusted with key roles. Access to funding, lack of representation in decision-making positions, and unconscious biases further hinder marginalised groups from gaining the recognition they deserve. Taking a pledge or signing up to Free the Work, for example, is not enough to tick the box of doing the part!

At NERD, we actively engage in this issue by challenging the status quo. We seek out and sign talent from diverse backgrounds and provide them with opportunities to showcase their perspectives. By actively encouraging collaboration between filmmakers of different ethnicities, genders, and cultural backgrounds, we ensure that the stories we tell are rich in diversity and authenticity. Our commitment to promoting inclusivity is reflected in our hiring practices, where we prioritise diversity side by side with creativity. We work actively to connect our agency and brand clients with talent that can tell their stories authentically. 

On our mission to make the industry more inclusive and diverse we have come across a few allies! One of our favourite organisations who amplify underrepresented voices is Free The Work. They promote up-and-coming talent from all backgrounds and continuously work towards changing the lens through which we look at DE&I and production. Other initiatives such as Women in Film and Television and Film Fatales are championing gender diversity, empowering women to take leading roles in all aspects of production.

When it comes to educating, we always look at The Other Box. They are an organisation that aims to promote diversity and inclusion in the creative and advertising industries by working towards dismantling systemic barriers and empowering underrepresented individuals to thrive in these fields. Through their various initiatives, such as workshops, training programs, and consultancy services, The Other Box fosters inclusivity, challenges biases, and encourages representation. They also collaborate with brands and agencies to develop more inclusive marketing campaigns and strategies. 

While the progress in achieving diversity behind the camera is happening, there is still much work to be done. By supporting and amplifying the voices of underrepresented talent, challenging industry norms, and demanding inclusivity, we can create a production industry that thrives on a rich tapestry of narratives. 

Working to increase diversity and representation in the industry takes a multi-pronged approach, and I'd love to shout out the work that is happening by organisations led by people of colour to address these challenges, share what we're up to at Newfangled, and name a few ways clients and agencies can continue to raise the bar. 

One of the groups I want to acknowledge that's doing great work in this area is an initiative called The Konnect by the Secret Society of Black Creatives. So much of production work goes to folks within someone's existing network - so The Konnect works to create a pipeline of talented Black creatives who have the skills but may not have the access or networks to get into production. The Konnect addresses that barrier by creating events where people of colour can connect to folks working in production - specifically union members and creating pathways where people can learn about new jobs and how to get connected to new opportunities. 

A lot of this work happens internally first, and our team has sought the counsel of diversity, equity, and inclusion experts to help guide us on our path to increasing diversity and belonging. Additionally, Newfangled has championed a whole new series about the importance of representation not just in front of the camera but behind it, Nothing About Us Without Us. This series aims to elevate the voices of queer folks, women and gender non-conforming people, disabled people, and people of colour and share our platform so the insight of folks with these lived experiences is heard from them directly. NAUWU is an ongoing learning process, and we are challenging other agencies, clients, and partners in this industry to walk alongside us as we continue our journey to increase opportunities for people of colour and other folks from marginalised communities within this industry.  

Clients and agencies can help improve this issue by knowing that the lack of diversity in this industry continues to be an issue. We can't do anything until that fact is faced - but once that is, it's up to everyone - whether that is a client, an agency, or an individual, to look at their spheres of influence and push for more equity in those spaces. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to look at things as a whole, and it can be challenging to think that one person alone will ‘solve’ the lack of representation problem. However, what one can do is take tiny little steps to change - maybe that is trying to ensure that there are diverse backgrounds represented on a shoot you're working with, or maybe it's making a personal connection. But many people making small steps leads to big waves of change. 

There are champions of DE&I, but we are tackling a systemic reality that is standing strong. Hiring BIPOC talent can still have negative connotations. Why? While there may be a narrow pool of ‘trusted’ directors for jobs that are targeted to minority audiences, every decision-maker balances their comfort level of people they work with against pursuing a new voice that is unproven. 

White people need to work with their cohort to implement change, and not simply demonstrate to their BIPOC colleagues that they’re engaged. And then, ongoing conversations with people of colour, to anecdotally understand what’s happening for them is really valuable. 

With clients, we often hear, ‘diversity is VERY important to us (box check)’, but then it takes a back seat to other priorities in the bidding process. There’s a correlation between POC talent and certain types of jobs they’re hired on. It’s what keeps the Super Bowl, comedy and automotive categories largely white and male. If clients mandated change in sectors of the industry that aren’t providing opportunities to underrepresented talent, we'd see cool, new, and refreshing creative emerge. Music is an interesting comparative space if you think of how diversely and successfully BIPOC artists have actualised creative expression. We don’t have that in our industry to the same degree.

Fundamentally, change will occur when a higher value is placed on diverse perspectives and replaces the risk aversion that exists to working with underrepresented hires that may not be the ‘safe option’. At Scheme Engine, we support exciting emerging talent alongside decades-seasoned executive and production teams, who have a lot of experience.

Finally, let’s not normalise having one diverse director on the bid - a POC perspective is not monolithic. 

Shout out to the excellent podcast, Reonna Johnson’s Hex Code Black, featuring Black creatives tackling issues of colourism, classism, racism and colonialism. 

We are an entirely women-owned company and as such are highly aware of the gender imbalance in our industry. When people own a company they are in charge of what happens to the money. They set the pay levels, decide how to re-invest the profit back into the business and hire the senior management team - which in turn sets the policies. When these decisions are made by people who have a different perspective to usual, the outcome is that their company looks different to usual. That is because they don’t hold the same prejudices as usual.

The people telling the stories should represent the audience they are talking to, or they aren’t authentic, and it doesn’t cut through. It is in agencies’ interests to ensure they have diverse voices in their teams, to sense-check and elevate work to speak to all of the audience they want to attract.

There are some incredible initiatives to bring a better gender balance to our industry, including Creative Equals, Free the Work and WACL, but the most impact is felt when clients insist on it. Diageo’s Society 2030: Spirit of Progress Action Plan is an example of this making real change, by insisting on diversity in their supply chain. We hope that as more agencies and clients start to see the benefit of better representation in their teams, the faster the change will come.

The pool of commercially viable diverse directors will remain tiny if there continues to be a lack of diversity in the positions that funnel up to that role. To create real systemic change, the boundary that needs to be broken is the barrier of entry into our industry in an effort to nurture young diverse filmmakers in various positions to grow towards top level roles through experience and enduring careers. If clients mandated a specific percentage of diversity in crew staffing on all productions, it would go a lot further to create lasting change, rather than simply asking production companies to submit reels for diverse directors and then passing

on them.