The UK’s broadcasting company ITV has announced the appointment of two new Creative Diversity Partners who will play key roles in driving greater diversity and inclusion both on and off screen.
Reporting to Ade Rawcliffe, ITV Group Director of Diversity & Inclusion, the two new hires Nahrein Kemp and Sam Tatlow will support the implementation of ITV’s Diversity Acceleration Plan that was launched earlier this year. This plan is aimed at creating more opportunities for those from Black, Asian, minority ethnic, disabled and other diverse backgrounds.
ENSURING ON & OFF SCREEN DIVERSITY
ITV said it will increase investment in diversity and inclusion over the next 12 months to deliver measurable change across ITV at all levels. Kemp and Tatlow will work across Commissioning, ITV Studios and the wider ITV business areas, and support independent producers, both strategically and operationally, to improve diversity.
Commenting on the two new appointments Rawcliffe stated: “Nahrein and Sam are both outstanding, talented individuals who each bring with them experience, expertise and a desire to help ITV move forward in our efforts to build a structure and culture that ensures diversity is at the heart of everything we do, on and off screen. Their appointments are another key step that will help us become truly representative of our audience.”
CREATING LASTING CHANGE
Tatlow joins ITV from thinkBIGGER! where she managed training and events for diverse talent across the television industry. She is a former Production Co-ordinator in drama with credits including Misfits, The Inbetweeners and Mad Dogs.
At thinkBIGGER!, Tatlow worked on projects, such as training for disabled presenters and reporters for Channel 4’s London 2012 Paralympic Games coverage, pan-broadcaster networking events for diverse talent, such as The Big TV Link Up, as well as PACT’s Indie Diversity Scheme and Channel 4’s Production Training Scheme.
Tatlow is a member of BAFTA’s Learning, Inclusion and Talent Committee, and was part of BAFTA’s Film Awards Review Diversity Steering Group. She is also on the Board of Trustees for Graeae Theatre Company, the UK’s leading disabled-led theatre company.
“I’m thrilled to be joining ITV and Ade’s team at such an exciting time for the organisation and am looking forward to working with Nahrein to create some lasting measurable change across ITV and its output,” commented Tatlow.
DELIVERING ON THE DIVERSITY AGENDA
Nahrein Kemp will move into her new ITV role from her position as Film & TV Executive at Film London. While there, she established the Equal Access Network, which has successfully helped many people from under represented backgrounds into paid employment. She also created and ran the first ever Return to Work Scheme (funded by ScreenSkills HETV Fund) and Breaking the Glass Ceiling, a leadership programme for people of colour.
Kemp has more than 20 years of experience in the film and TV industry working across genres in development and production. She is also part of BAFTA’s Diversity Steering Group, sits on BAFTA’s Learning, Inclusion and Talent committee and is on the Mayor’s Skills For Londoners Business Partnership Group. She has an MA in Cinema and TV Studies from the BFI, where she was awarded the Richard Attenborough Scholarship.
Commenting on the new role, Kemp said: “I am very excited to join Ade’s team and work with her and Sam to help deliver ITV’s diversity agenda and create meaningful change within the industry.”
CREATIVE DIVERSITY PARTNERS
As Creative Diversity Partners, Tatlow and Kemp will oversee and drive ITV’s Step Up 60 Initiative, which over the next year aims to provide the chance for at least 60 people to step up and secure their first ITV senior editorial and production roles, including directing, writing or producing episodes of ITV’s new and returning drama, factual and entertainment shows.
Kevin Lygo, ITV Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, announced a set of guidelines for producers on how the scheme will work. More details can be found here.
DIVERSITY ACCELERATION PLAN
The appointments follow ITV’s announcement earlier this year of its Diversity Acceleration Plan setting out the five key areas of action. These include:
1. Increasing diversity on ITV’s Management Board and senior leadership teams.
This involves creating a new role of Group Diversity and Inclusion Director as well as creating a number of opportunities for new senior leaders in commissioning and production.
2. Commissioning to ensure ITV better represents contemporary British life on screen within the next 12 months.
This includes increasing the diversity of presenters of ITV’s highest profile programmes as well as the lead actors in ITV dramas by backing and supporting the careers of talent from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds to land lead roles.
3. Improving diversity and career progression in TV production.
ITV’s ‘Step Up 60’ initiative will provide the chance for at least 60 people to step up and secure their first ITV senior editorial and production roles, including directing, writing or producing episodes of ITV’s new and returning drama, factual and entertainment shows.
4. Recruitment – taking positive action at entry level as well as middle and senior leadership.
This includes:
- Up to 20 new opportunities in middle management and 40 new apprenticeships.
- Positive action campaign to support under represented candidates.
- Commitment to advertise all permanent roles and to advertise externally across a wide range of portals to ensure diverse pools of candidates.
- Use of a variety of candidate selection and assessment tools to reduce unconscious bias.
5. Educating and developing ourselves so everyone understands racism and their role in creating an inclusive culture.
This entails:
- Mandatory race and inclusion training for all staff and on-screen presenters and commentators.
- Inclusive leadership training for all managers.
- ITV Rise programme which enables minority ethnic talent progression and inclusive culture change.
ITV confirmed that it will report on progress on each of these commitments every year. It is also establishing a Cultural Advisory Council – a group of independent external advisers who will advise, challenge and counsel ITV on all of its inclusion and diversity activities.
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