Widen your talent pool

Crewing Up

Tips and resources for sourcing diverse talent, and links to agencies for finding diverse artists in broadcasting, screen and media in the UK, plus information on the legalities of using talent databases to search for creatives by diversity characteristics.

Also advice on using inclusive and fair recruitment policies.

Commissioning New Adventures: Building an Inclusive Process

Blog describing the commissioning process designed to increase diversity of scriptwriters in new series of the popular ‘Zombies Run!’ exercise game, first using ‘blind’ anonymous read-throughs to shortlist, then assessing writer bios to ‘promote’ submissions from under-represented groups.

'In every case where we felt our shortlist was unbalanced, we promoted extra submissions rather eliminating others. We worked by addition rather than subtraction.'

Artists first in Tasmania’s Inspire Program

The Inspire Program supports culturally diverse performers in Tasmania, created in 2017 by Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania. The program's website serves as a talent database and every performer gets a ‘promotion pack’ with professional photos, free business workshops (with language support where needed) and mentoring from a performing arts company.

“We are a service provider; we’re not an arts organisation. But, we knew an enormous amount of talent in the community that wanted opportunities."

‘There are no more excuses’: six industry insiders on Australian TV's problem with race

Creatives of colour discuss issues in the Australian screen industry.

Benjamin Law: 'On The Family Law, the team demonstrated that when gatekeepers make the excuse, “Oh, there aren’t enough actors of a certain background” – that’s bullshit. You just haven’t made the effort to find them. Yes, it’s harder than just calling up the same Caucasian faces that you already know. Taking the time is the only way you’re going to do it.'

No diversity: Australian musical theatre award accused of overlooking non-white artists

Article on the criticism received by the Rob Guest Endowment due to the lack of diversity of its 2020 semifinalist list. The $50,000 award is Australia's most prestigious music theatre award and was criticised for announcing what appeared to be a completely white 30-person shortlist.

Some of the semifinalists issued a statement saying: “The 30 of us stand with artists and performers who are people of colour. We are uniting to listen, learn and actively be part of the solution.”

David Olusoga: his Edinburgh television festival speech in full

In his *** lecture, *** presents his thesis that a generation of black and brown talent has been lost to the British media because media management did not support or invest in their careers.

'The recipients of that sort of investment are those whom managers and indie bosses can envisage one day doing their jobs. And in my experience those selected for such elevation tend to be carbon copies of the managers who champion their careers.'

Ask the Mentor: How do I find and hire more diverse writers?

Article offering advice on finding diverse writers.

'I approached everyone in relation to their professional experience – which is what I wanted them to bring. What I did differently is that I actively searched beyond my usual networks.' - Casting producer Sancia Robinson

.eleven

A collective of Muslim Australian contemporary art practitioners.

Hyphenated-Projects

Melbourne-based platform for artists with transcultural practices and a collective that presents, collaborates and develops new ideas. The collective was founded after presenting a survey exhibition of Asian-Australian artists in Victoria at The Substation titled Hyphenated (2018).

The sorry part is easy – why true racial diversity in the arts will take more than words

'Because the arts scene is often based on unspoken rules, networking and gatekeeping, there are generally no channels for complaint if you are typecast or overlooked as “inexperienced” based on race.'

Indigenous elders to join SBS as it tackles diversity challenges

Article on the decision to increase representation of Indigenous people at the board level of Australia's Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) media network.

Diversity-Inspired Museum Fellowships Are Noble—But Do They Lead to Success?

In 2017, the Ford Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation invested US$6 million into a project to diversify arts leadership by building pipelines of talent. In this review of the Diversifying Art Museum Initiative, one of the beneficiary fellows writers about the program, which has not yet led to further work for her in the arts industry.

‘Diversity fellowships should be not only opportunities for those who receive them but also for the museums that administer them.'

Reflecting Me: Global Representation On Screen

Explores perceptions of on-screen representation in Australia and 14 other countries. Based on interviews with over 15,000 people (1000 in Australia), the research reveals:

* 55% of respondents feel there needs to be more accurate representation of diverse identities, 47% feel there needs to be more types
* the media is more than twice as influential in shaping positive views toward marginalised groups than those closest to you