INDUSTRY FIRESIDE CHAT
first. It’s essential we support young people who might not consider a career in our industry to learn about screen and creative careers, as well as those who might transfer from other industrial sectors. We have got a diversity problem and we won’t fix that without new entrants. But there’s no point bringing people in and losing them. At a time of rapid technological change, we need to support mid- and senior-level talent to build their skills and remain resilient and adaptable. We consulted 1600 people across the industry last year to develop our five- year strategy and the feedback clearly pointed to a need for support mid level. Across ScreenSkills and all of the skills funds, we’ve increased investment in mid and senior levels via development programmes like Make a Move, Leaders of Tomorrow, Unscripted TV and Series
Producer, among others – and ensured bursaries also target this level. DEF: Diversity and inclusion rightly remain key conversations in the industry. Where have you seen progress that gives you hope, and where is change still too slow? LM: I’m an eternal optimist, and there’s great work going on across the industry to make change, but change is far too slow. Our Sizing Up research demonstrates that there’s still a long way to go, especially when it comes to leadership positions for those from marginalised backgrounds – particularly women, disabled people and those from working-class or ethnic minority backgrounds. When it comes to ethnic diversity, this is variable within the industry itself – so some departments,
such as technical and craft, are more representative compared to subsectors such as editorial, post-production or production management. For example, just 12% of executive and corporate roles were held by those from ethnic minority backgrounds in 2024. I’m married to a south-Asian British director and I’ve seen first-hand the barriers he and so many others face in their careers. The insidiousness of unconscious bias to me is what we need to challenge. And the way you do that is by ensuring that there are lived diverse experiences around every board table, in every single team and company – not just one. A token person isn’t enough to make systemic change. Why should people from a diverse background have to carry so much expectation alone? ScreenSkills is committed to improving diversity and inclusivity in
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