DETERMINED TO hit the ground running the BBC’s Director of Creative Diversity June Sarpong has committed to hardwire diversity and inclusion throughout the BBC – within its creative decision making, production values and content.

The BBC had already identified diversity and inclusion as a ‘a top priority’ in their Annual Plan and their mission statement, released on International Day of Diversity, reaffirms their ambition to lead the way by establishing best practice for the wider creative industry.

It’s very important we work and learn from others – both within the broadcasting industry and in the wider world

June Sarpong

A series of initiatives announced and welcomed by OfCom, include:

·         Establishing guidance and tools to help the BBC’s creative staff and industry partners ensure diversity and inclusion is at the heart of production;

·         Launching a framework for auditing, setting targets and evaluating results within production to underpin the BBC’s broader Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) policies;

·         Bringing the broadcasting industry together with audiences through the Creative Diversity Festival.

The Creative Diversity Unit will publish a new strategy over the summer to support these initiatives.

Diversity is crucial to authentic storytelling, and we’ve been urging broadcasters to widen their pool of creative talent

Vikki Cook, Ofcom’s Director of Content and Media Policy

Later this year the BBC will also publish a detailed Diversity Commissioning Code of Practice report at the same time as the Annual Report and Accounts, and later a new workplace D&I strategy, to cover the period from 2021 to 2023.

The announcement comes ahead of the Creative Diversity Dialogue, an hour-long discussion hosted on LinkedIn Live later today [5pm BST] about how to ensure diversity and inclusion is at the heart of plans to recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Led by BBC’s Director General, Tony Hall and the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J Mohammed the discussion will include contributions from Sarpong, and leading experts in diversity and inclusion.

Sarpong said: “The BBC’s ambition is to lead the way on diversity. But it’s very important we work and learn from others – both within the broadcasting industry and in the wider world.

“The steps we have announced today aim to set a gold standard, which we will share with anyone who wants it. My vision is for the work, insight and application of the BBC’s Creative Diversity team to flow through the veins of the entire industry.”

Vikki Cook, Ofcom’s Director of Content and Media Policy, said: “Diversity is crucial to authentic storytelling, and we’ve been urging broadcasters to widen their pool of creative talent to ensure audiences of all backgrounds are reflected both on and off-screen.”

She added: “We’re encouraged by the BBC’s vision for creative diversity and inclusion and look forward to seeing how its strategy progresses.”

Toolkit for BBC Staff

The toolkit launched today for the BBC’s creative staff and industry partners aims to prioritise diversity throughout creative decision making, culture and output.

It focuses on six areas:

·         Renew – BBC creative teams will shake up how they search for and source talent and create an industry-wide talent database. We will enlist search teams with different backgrounds in the sourcing and commissioning process, and consider working with partners who can either guide or provide access to untapped talent pools.

·         Invest – The BBC will further strengthen our culture of listening and responding. We will use these findings to invest appropriately in career development so all talent can progress and thrive.

·         Value – Everyone at the BBC must understand the value of diversity. We will develop plans that are inclusive and everyone understands why diversity is valuable, not just at a strategic level but also in the creative process.

·         Empower – Everyone at the BBC must believe they have the permission to tell their stories and be heard. By celebrating diversity we will generate a feeling of belonging for all.

·         Reward – The BBC will give credit to individuals in a meaningful way. Recognition is crucial, as it encourages innovative thinking and allows inclusion.

·         Sponsorship – The BBC will pair diverse talent with senior sponsors, through a creative sponsorship programme, to help develop careers.

Framework for audit and evaluation

The BBC has also worked with the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, led by Dr. Stacy L Smith at the University of Southern California, to create a framework to help organisations evaluate how they’re doing and track progress as they work to improve diversity and inclusion within production.

‘The Belonging Blueprint’ covers five areas:

·         Developing internal audits;

·         Setting target inclusion goals;

·         Creating culture shifting strategy and criteria; 

·         Implementing and evaluating actions;

·         Establishing well-being and belonging.

These provide the necessary processes that must be in place for larger Diversity & Inclusion policies to be successful. They are designed to account for differences in TV and film production, and to build on existing efforts by broadcasters, production companies, and individuals in order to create lasting change. The Blueprint process can be used by teams prior to enacting a policy, such as the forthcoming Diversity Commissioning Code of Practice to govern productions and staffing.

The aim is for the Belonging Blueprint to be implemented across the BBC’s global content supply chain.

The work draws on the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s expertise that is based on academic research and its industry-leading work to craft solutions to inequality.

It also strengthens the BBC’s work to create equity across its global content programming, such as the 50:50 Project, a voluntary system of self-monitoring that began in one small team in the newsroom and has grown across global media. It uses data, transparency and peer group dynamics to drive performance and cultural change. It now covers 600 teams, over 4,000 producers and content creators, from across the BBC – from news, content, radio and music to the nations and regions. It has already delivered significant shifts in representation of women at minimal cost: in March 2020, two-thirds (66%) of data submitted reached 50% women contributors – up 9% on the previous year. Following this success, its remit will be expanded to further include targets for BAME (15%) and disability (12%) aligned to the BBC’s current D&I strategy.

Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Founder, Annenberg Inclusion Initiative said: “A partnership between the BBC and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative draws upon the unique strengths of each organization and ensures that we are moving quickly toward a future where inclusion and belonging are part of the fabric of entertainment.”

Creative Diversity Festival

In July, we will host CDX, an innovative industry-first two-day virtual programme of masterclasses, talks and interviews, created to promote and celebrate the vibrancy, innovation, and leadership of national and international black, Asian and other ethnic minority talent across the creative industry. On July 7 and 8, 2020, using state of the art streaming technology, CDX will host some of the world’s most iconic stars, cultural disruptors and influencers through a six-hour schedule over two days, which is public facing and primarily aimed young BAME audiences.

Due to COVID-19, the full Creative Diversity festival, which aims to be the pre-eminent BAME-focused creative festival in the world, has been postponed but will be taking place when practicable.

This three-day festival will connect the best of BAME creative talent with the BBC and the industry at large. It will be a celebration of the vibrancy, innovation and leadership of BAME talent within the creative industry and will leverage the convening power of the BBC to bring together extraordinary people and stories from BAME communities to establish a content and talent pipeline that will fuel the whole industry.