11 creative leaders highlight BAME creators disrupting the industry to inspire next gen of talent
11 creative industry leaders, including MediaCom chairwoman Karen Blackett and Quiet Storm founder Trevor Robinson, have put forward 10 BAME creators shaping the industry to spotlight the need for greater diversity in the creative sector.
11 creative industry leaders each choose 10 BAME creatives
There is still a huge disparity of BAME individuals in the creative industry. Currently only 13% of the creative industry workforce identify as coming from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. In addition, only 8% of senior positions have BAME representation.
The Dots, the creative network founded by Pip Jamieson in 2014, believes that true diversity at every level is the key to new real innovation and success, especially the creative industry.
To throw a spotlight on the need for greater diversity in the creative industry when it comes to race, not just gender, The Dots asked 11 creative leaders to choose 10 BAME individuals to watch to celebrate their talent and inspire the next generation of BAME leaders during October, Black History Month.
The 11 leaders include:
- Melanie Eusebe, executive producer, Women of the World festival. Chair, Black British Business Awards
- Karen Blackett OBE, Chairwoman, MediaCom
- Trevor Robinson OBE, founder, Quiet Storm
- Claud Williams, Founder, Dream Nation
- Jordan Kensington, Founder, Urban Music Awards & Invincible Media Group
- Liv Little, Founder, Gal-dem
- Mercedes Benson, D&AD Shift Ambassador, Socia Media Specialist
- Abraham Abbi Asefaw, Founder, The Pop Up Agency. Lecturer, HyperIsland
- Nene Parsotam, Founder, Stripes
- Dior Bediako, Founder, Pepper Your Talk
Nominations include Jonathan Akwue, managing partner of Digitas LBI; Vanessa Kingori, currently publisher of British GQ & GQ Style (soon to be publishing director of the British Vogue portfolio in January 2018); Jamal Edwards, founder of SB.TV; Florence Adepoju, founder of cosmetics brand MDMflow; Priscilla Ngethe, BBC Africa freelancer and co-founder of Global African Business Awards; Dior Bediako, founder of Pepper Your Talk.
Click here to see who the 11 leaders chose as their 10 to watch.
Jameson said: "Creativity is about connecting The Dots but if we're all the same, how can we think differently!
"I'm on a mission to change that, by giving these incredible trailblazers the recognition and opportunities they deserve, while simultaneously inspiring the next generation of black leaders - #IfTheyCanICan."
It's not the first initiative from the network to promote true diversity. In July The Dots partnered with file sharing platform WeTransfer to highlight eight LGBTQ+ stars and companies from around the world. The brands also asked these leaders to nominate the rising stars they think are set to redefine the creative space over the coming years.