Talk of the town

Soho Media Club’s second BE YOU Festival, held on 13 July, ignited more thought-provoking discussion around the film and TV landscape, thanks to a delightfully eclectic line-up of speakers united by a desire for change.

If you’d popped your head round the entrance to HERE at Outernet, just off London’s Tottenham Court Road, on a grey Thursday afternoon, you might have been surprised to spot a few hundred people dancing away to Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk”. But this impromptu dance break, led by charismatic filmmaker Otto Baxter, was just one of the delightful touches that make Soho Media Club’s BE YOU Festival so special. After all, this is no stuffy industry conference; it’s a collective of like-minded individuals gathering to discuss what the industry’s getting right and – crucially – how it can do better.

Soho Media Club was founded by Jaisica Lapsiwala and Tomasz Witkowski in July 2019 to build an inclusive media community, centred around London’s creative heartland. The inaugural BE YOU Festival, held in summer 2022, took this vision to the next level, uniting the capital’s creatives for a packed day of thought-provoking panels and inspiring sessions. This year’s event carries on these important conversations, albeit in a new venue: HERE at Outernet, London’s newest creative district that’s just a short hop from Tottenham Court Road Tube station.

Opening this year’s festival with a fireside chat with Soho Media Club’s resident MC, Muki Kulhan, was multi-hyphenate creative Sir Lenny Henry. Henry began by taking the rapt audience in the cavernous venue through his career so far, including the ever-popular The Lenny Henry Show and his work as part of the founding team behind Comic Relief. More recently, he has been making strides as CEO of production company Douglas Road and has appeared in Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power. He reflected on the state of inclusivity in the industry and how it’s evolved since he started out.

His advice included treating every opportunity you’re given as a “springboard”: “Think: ‘I’m going to use this as a leg-up to get to my next thing.’” He also highlighted the importance of overcoming shyness. “If you’re shy, that’s great, but there has to be a moment when you’re brave. If you’re standing there with a producer or [camera operator] and it’s the thing you want to do most in the world, you’ve got to figure out a way to overcome it to make the next step forward.”

Joining Henry during the session was rising star Fauzia Boakye, an actress, content creator and presenter whose professional journey has been supported by Fully Focused Productions. She shared her frank experiences in the industry, including not wanting to be “put in one box” in her career. She also spoke about the importance of your own mental health and wellbeing, and knowing when you need to take a break. “On social media all the time, it’s always like, ‘no days off’. But you need to take care of [yourself], otherwise how are you supposed to make the best of yourself?” she said.

Next in the packed line-up was a panel session on inclusive representation in storytelling and talent. All3Media’s head of diversity, inclusion and equality, Annika Allen was joined by Angela Ferreira, MD of Douglas Road Productions; Emma Hindley, lead commissioning editor at BBC Storyville; and Debbie Ramsay, commissioning editor at Channel 4. The four panellists examined whether D&I schemes are working and how we can empower both new and existing talent.

Ferreira highlighted that although there are many schemes for industry newcomers, it’s important to not forget the plight of the “stuck middle”, equipping mid-level professionals with the skills set to step up. Ramsay, meanwhile, spoke about how making job applications more accessible – for example, including video applications – can open up the industry to a more diverse range of talent.

Ensuring Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent (DDN) talent are fairly represented both behind the camera and on screen is a key issue, and at BE YOU to discuss were drama producer and DDPTV co-director Bryony Arnold, director Ted Evans, and Rogan Productions’ creative director James Rogan. Moderated by Televisual’s Pippa Considine, the session examined the next steps for fully embracing the DDN community and promoting accessible and equitable working environments. The audience enjoyed clips from Signs for Change, featuring Rose Ayling-Ellis and directed by Evans for Rogan Productions, and When Barbara Met Alan, produced by Arnold – two ground-breaking productions highlighting DDN talent.

After a break for lunch (which included an optional walking tour to help flex your creative muscles), we heard from filmmaker Otto Baxter and Story Films’ Peter Beard and Bruce Fletcher. Baxter’s The Puppet Asylum, autobiographical comedy-horror-musical set in Victorian London, marked the first time a major broadcaster commissioned a project of scale from a writer and director with Down Syndrome, when it was greenlit by Sky in 2022. Ria Hebden delved into Baxter’s creative process, including how he is influenced by classic ‘80s horrors like A Nightmare on Elm Street and how he finds inspiration in music. That’s where our refreshing dance break came in!

The festival’s gaze then moved beyond the M25 with a panel featuring ScreenSkills beneficiaries from across the UK. Hebden was joined by 1^st assistant editor and assembly editor Jasmin John, line producer Karen Taylor, and 3^rd AD Charanprite Dhami, who all shared their experiences working in the industry in the Midlands (John) and Yorkshire (Taylor and Dhami). They explained how ScreenSkills had helped them progress to the next stage of their careers, thanks to the various training, mentorship and funding opportunities it offers.

Jason Osborne and Precious Mahaga’s Love Languages is a tender portrayal of Black British men set against a backdrop of an Afro-Caribbean barbershop. In conversation with ITV’s Satmohan Panesar, Osborne explained how the film was selected from thousands of applications as one of the beneficiaries of the inaugural Netflix UK Documentary Talent Fund. It was inspiring to hear about his career so far and the importance of “finding your tribe” and “finding creative chemistry” as a filmmaker.

There was more inspiration and insight from the fantastic ‘Ask Me Anything’ interactive Q&A, involving TV executive Fatima Salaria; journalist, radio and TV presenter, and filmmaker Mobeen Azhar; and radio and TV presenter Melvin Odoom. Moderated by broadcaster, producer and inclusion & equity leader Jasmine Dotiwala, this lively session allowed these industry stalwarts to pass on their advice. Key soundbites included “Failure is another way of learning” (Odoom), “Maintain perspective” (Azhar) and “Be respectful, humble, kind and a nice person” (Salaria).

Later in the afternoon, attendees could enjoy a variety of breakout sessions: Career Corner: Carving Your Own Career Path; Get Savvy with your Money: The Freelancer Financial Toolkit; or Digital First Meets Traditional Broadcast: New Creators. Then, sessions divided into two streams: Wellbeing and Belonging, at Streamland Media, or Creativity and Inclusive Tech at HERE. Find out more about these exciting panels here. And if all that wasn’t enough, guests could dance the night away at the now-traditional BE YOU Festival After Party!

Once again, BE YOU provided a welcoming, inclusive space for some straight talk about the state of the industry. We look forward to seeing what’s in store for next year!