Carissa Jumu, director and producer You have to deal with a lot of stereotypes when you are making TV shows. They have a narrative of how they want black people to look on screen, which isn’t necessarily based in reality. There was a show that I worked on where there were other black crew members, too. It was the most diverse set I’ve been on, but the people at the top would say some very ignorant things, like how the black guys in the show must be gangsters. People come with this whole idea of what a black person is. There were times that I would open up and speak up on certain things and it hurt my career. Once someone made a post on Facebook about a show we made that was a success. She tagged all of the white people in the post and left all of the black people out. Some of the people included didn’t even cast anyone for the show. So the blatant erasure of black people definitely happens. The only way that I was able to get into the industry was by doing unpaid work on a scheme. But not everyone can come from a scheme to get into TV – there should be other avenues, too. Vivian Eguridu, Jacqueline Baker, Abby Kumar and I formed the BAME TV Task Force and wrote an open letter to the industry to encourage diversity. You have a lot of entry- and mid-level people who get frustrated at a certain point and leave because things aren’t progressing – and that’s what inspired the letter. We don’t just want to be tokens, where there’s a “one in, one out” system. We should be hired for our skills and talent, not because you want to tick a box. Muchengeti Madhovi, freelance producer I’ve been a freelancer for 14 years but I started out as an intern at MTV. It was amazing because MTV was culturally aware back in the day. It was the first place that had programming that was consciously for black people and it felt genuine because it was made by black folks. When I left and started freelancing, I was so surprised at how in most production companies I was the only black person there. What I’ve started to realise, especially from these protests recently, is that a lot of people don’t understand there’s an issue with racism in this country. Steve McQueen’s article [in the Observer last month] is great because he’s talking about bringing people in but there are a lot of people in right now. The issue is that you reach a glass ceiling that you can’t get beyond. I’ve been freelancing for 14 years and I’ve been in the same position. I should be at executive level but there’s been no opportunities for me to move into that space. There are a lot of black people who have left and gone to other countries. A few of my friends have gone to Nigeria and are doing really well with opportunities they would have never gotten here. It is a problem that can only be fixed from the top down. Rochelle Newman, assistant producer When I started out in the industry, I got in on a diversity scheme. One of the production companies I worked for felt like they just wanted to put me down. One time I was called into the office by a talent executive and she told me, in other words, to not be so confident. Plus, I’ve been told by a white, male producer that I’m lucky to be in the industry. I’ve been at a production company for three years now and I’m being well looked after but that’s outside of London and the executives are very diverse. They’ve nurtured me, so I feel comfortable there. If I hadn’t moved to a company outside of London, I would probably still be a researcher and not an assistant producer. Black people’s confidence has been knocked in the TV industry at every single level. We need mentorships and support not just from our allies but also from other black people. Jasmine Hamilton, makeup artist I got my foot in the door quite early because my aunt was a director for over 20 years and she knew makeup artists who worked on TV. I know that a lot of other makeup artists who look like me have found it much harder. The makeup artists I tend to work with are older people and predominantly white. At first, I didn’t really pay attention to it, but I started to notice that when I’m on set there’s only myself and maybe one other black person in the room. When I met more black creatives who worked in TV and film, I realised I didn’t see them on set as often. It didn’t make sense. Why hadn’t they been hired? They could do the same job as the others. It made me question everything. Often, I would be given the black or mixed-race model or cast member because no one else could confidently say that they could do their makeup. They instantly knew that I could do it instead. I noticed that a lot of white makeup artists would have maybe two shades for black skin, when in reality there are so many different shades of black skin. We need a more diverse crew on set. We need space for more black makeup artists because we know what looks good and how to enhance the skin, rather than making it look flat. Shani O’Mallo, editor I’ve been editing for a few years now and I haven’t seen many other black editors, especially female ones. A lot of the times when I’ve seen black editors hired, it’s been specifically to use them when cultural appropriation is being shown. I’ve worked at a company that very strategically used black people for what they needed. After completing my time there, I felt very used. It’s really disheartening when you know you’re only there to be asked if something is OK, or to justify something they’re doing. Since I transitioned from being a full-time in-house editor to a freelance editor, there haven’t been any black editors on any of the teams that I’ve worked on. It’s important for black people to be in the room because you can push back on a narrative that you think is inappropriate, racist or wrong. Since I’ve become freelance, I’ve been recommending other black people where I can for upcoming jobs. It’s a good way to build up each other’s portfolios. At this point, I have given up hope that people will give genuine opportunities to black people without an agenda. When I get to a certain place in my career, I would love to have an editing school to give opportunities to other people. Vivian Eguridu, casting assistant producer I cast for a couple of shows so the brief is always different, but there is definitely a stereotype that people go for. For example, if you’re casting reality formats and some of the shows are looking for a black person, they need to be “aspirational”. That is colourful language which means that their career needs to be acceptable in white people’s eyes. They don’t have the freedom to just be anything they want. There are some shows that are just looking for the urban character and they fail to see that there’s beauty in the diaspora. They’re only used to seeing one stereotypical character. As someone in casting it’s my responsibility to bring a wide selection of people to the table, even if they aren’t chosen. I always make sure that my options are as diverse as possible. Sometimes it’s difficult because you have to push back and fight but change starts from the top. It’s important to have open-minded people in senior positions who are making those decisions. I have career aspirations to get to the top for that reason, to make sure that when I am presented with options: I can give people who haven’t been deemed worthy before a chance.