B E C O L L E C T I V E
Growing our screen sector while raising up equity, diversity, and inclusion in film & television industries
OUR SPONSORS
ON-SET TRAINING INITIATIVE
PHASE 1
ON-SET TRAINING INITIATIVE Industry Best Practices Guide
Best Practices for On-Set Equity, Diversity &
Inclusion (EDI) Initiatives
Integrating EDI into your strategic plan requires clear objectives aligned with your company's or organization’s values. Partner with like-minded industry leaders and formalize inclusion policies. Engage community partners and budget for mentorship to attract diverse talent. Support from department heads and entry-level options is crucial, as is acknowledging the two-way nature of the mentor-trainee relationship. Integrate nets to ensure long-term success, document progress and promote continuous learning. Use data to track progress, recommend diverse talent to other crews, and promote diversity and inclusion across the industry. Finally, celebrate successes and recognize employees for their contributions to EDI initiatives.
BUILDING INCLUSIVE NETWORKS INITIATIVE
PHASE 2
BUILDING INCLUSIVE NETWORKS INITIATIVE
Industry Best Practices Guide
Best Practices for Networking Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Initiatives
In order to have a wider impact on the industry, creating community partnerships is crucial. Seek out and partner with community organizations who share your EDI commitment to expand your reach and impact. Connect with BIPOC talent and decision-makers who share similar objectives to foster meaningful relationships.
When inviting individuals to events, personalize your invitations and explain the event objectives. Provide opportunities for ice-breaking and assign mentors or provide a buddy system to support individuals to make connections. Clearly communicate the event's objectives to all participants and set clear goals with performance indicators to measure success. Gather feedback and data to measure the event's impact and inform future EDI networking initiatives.
OBJECTIVES
- To build capacity among BIPOC youth and youth from other equity-seeking groups to participate in the film & television industry. - To establish tangible connections for entry-level practitioners to break down barriers to entry in a close-knit screen industry. - To build capacity in emerging filmmakers so as to fill critical workforce gaps in the local film industry. - To share learning gleaned from this initiative with key industry stakeholders who may wish to create similar projects to grow, strengthen and diversify our screen industries.
HOW IT STARTED
- Last year, our company undertook a nation-wide study called "Building Inclusive Networks in the Film & Television Industry" with Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund and other stakeholders.
- We identified major gaps in terms of access to social networks and professional development opportunities for entry-level BIPOC film and television practitioners, as well as considerable barriers to entry and career sustainability.
- The current aims to tackle some of the challenges identified in our research.
PROJECT SCOPE
Our project, “BE Collective”, a three-month initiative offering networking and on-set, hands-on professional development opportunities in connection with the filming of our pilot for a comedy series “Notes on Being Un-Popular”, seeks to:
- begin to fill the beforementioned gaps.
- create an archival of the process that could be used as a tool and
resource for other production companies seeking to enhance Equity,
Diversity and Inclusion in our film industry.
Trainees:
We will be offering 20 positions to BIPOC students and trainees from other equity-seeking groups to get this needed training and networking experience.
Documentation:
Documenting our learning and progress is a key deliverable of this project. Our archival deliverables will include a video documenting the professional development process of our trainees and a best practices document that will be published on our website and those of our stakeholders.
