Group is to invest £500,000 in 12-month contracts to supercharge careers of mid and senior level production talent
Banijay UK is to launch a major new inclusion programme which aims to fast track underrepresented, Black, Asian and minority ethnic talent in mid and senior level roles.
Launching in September, Banijay will offer 10 editorial or production roles, at Assistant Producer / Production Coordinator level or above, a 12-month contract. The candidates, each of whom will have been sponsored by a label within the group, will be attached to productions across Banijay UK.
As part of the contract, they will receive bespoke leadership and development training, mentoring from both an internal MD and an external industry commissioner as well as career coaching throughout the year.
At the end of the 12 months the objective is that those taking part, as well as having at least two production credits, will be ready to step up into more senior roles within the group and wider industry.
Lucinda Hicks, CEO Banijay UK said;
“The industry is crying out for more diverse talent in senior production roles and we want to do something substantial and proactive to bolster the careers of those coming through. Talented freelancers are not progressing at the speed we would like them to as they are moving from contract to contract, often at a frenetic pace, and training, development and career planning can be put on the backburner, or just not be feasible in the light of squeezed production budgets.
By offering 12 months contracts, we can use time alongside and between productions to build up this vital training and mentoring to really boost these careers.
As a global group Banijay is committed to improving diversity and inclusion across the industry. And while we very much hope that talent will stay with the Banijay family at the end of the 12 months, we are also investing in the wider industry for the future.”
In addition to the Fast Track programme, Banijay UK is committed to offering accessible entry level and work experience with 30 x 4-week production work experience placements across the business designed to encourage and support those who would not ordinarily have this opportunity.
An additional fund of £50k has been set aside to cover exceptional costs and remove barriers which might prevent talent being able to take up these opportunities.
These schemes are in addition to a wide range of diversity and inclusion initiatives across the group.
These include supporting diversity at entry level and junior roles via an industry-leading intern scheme, Bright Bulb, which selects 8 entry level candidates and puts them through an intense 4-month scheme with many finding longer term employment within the group at the end. As patrons of Mama Youth, Banijay supports the charity both financially and by offering networking opportunities and placements of underrepresented young people within our companies. Banijay also supports the PACT diversity scheme as well as multiple schemes within individual labels to encourage underrepresented production talent and writers into the business.