Media Parents

ITV Diversity Manager Miranda Wayland phoned me and asked me to be on a panel of industry women discussing women in TV for International Women’s Day. I was honoured – they’d had a cancellation…

In the Daybreak gallery... freelance studio director Jo Johns at the controls.

Miranda Wayland, Diversity Manager for ITV, which is also running the CDN (Creative Diversity Network) this year.

ITV is hosting the Creative Diversity Network this year (see link below) so the discussion intended to inspire women in their TV careers is one of Miranda’s innovations. The filming took place on the Daybreak set, and will be shown on ITV’s diversity page Move On Up, and on the Creative Diversity Network’s site too. Being in front of the camera for the first time was one of the most terrifying experiences of my career to date. It was definitely payback after 15 years of persuading other people to do it.

Fortunately I was in great company. The discussion was led by ITN reporter Ronke Phillips, who recently won an Amnesty International award for journalism – she had dashed out of an edit to be with us.  Carol Russell, writer and founder of Fresh Voices which presents the work of experienced black British writers to an invited industry audience was also on the sofa, with SP Alison Martin.  Alison had been working upstairs at ITV where she is series producing Martin Lewis’s Money Savings Expert, and has written on women’s issues for the Media Parents blog here: https://blog.mediaparents.co.uk/2010/12/tv-no-career-for-a-woman-rts-debate/

I am passionate about this subject so I think I might have ranted, but although I came over a bit more Arthur Scargill than Glenda Jackson on the day, when the film comes out I hope the discussion makes people think, and gives women more confidence to ask for what they want/deserve in the workplace.

On screen at last!! Amy Walker, Carol Russell and Media Parents' Amy Walker.

SP Alison Martin, left, and Ronke Phillips prep the piece on inspiring women in TV.

Creative Diversity Network : http://www.creativediversitynetwork.org

If you have 3+ years TV experience please join us at www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events.