This is the first in a series of profiles on Canada’s commercial production sector – and more specifically, on BIPOC-led companies and organizations that are working to improve diversity and representation in front of and behind the camera.
When POV Film launched in 2007, it did so into an industry that was predominantly white.
The non-profit, which was co-founded by industry leaders Edie Weiss and Jeff Kopas, aimed to champion diversity in film and advertising by helping diverse creatives develop their skills and find a point of entry into an industry that was notoriously hard to break into – especially if you lack the right contacts. If that sounds familiar, that’s because the advertising sector has many of the same problems – and now, backed by some of its leading agencies, both independent and network, POV is aiming to solve that problem, too.
“There is a demand in the advertising sector for BIPOC talent,” says Biju Pappachan (pictured, left), executive director of the organization. “By focusing on the workforce development aspect of our work, we were able to really understand how to bring people together to not just talk about diversity, but talk about it from a point of access. In film, we’ve created a model that we are able to replicate, and after all of these years, we’re taking that model into the advertising space.”
It’s a move that’s prompted not only by a shift in the industry’s priorities, but also by meaningful support from agencies within it. The BLM movement and other societal shifts of the past few years forced the advertising industry to take a hard look at itself, and what it found was a lack of diversity. That introspection sparked “actual desire to make the difference and champion this cause,” says Weiss. “I think that’s the change, this year, that we’ve never seen before.”
That support has taken many forms. Ahead of this year’s Agency of the Year awards, a collective of agencies led by FCB Canada, consisting of McCann, Leo Burnett, John St., Juniper Park, Rethink and Zulu Alpha Kilo, contributed donations to the organization to help it develop its skills training programs. No Fixed Address, when approached by Weiss, also contributed to the cause. Further, several of those agencies donated their show reel time to the non-profit, so that it could showcase its own work and that of several Canadian, BIPOC-owned and operated production houses.
Several agencies have committed to POV’s plans in other ways. Publicis Groupe is developing a training program with the non-profit, with Leo Burnett’s Ben Tarr championing those efforts, Pappachan says. “They’re not just giving us money and seeing if it will have an impact. They’re actually helping us develop a training program that will create more opportunities for BIPOC creatives. That’s a very tangible, real thing.”
“Every journey starts with a single step,” Weiss says. “There haven’t been many tangible steps taken, but these are the ones that can provide meaningful opportunities to underrepresented talent.”
The skills development programs aren’t just about equipping BIPOC creatives with with the hard skills needed to succeed. They also will open doors for those creatives by arming them with the “social capital” needed to succeed – that is, helping them make connections and contacts in the industry that can play an active role in aiding the advancement of their careers.
“We’re beginning with entry-level roles because we recognize we have to start at the entry point where people are breaking in. That’s where we find a lot of people are having trouble, because even if they have the training, they don’t have access to the right contacts,” explains Pappachan. “We’re focusing specifically on BIPOC creatives, folks who are coming from Black, Indigenous and POC communities, because that’s where we see a talent shortage across the sector. Our hope is to train these young, entry-level creatives who have the right skills and connections to break in, and as they gain their entrance, we want to build on this model and help support them into their next phase in career development.”
While the non-profit has received an outpouring of support in recent months, it is hoping to build on that momentum by recruiting additional agencies who are interested in advancing the work it does. And POV is happy to work with those agencies to find ways that they can help, Pappachan says.
“If you’re not a giant agency that can support all of this work yourself, you can be part of the collective we’re putting together and contribute in your own way. Maybe that’s hiring someone, offering a paid internship or job shadowing, or donating to POV,” he elaborates. “There’s many ways to address the labour shortage we’re seeing, the lack of diversity that we’re seeing, but also the commitment to workforce development in this sector. As agencies across the sector, they have an opportunity to invest in and commit to that.”
“We have a lot of ad agencies supporting POV for the first time, and we feel that’s a huge step in championing diversity in the industry,” Weiss adds. “But for all of this action to actually work, there has to be commitment.”
