Meet the British Blacklist at the BSC Expo – Interview with Akua Gyamfi, founder of The British Blacklist
Equality, diversity and inclusion is a contemporary discussion across all industries, as well as in different creative departments. The British Blacklist LTD was founded in 2012 with the endeavour of celebrating the work of UK-based Black creatives and those of the wider diaspora who work across Screen, Stage, Literature, and Sound. The British Blacklist has been the go-to platform for information about the exciting work opportunities of UK-based Black storytellers from new talent to established household names to those who have become a part of Hollywood’s elite1.
At the BSC Expo, I had the chance to interview Akua Gyamfi, founder of The British Blacklist to find out more about how this organisation supports Black British creatives on their career journeys.
Anna M: What is the British Blacklist?
Akua: I am the founder of the British Blacklist, which is a platform that shouts about the wonderful talents of Black creatives based in the UK who work across Screen, Stage, Literature and Sound. We bring these creatives into the spotlight in order to bridge the gap between them and the wider industry, highlighting Black creatives who are available to collaborate and work with or work for.
Anna M: How did you get the idea of creating this platform? How did you find the push to actually achieve it?
Akua: It was always a desire of mine to do it. I had a natural interest in Black culture, and at the time when I was launching it, I knew that there was a community of people who weren’t being seen. It was just something that was inside me. I don’t know how to describe it. I think creatives know when you’ve got passion about something, it just comes out, there’s no way to hold it back. Of course, it hasn’t been easy for the ten years we’ve been working on it, but it’s just about continuously discovering new talent and celebrating the journeys of those who are more established. That’s what keeps me busy and interested, whilst navigating the more difficult moments. How did I do it? I did my research, connected with the right people and created the platform. Not as easy as that, but I’ve had great support from people who understood my vision.
Anna M: What’s your background, what’s your profession?
I left college and I went to study Journalism and Media, and I became a journalist.
Anna M: How do you help Black British creatives to get into the industry?
What we do is signpost the opportunities and the people. When you’re from a marginalised group, you probably don’t get to see yourself in certain spaces. I think what The British Blacklist does well is that we showcase talent. If there is a production going on that is being run by the same British creative industry circle, we will pull out the Black creatives involved who are actors on screen and people in the crew or behind the scenes. As a result, creatives coming up in
1 https://thebritishblacklist.co.uk/about/
the industry will have someone to look at and see that there are people who look like them. They see a person who comes from where they come from and that there’s room for them in this industry. On the other side, we showcase news about schemes, opportunities, jobs and training, and we also shed a light on organisations who actively make an effort for Black representation. We work a lot with organisations like the BFI, BAFTA, the Academy (Oscars), as well as the BBC and Channel 4. All the broadcasters and streamers, even Netflix. Those who are truly, actively trying to affect change in representation. We also showcase them on our platform, so that everyone can see which organisations are not only talking about diversity, but taking action.
Anna M: Do you signpost these opportunities on your websites or monthly newsletters?
We post on the website, our newsletter, and on social media as well. We post everywhere, so everyone can access the information. It’s because everyone engages differently. We’re trying to have a physical presence as well, by organising face-to-face events and participating in expos like the BSC Expo, so people can see who we are. People can even see me as a female entrepreneur running a media platform. They can see that it’s possible to do it. It’s not easy, but it’s possible.
Anna M: How large is the community right now? How many people can you reach?
We are global! We have followers coming from America, from West Africa, from all over the world. Primarily, our followers are from the UK and we’ve recently doubled the numbers. We are global because Black culture travels and exchanges. Especially now that there is a strong interest in Black creatives coming from the UK. We’ve got programmes like Bridgerton, Top Boy, Blue Story, The Last Tree, and we have series that are translated and available all across the world. We also have talent interests like Michaela Coel, Idris Elba, who are being represented in both American and UK projects. We aim to connect people all around the world.
Anna M: That’s amazing that you can reach that many people! Who do you collaborate with to make a change?
A lot of the organisations that we worked with are UK broadcasting channels, such as Channel 4, BBC, ITV and the UK department of Netflix, as well as the Academy Awards (Oscars) and Amazon. We have also worked with Digital Orchard, which is the stand where The British Blacklist is featured in the BSC Expo. We’ve got a lot of support now, it’s really amazing.
Anna M: That’s incredible! Can you tell me about your future projects? For example, I saw on your website that you launched the list of British Black creatives.
The black | listed Database showcases Black creatives and their bodies of work. We represent what we talk about on the website, in the industries of Screen, Stage, Literature and Sound. Everybody in front of the camera, or on the stage, or behind the scenes; those who make creative content through storytelling in some way. Inspired by IMDb, anyone can access black | listed to look for talent, find the talent and hire the talent. That's what it's for. Again, it is more about visibility, so the industry can reduce the time it takes to find Black creatives. We’re trying to show that they're all here and available.
Anna M: Do you help Black creatives’ find talent agents as well?
We’re not a talent agency. However, the agents can put their clients there. In this way, yes, we work with agents, but we don’t represent anybody.
Anna M: Do you have any success stories at The British Blacklist that stand out?
I think everything we manifest generates a success story in some way, because for the people that we celebrate, it’s their journeys and how their careers have blossomed since we launched in 2012 that show how TBB has made a difference. The fact that we were there from the beginning, watching these creatives emerge and become headline stars is amazing. Actors, writers, those who started out as independent filmmakers who are now commissioning stories at major broadcast companies... People like that. We’ve been watching their journeys evolve. That's our success story. The more people get from us, the more people say to me, “Oh my God, thank you. You shared this news about us. You gave us this interview ...”. That's my success story: the industry is growing. Black people are working and are more visible in the UK. That's what I call success.
Sources (introduction) : https://thebritishblacklist.co.uk/
Photography by Sashana Holton @ivvisuals_
From left: Anna Halasz, Francesca Zerenghi, Akua Gyamfi, Ashleigh Ashley
