AUTUMN | FEATURE
Working for diversity
With the live events industry still some way from being able to boast a truly diverse workforce , we explore what is being done to drive change and encourage young people from all backgrounds to make it a career choice
Words : Joe Gallop
While many festival promoters have made considerable progress in recent years to make their artist lineups more diverse , with an increasing number taking the 50:50 Keychange Pledge , there remains a far from equal balance among those working behind the scenes .
When Chris ‘ Tofu ’ MacMeikan MBE is not behind the decks DJing , or producing themed areas at festivals such as Camp Bestival , Boomtown and Glastonbury , he is striving to open the industry up to young people who may otherwise be excluded .
The Continental Drifts director has been working with Global Carnivalz founder and chief executive Pax Nindi and Certain Blacks artistic director Clive Lyttle to invite Black , BAME and PoC 18-30-year-olds to join its free nine-week course .
Global Local ’ s Festival Lab course , which last took place at East London venue RichMix in the Spring , saw students learn from industry professionals at organisations such as Boiler Room , BFI , Hackney Council and Notting Hill Carnival . The team plan to hold two courses next year in both London and Bristol .
MacMeikan , who is a director at Bristol ’ s Lost Horizon and Glastonbury ’ s Shangri-La , says the course is targeted at the Black , BAME and PoC communities because this is where the main shortage of people is at a senior level in the industry : “ We realised the representation of people of Black heritage and communities of colour in senior production was the least among almost all industries . The workforce at a senior production level at carnivals in the UK is predominantly white , even though 98 % of the music being played is of black origin .”
Students on the Festival Lab course , which is overseen by femaleled production company Swans Events , are given the opportunity to undertake work experience at festivals such as Wilderness , Secret Garden Party and Ensemble , while being paid £ 90-a-day .
Chris ‘ Tofu ’ MacMeikan
“ I ’ ve never seen anything like it ,” says MacMeikan . “ Every festival has adopted it and given them so much encouragement . I can ’ t big up our sector enough for that , I ’ ve never seen that in any other sector – it ’ s quite heartwarming . Festivals like Secret Garden Party feel really strongly about this , they understand that we ’ re in
Global Carnivalz
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