We celebrated the launch of BCOMS The D Word 4 Guide with an evening in Shoreditch earlier in the month.
The launch event was a chance to highlight the recent research which was shared at The D Word 4 Event. The information was brought to life with an infographic at the start of the evening. Our hosts for the event were current London Masterclass students Maya Egbo and Cayana Freeman who did an exceptional job.
BCOMS founder Leon Mann set the tone for the evening. Leon talked through the purpose of the guide and highlighted why it was important and essential. He shared the importance of diversity in the sports media and how the guide aimed to collate research, thoughts and ideas.
To encourage people to shared the guide he stated « This guide is not a nice to have, it is a must. It is important we share this research with all our contacts ».
The evening followed with a powerful panel session hosted by BCOMS chair Drew Christie with The Athletic’s Carl Anka and Fatou Jeng, head of the broadcast regulations at BT Sport. Drew asked our panelists about their experience in the industry, what they think of the statistics shared in the guide and what areas we still need to work on in the industry.
Fatou spoke about often being the only black woman in a studio and trying to push for more diversity behind the camera.
” Seeing representation in content is great, but who is making it? We need authenticity in the producers behind it, otherwise we live in an echo chamber”
Carl spoke about challenging media companies and holding them accountable, as well as having to push for diverse content not just on Black History Month.
” We need to treat media companies the same way journalists treat politicians. It is time for us to hold organizations to account on their commitments to diversity.”
Carl also spoke about not being afraid to be disruptive in the industry and encouraged those seeking to make an impact in sports media to “just do it”.
” Stop asking for permission to be great, and just go out and be great. ”
Carl ended by urging young people who want to get into the sports media industry to put pen to paper and not afraid to create and promote their own content to show decision makers.
The evening ended with food and networking with friends and colleagues from the industry.
