Creative Diversity Network & ScreenSkills Form Partnership

The Creative Diversity Network (CDN), the cross-industry body focused on increasing diversity on- and off-screen in U.K. television, and ScreenSkills, the industry-led skills body for the U.K. screen industry, have formed a strategic partnership that will include co-siting the organizations.

CDN and ScreenSkills will collaborate on areas such as how data gathered by CDN’s Diamond diversity monitoring and reporting tool can be used to help inform the training and development programs that ScreenSkills commissions from training providers.

The two organizations will also look to partner on delivering other cross-industry initiatives working with producers, broadcasters and other TV and creative industry bodies.

Additionally, ScreenSkills will provide support services in HR and finance to allow the five-person CDN team to focus on delivery of their day-to-day work.

The partnership will also allow both organizations to collaborate on a streamlined approach to the freelance community to ensure their views are included in the research CDN undertakes to inform the delivery of a new iteration of Diamond.

“CDN’s role is to work collaboratively in partnership with other industry bodies to improve representation on- and off-screen in U.K. television,” said Miranda Wayland, CEO of CDN. “We see a lot of synergies with ScreenSkills’ role and operations, particularly in areas such as training, where both teams can draw on each other’s expertise and talents. Having ScreenSkills’ support and strategic advice through this partnership will be beneficial to the CDN team and achieving our objectives. I’d like to thank Paul Moore and the CDN Board for their work on creating this partnership, and I’m looking forward to working closely with Laura and her team.”

Laura Mansfield, CEO of ScreenSkills, added, “This partnership is a real opportunity to make a tangible difference and make a step change in terms of diversity and inclusion. By leveraging our collective expertise and insight, we can ensure that everyone has a fair and equitable opportunity to have a career in the screen industries, and therefore drive real change by creating a national workforce that is more representative of the U.K. population both behind and in front of the camera. Everyone at ScreenSkills is really looking forward not only to working more closely with the team and Miranda but to moving in together and sharing office space.”