Sir Lenny Henry to Talk Diversity in MIPCOM Keynote

British comedian, writer and award-winning actor Sir Lenny Henry has signed on to deliver a keynote address at MIPCOM 2017 as part of the event’s expanded Diversity Program.

Henry’s keynote is scheduled for Wednesday, October 18, at 10:50 a.m. in the Grand Auditorium. Henry has been an instrumental voice in raising awareness about the lack of diverse representation on and off screen. He has also been at the forefront of campaigns to make British broadcasters address issues of diversity.

MIPCOM will host the inaugural edition of the Diversify TV International Excellence Awards, which champion diversity, equality and inclusion on the small screen. The Diversify TV International Excellence Awards were created by Diversify TV, a pressure group co-founded by Scorpion TV’s managing director, David Cornwall; All3Media International’s senior VP of format production, Nick Smith; Little Black Book’s CEO, Bunmi Akintonwa; and Liliane Da Cruz, the key account manager at Reed MIDEM. This year’s awards and conference lineup follows on from the Diversity Summit, which took place in 2016.

The Diversify TV Awards will be supported by A+E Networks’ president of international and digital, Sean Cohan; EbonyLife TV’s CEO, Mo Abudu; Viacom International Media Networks’ executive VP and managing director for Africa, Alex Okosi; and PR agency Franklin Rae. Entries open today for producers and production companies across the international TV industry. The inaugural awards comprise three categories for scripted and non-scripted content: representation for race and ethnicity, representation of LBGTQ and representation of disability.