Commoners #001
Helping common people become more common in the creative industries
Y’rate, yoth?
Welcome to the first Common People newsletter. Now, we’re aware that adding *another* newsletter to your inbox might not seem hugely appealing, but we’re also hopeful that this one provides something new, and something specific for common people working in the creative industries.
As such, we’re going to try and provide you with advice and guidance on driving change within the industry and your company, give working-class creatives a platform, and a establish a consistent place to share interesting jobs that might have gone otherwise unseen.
So, why now?
Well, Common People just had its first birthday, and what began as a simple idea to create a supportive WhatsApp group for working class people in the creative industries, has now grown into something far bigger than any of us could've imagined. We now have more than 600 people from working class backgrounds connected to each other, sharing stories, ideas, advice, and jobs. Supporting each other, and slowly tearing down the walls of class discrimination that exist in the creative industries.
Our plan has always been focused on trying to remove some of the cultural and social barriers to entry for Common People wanting to join or advance in the creative industries. Our goal is simple; make common people more common in the creative industries.
As we head in our second year, we've got a number of ideas to help us begin to deliver that.
The first is continuing to find people who want to join Common People. On a rational level this is important for obvious reasons, but on an emotional level, we’ve heard so many stories from people who join, who say that despite having worked in the industry for decades, they never felt like they really belonged until they found other Common People.
In the coming months, we'll also be launching a podcast interviewing high profile creatives from working class backgrounds that have built astonishing careers. We’ll get an insight into their experiences, along with some advice, all of which will hopefully help to elevate the conversation about class to a national level.
Finally, reducing the economic barriers to entry has been something that we've been unable to address without becoming a registered charity or NFP. However, we’ve launched a fundraiser to help the The 93% Club establish a creative industries arm - The Creative Club. We've been in close collaboration with the wonderful The 93% Club for more than six months now, and we've been working together to figure out how we could launch financial support for common people in the creative industries. To raise funds, we're selling a new range of exclusive Common People t-shirts and sweaters through Everpress, each item of course designed by a working class creative.
As we mark our first birthday, this is the end of the prelude, and the beginning of an exciting first chapter together.
Welcome to Common People, proudly a different class.
Uncommon Jobs for Common People
Quiet Storm are looking for an agency assistant (the founders are also behind Create Not Hate, an incredible initiative)
Warm Street, the music marketing agency, has some excellent roles going
Talent House are recruiting for a number of different roles too
More About Other Common People
Mia Powell talks openly about her experience as a working class woman in our industry, and that all-too-frequent feeling of class purgatory for Little Black Book
Working class female writers are absolutely smashing it in telly
Terri White interviews Vicky McClure for the Guardian on facing class discrimination and the challenge (and success) of building an incredible career
The Guardian published an extract from Hashi Mohamed’s excellent book People Like Us, exploring his experiences of class discrimination, of coming to the UK at 11 year old, and now practicing as a barrister
There’s a great book out now exploring the experiences of working class creatives during lockdown, Lockdown Diaries of the Working Class is available here
This Nadia Whittome MP interview for The Face is great
Also, the Bob Mortimer book is highly recommended
A Common Day For… Tom Armstrong
Alrate, so who you are, and what you do?
My name’s Tom, I’m from east London and I work in fashion marketing.
How’d you get into the industry
The short answer is by knocking on doors until someone gave me a chance. I didn’t go to uni or even know anyone who worked in the creative industries, but I loved music and clothes and was quite good at English at school, so I thought why not try writing about the stuff I was into? A few things got published which got me an (unpaid) internship, which turned into a job at an online magazine and creative agency, then I started my own magazine which became quite popular and before I knew it I was creating stuff for the likes of adidas and Reebok. I’ve never really had a proper job title or any idea of what I’d be doing in six months, I’ve just gone where the work is.
There is a much longer version of that story but it’s for another day.
What does a standard day look like?
Right now I work for an independent sustainable menswear brand, which is a lovely environment to be in because you don’t have the internal conflict that comes from working around big corporate greed or fast fashion. My day mainly involves thinking of creative ways to show people what we do, and working with the right people to make it happen. Usually that involves a photoshoot, but it could also be editorial, film or whatever people find interesting and tells a story.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that there are no rules in the creative industries - if you think you’ve got a great idea then just find a way to do it. Even if it doesn’t work out the way you thought, the sun still rises in the morning.
Have you got any tips or recommendations for other Common People?
Nothing. My recommendation is doing, reading, watching, listening to and thinking about absolutely nothing - for fifteen minutes a day.
How can people get in touch with you for mentoring or advice?
Tomthemove13@gmail.com - and please email me any time.
Big thanks to Tom Armstrong!
Helping Common People
The easiest way to help is to share this with some Common People Like YOU! Whether they’re an industry leader, or someone wanting to break into the industry, we can help. Point them in our direction.
If you’ve got jobs or opportunities that you’d like to share, send them our way!
If you see anything interesting that you think us Commoners would like, send that too.
If you’d like to offer up yourself as a mentor or find a mentor, reply to this email and we can help.
If you’d like to support Common People by helping out, then we’re always looking for people to join the group that puts a lot of this sort of stuff together.
See you again, take care, and stay in touch,
Your fellow Commoners