Commoners #005
Helping Common People become more common in the creative industries
Hello common friends,
We set up a Common People LinkedIn page – if you use LinkedIn, please follow our page and help us grow our community by liking and commenting on our stuff.
We’ve been talking about
The cost of living and what it means for common people and the creative industries
Figures showed that the UK dodged a recession at the end of 2022 but with 1 in 4 British households unable to pay for food and energy without using savings we don’t think most common people care (inews).
While the cost of most stuff continues to rise, London rents finally fell for the first time in 10 months. However, given they are still well above £2,000pm, it comes as no surprise that people are being put off moving to the capital (Standard).
This is a big problem because the Creative Industries are still very London-centric. London represents 31% of creative industries employment despite being home to only 13% of the population (Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre).
If the cost of renting in the capital puts you off, you can always get yourself onto the ladder if you have a spare £147k. Sadly that isn’t a joke. That is now the average first-time buyer deposit in London.
Saving for this sort of deposit is almost impossible without help. It is something that the Common People group has discussed before at length. A piece in the FT recently explored how much wealth boomers pass on and it’s a lot – around £100bn a year. At least another £11bn a year comes from lifetime gifts from parents to children (The FT- OK boomer, you’re more generous than we thought).
Living in the capital and breaking into the creative industries has always been tough, but it's becoming that much tougher for those without privilege.
Nepo babies
We’re still talking about Nepo babies! Lis shared a great piece from Vice American Nepo Babies Have Nothing on the British. In the article Elle Hunt explores how the posh and parentally blessed are everywhere in UK entertainment. When talking about the UK’s creative class gap, Hunt explains that it is more pronounced than other sectors because 250,000 working-class people would need to be employed for the industry to be more representative.
“Creative occupations are amongst the most elite in the economy, key creative roles are now more dominated by people from privileged backgrounds than doctors, judges, management consultants or stockbrokers.” Heather Carey, co-author of the Screened Out report and director of Work Advance
Jed joined the conversation with a piece about nepotism in the music industry. A subject he is pretty passionate about. In a LinkedIn article, Jed asks if nepotism really is that bad. Spoiler alert, he believes that it is, explaining that:
“The primary problem is that the unfair advantage that these people are given in the creative industries actively removes opportunities for others. It's not quite a zero-sum game, but there are only so many creative opportunities, and as you'd expect those that miss out on opportunities are mostly from marginalised and working class backgrounds.”
We’ve been reading
Marketing fails to address 18.2% socio-economic pay gap
Little progress has been made in bridging the socio-economic pay gap, which now sits at 18.2%. We obviously need to make more noise.
Recruiting a more socially diverse workforce - the challenge for our industry
A VCCP study published in late January found six barriers to young people from diverse backgrounds applying to work in the industry. A survey of 2,000 16-24 year olds revealed:
Around a fifth of young people (18%) feel that being unable to afford a move to London stops them from considering creative careers. This increases to a quarter of young people in some regions, such as the West Midlands
Young people who know somebody working in the creative sector are 23ppt more likely to see themselves forging a career in our sector
However young people from working-class backgrounds are 19ppt less likely to know somebody who works in the creative sector than those from more advantaged backgrounds in London and the South-East
Advertising’s Problem with Working Class People
We loved this piece in LBB online where Sarah Atkinson, chief executive of the Social Mobility Foundation, explores why advertising spends so much money on understanding the largest portion of society, but never hires it.
Focusing on diversity means we miss the big picture. It’s class that shapes our lives
Kenan Malik asks if by shifting our gaze from equality, we lose sight of the most marginalised.
Why the UK is a long way from a consensus on social mobility
This blog from LSE explores how Social mobility has become a controversial topic, amid a contested landscape in which different understandings both clash and intersect.
We’ve been watching
7.5 million people watched the finale of Happy Valley. In the Common People WhatsApp group we’ve been discussing the best representations of working class people in Britain and Happy Valley was referenced more than once. If you’ve not seen it, it is well worth a binge and can be found on the BBC Iplayer.
We’ve been celebrating
BBH's Homegrown early careers scheme with a difference.
Homegrown is a paid 4-month placement in the production, strategy and/or account management departments. They offer a competitive starting salary above the London Living Wage that factors in the higher rental and living costs in London. While applications for 2023 are closed, we can’t wait to see how the scheme grows.
Government stuff
In early January, The Equality Hub announced Alun Francis OBE as the new Interim Chair of the Social Mobility Commission (SMC).
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.
Encouraging your organisation to mention class and / or socio-economic background in your nondiscrimination statement is another way that you can help tackle social inequality in the creative industries.
SO many job descriptions feature a long list of protected groups with no mention of Class, despite it being the biggest barrier to entry into the creative industries.
Businesses may not realise it, but this can be hugely off-putting to potential applicants and current employees. It suggests a workplace they won't fit into where their needs won't be taken seriously.
Encouraging employers to make this small change could be the difference between a talented person realising their potential or slipping through the cracks.
Let's make it industry standard.
We hope you enjoyed our latest newsletter. Let us know what you think - we’re a friendly bunch.
And never forget, we’re Common People, and proudly a different class.
See you again, take care, and stay in touch,
Your fellow Commoner