Commoners #007
Helping Common People become more common in the creative industries
Hello Common friends
It’s almost May, the month where we have not one, but three bank holidays to look forward to! We wanted to say a special hello to all of our new subscribers. Our monthly newsletter is a summary of things we have been talking about, celebrating, reading ect.
We’ve been talking about
Paul O’Grady
Comedian, broadcaster, chat-show host and working class hero. Paul O’Grady sadly passed away in April. We loved this tweet from Mark Downie who explained:
“When we worked together at Ch4, Paul O’Grady insisted that new roles on his show were advertised in the local Job Centre. He wanted anyone and everyone to be able to apply so they could get a break like he had. And it made the show better. A kind and generous man.”
Skiing
We’ve not been talking about the Paltrow vs Sanderson trial, we’ve been talking about how the winter sport is viewed in different countries. In Japan and Romania skiing is something that is mostly affordable and accessible to everyone. However, growing up in the UK, the world of chalets and après-ski is more of a status symbol. It reminded us of this piece by Beth Ashley I Learned To ‘Pass’ As Middle Class To Survive:
“I grew up in a council flat in a mining town in the West Midlands. I lived there with my teen mum. Skiing was never part of our leisure time. I’m okay with that but it doesn’t always feel like other people are.”
Greggs
Would it be a Common People newsletter without a mention of Gregg’s? Last year, Gregg’s applied for a hot food licence from 11pm-5pm in its flagship Leicester Square branch. The appeal was unsuccessful but they’re not giving up without a fight. Should they win? The Simple Politics team debated the pros and cons of Greggs, all night long to help you decide.
We’ve been reading
What ever happened to social mobility?
James Kirkup, the director of the Social Market Foundation, wrote a piece in The Times where he asks what ever happened to social mobility:
“A few years ago, politicians were falling over themselves to talk about making sure kids grow up to be better off than their parents. Today social mobility is scarcely mentioned and the government machinery meant to promote it is idling.”
Wearing masks: how to navigate your career as a working-class person
From middle class ‘passing’ to playing up to stereotypes, writer Gina Tonic explores how our backgrounds and upbringings affect our experience of work.
The IPA Agency Census is good news for good work
Louis Persent, the Creative Director and co-founder of Weirdo wrote a great summary of the latest IPA Agency Census. Like us, he believes that more diverse teams will result in more creative work. He explains that while the latest industry survey shows that our houses are in better order, unbudging pay gaps just won’t seem to narrow.
Christopher Eccleston: it would be impossible for me to become an actor today
In an interview with The Guardian, Christopher Eccleston explained that it would be impossible for him to become an actor today following the closure of Oldham’s Coliseum theatre. In the interview Eccleston talks about how the closure of the historic theatre would affect the acting community and people from working-class backgrounds.
Andy Green shared a very personal story at The Modern Cockney Festival about social class bias in the Public Relations and Creative industries and what can be done about it. Luckily for those that couldn’t make it, he also shared his story on LinkedIn. In the blog, Green explains that:
“Social class bias is a double-edged sword with the negatives of fewer life choices, barriers to aspiration and ambitions, and the constant reinforcement of ‘you don’t belong here’. Yet, at the same time, it can equip those who experience discrimination with greater resilience, drive, and backbone to stand up for themselves.”
It’s Nice That spoke to an arts teacher and four creatives who went to state school about their experiences, uncovering how integral their teaching was in their pursuit of a creative career, and what the catastrophic impact state education without arts provision would have on the wider industry.
Was your degree really worth it?
As fees rise and graduate earnings stagnate, disillusionment is growing. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, in England 25% of male graduates and 15% of female ones will take home less money over their careers than peers who do not get a degree. Spoiler alert, the research found that negative returns seem especially likely for music and the visual arts graduates.
We’ve been celebrating
A brilliant new campaign from The Trussell Trust and Don’t Panic
In early April The Trussell Trust turned a billboard in Finsbury Park into a till which printed out receipts comparing Universal Credit to cost of living.
All the great recommendations from Common People members
The following organisations and initiatives got a lot of love in the Common People WhatsApp group in the last few weeks:
The Guild Community Collective is for community and social media managers, builders, strategists to connect, communicate and collaborate on all things community and social media.
D&AD Shift is a free, industry-led night school for self-taught creatives entering the advertising, design and creative industry from outside traditional pathways.
Built in partnership with mental health experts Campaign Against Living Miserably and accredited by the CPD, Your Game Plan is dedicated to supporting young people’s wellbeing. Naturally we love their digital learning platform that helps prepare students for career readiness after school and college.
Creative Lives in Progress is an inclusive creative careers platform aimed at making the industry more accessible for emerging talent. It’s a great resource for anyone who’s just starting out.
Reclaim is an online campaign leadership programme to equip young people with the skills and knowledge to identify and influence those in power, making effective and long-lasting change. We loved their campaign on toxic masculinity.
We’ve been watching
In our last letter we flagged a new BBC comedy-drama series created by Cash Carraway, author of Skint Estate. It has had mixed reviews, with most debating whether it is a campy comedy, a gritty, hard-hitting drama or both.
Rob Mayhew
Rob’s videos are the reason why most of us check LinkedIn on a daily basis. We loved this one that poked fun at agency nepotism.
Things to watch out for
A six-part series based on Jayde Adams' own experience of working in a call centre in the city which reflects "working class Bristol”.
Some politics
In late March, Anneliese Dodds, Labour Party Chair and Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, set out Labour’s vision for social mobility at the Social Mobility Business Seminar.
Helping Common People
Arts Emergency’s Young Talent monthly Wishlist
Would you consider being a mentor to help young creative talent? Every month Arts Emergency Young Talent add requests to the Wish List which they then email to their Network members. If you can help, simply tick the box next to the request and write a brief description. If you know someone else who could help, please forward this page directly to them to fill out.
Common People Toolkit
We’ve been keeping track of all of the great resources, articles and publications relating to social mobility and the creative industries. The toolkit can be found here: Common People Toolkit
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.
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