S1: E3 – In Conversation with… Ally Owen on Social Mobility in the Creative Industries

This week’s guest is Ally Owen, Founder of Brixton finishing school, and we discuss how and why we should be tackling the challenges of Social Mobility in the Creative Industries.

After 25 years working in the media industry, Ally had a desire to challenge the status quo and start something different. With just her personal credit and an abundance of determination, Ally knocked on doors for support and after a lot of hard work and endless hours, Brixton Finishing School for Digital Talent was born – an initiative that disrupts the way the creative industries create young talent. What is BFS? It’s an outreach to ‘underrepresented’ groups e.g. BAME/ Working Class/ Females/Neurodiverse 18-25 year old untapped talent, offering 12 weeks of free, full time learning from the best in the industry including Facebook and MYV. The students develop invaluable digital skills, creative/critical thinking abilities and winning work behaviours. After completing the course, all graduates have the opportunity for a role with one of the initiatives sponsors.

In Conversation with… is a podcast series in celebration of the fantastic work being actioned in the world of diversity and inclusion.

Through hard-hitting topics, sharing of personal experiences and being comfortable with having uncomfortable conversations, In Diverse Company brings a refreshing series of weekly interviews with change champions across the industry.