The second edition of the Wonder Women Conference, which took place on Saturday, assembled 20 highly influential female industry leaders, trailblazing talent and on-screen talent from across the TV and creative industries sector to take part in a day of panels, fireside chats and masterclasses in partnership with BAFTA, the leading charity and academy for the screen arts.
Hosted by Wonder Women, the inspirational women’s network that champions the elevation of diverse women into senior leadership in television and the creative industries, the conference included three panels with industry executives (‘The Business of Television’, ‘Unlocking Commissioning: Top tips from the Women at the Top’ and ‘Levelling up: How to Pivot & Rise’), a Leadership Masterclass with Michelle Moore, a fireside chat with leading author Nova Reid, and a surprise Q&A with actor Anne-Marie Duff (Bad Sisters, Shameless).
The Conference provided a platform for senior leaders to discuss the ongoing systemic issues that women from underrepresented and marginalised groups continue to face in the TV and screen industries and deliver leadership responses to the current crisis. Delegates heard from a cross section of senior industry leaders, including Ade Rawcliffe (ITV), Afua Hagan (Journalist and Broadcaster), Angela Ferreira (Douglas Road Productions), Babita Bahal (Fremantle), Clare Mottershead (Orchard Studios), Dawn Beresford (BBC), Fozia Khan (Amazon Studios UK), Gemma John-Lewis (ITV), Hilary Rosen (UKTV), Lyndsay Duthie (The Production Guild of Great Britain), Mariayah Kaderbhai (BAFTA), Remi Olajoyegbe (Systemic Leadership Coach), Sarb Nijjer (Banijay UK), Scarlett Ewens (Matisse), Soleta Rogan (Rogan Productions), Tacita Small (The Small HR Company) and Tara Erer (Prime Video).
Key topics discussed included strategies to widen the talent pool, the importance of understanding audience demographics and tailoring content to resonate with audiences, highlighting how crucial relationships and transparency are for success, the evolving landscape of production, the impact of streamers and the need for flexible IP ownership models, the challenges of retaining talent and the importance of government support, concluding with a call to action for industry collaboration to address current challenges that needs to be addressed collectively.
The Wonder Women Conference concluded with a surprise guest Q&A with actor Anne-Marie Duff, whose credits include Bad Sisters, Shameless, His Dark Materials, Suspect and Suffragette. The BAFTA-winning actor shared with the audience her path into acting from her working-class roots, how she overcame adversity in the industry, her career inspirations and imparted wisdom from her career in television and film.
Speaking about attending the Conference Anne-Marie Duff said:
“It was amazing. I was so extraordinarily flattered to be asked to be part of it, because I suppose you don’t think of yourself as being useful. It’s such an extraordinary thing. But we all are. We all really help each other. And I think that’s what the objective is. One of the many objectives is…what is it that we can offer each other that will help us all move forward? I was just sort of blown away.”
Adding about seeing industry change, Anne-Marie Duff added:
“There is a lot of change happening. Obviously, there’s never a case of parity. It is predominantly one kind of person. But that said, there is movement forward. We’ve got to just keep working hard at it. And the more we make each other feel that we can, then we will. You have to have a very strong sense of self. It’s very easy to feel diminished and feel that you’re not up to it, that you can’t take people on. And it can feel like you need to take people on a lot of the time, but I don’t think is the case as much as we worry about. You just keep the kernel of who you are as strong as you can. Remind yourself that what you bring to the table is extraordinary, because nobody else will have had that thought, because you are you, uniquely you.”
Reflecting on the Conference, Wonder Women founder Ria Hebden said:
“At a time when the screen industry feels a particularly precarious place to work, with women in underrepresented and marginalised groups being affected disproportionately, we wanted to offer a space where women could connect and come away feeling seen and valued. It was critical for our delegates to hear from these inspirational senior leaders about their stance on the challenges the industry is currently facing, as well to be inspired and be empowered to continue to grow in their careers. It was a joy to bring together such incredible women for a day of learning and inspiration. Leaning into difficult and emotional issues, brought attendees renewed optimism and hope for the future – demonstrating how vital our community and connection is. We were honoured to have such amazing support from BAFTA and our sponsors to help make the conference a resounding success.”
The annual one-day conference held at BAFTA in Piccadilly welcomed over 200 women currently working in mid-level senior roles (both permanent and freelance) in the industry. Alongside hearing directly from industry leaders, the Conference provided a holistic approach to self-development, offering delegates practical advice, insights and knowledge sharing to elevate, empower and provide a skills uplift in their various disciplines, with the belief that specific and targeted discussions can drive meaningful change, as well as helping to reignite passion for the industry during difficult times and provide them with a community within the industry.
The Wonder Women Conference included live captioning to support accessibility and offered on-site counselling for delegates affected by topics discussed throughout the day, which was provided by the Film & TV Charity.
The Wonder Women Conference is made possible by the support of BAFTA as well as its sponsors: All3Media, Banijay, PGGB, Tysers, Orchard Studios, Screenskills, Herbert Smith Freehills and Fremantle.
Founded in 2017 by television presenter Ria Hebden, Wonder Women was born out of an industry need to build a diverse and supportive community among women from underrepresented and marginalised groups and to share the collective wisdom from the most experienced women in Television and the Creative Industries. Wonder Women’s vision is to inspire, empower and connect the next generation of diverse, female leaders from all backgrounds and identities, through a unique, intersectional approach, that supports their professional and personal development through a series of live events, an inspirational podcast and year-long, nationwide mentoring programme.
The Wonder Women Conference is an extension of the Wonder Women brand, which also includes the annual Wonder Women Live! event, the Wonder Women TV Podcast, the Wonder Women Mentoring Programme and the newly launched Wonder Women Power Hour, a monthly online networking event.
Wonder Women is a Community Interest Company (CIC), steered by an exceptional advisory board of female leaders: Studio Lambert’s Senior Production Accountant Nicole Marie Joseph, Orchard Studios MD Nicola Hill, Systemic Leadership Coach Remi Olajoyegbe, Media Relations Expert Sharon Ezzeldin, Legal Counsel Hayley Brady from Herbert Smith Freehills and Anne-Marie Douglas, Founder & Co-CEO Peer Power Youth.
For more information about Wonder Women please visit www.wonderwomentv.com
For further information, please contact:
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