The Kusp is a social enterprise that offers community, opportunity and experience to diverse creatives through talent development and sourced, and they have recently joined the EVCOM membership! We spoke to their Founder & Managing Director Amos Eretusi about the importance of access, creating inclusive spaces for introverts, and the current barriers being faced by under-represented talent. Plus he shares how new talent can join the community, and how corporate film agencies can support the work that The Kusp is doing.
The Kusp’s goal is to improve access for under-represented talent in the creative media industries. Why is access so important?
Access is vital in the creative media industries for several reasons. For a long time, ‘access’ has been a privilege, which hasn’t been equally distributed to everyone which is concerning for an industry that aims to serve a variety of communities but doesn’t represent them within influential rooms.
Greater access improves diversity and inclusion, ensuring that a broader range of perspectives and voices are represented in the work that is produced. This impact will positively resonate with a more varied audience, but also statistics show that greater racial and ethnic diversity is 36% more likely to have financial returns that are above industry averages. In addition, companies with more gender balance are 25% more likely to outperform those who do not (Source).
Different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences bring unique ideas and approaches, allowing boundaries to be pushed because of diversity of thought, which in turn leads to more compelling and authentic outputs.
Everyone should have an equal opportunity to pursue their passion and contribute to the creative media industries, regardless of their background or upbringing. By providing a gateway for creatives from diverse backgrounds, the industry becomes more equitable and creates a level playing field.
What is The Kusp doing to improve access? What are the current barriers to entry that under-represented talent face when trying to get into the industry? Can you share a bit about the three core pillars that shape your work?
As you’ve highlighted, we improve access through talent development and talent sourcing which are upheld by three core pillars. Pillars that we developed after speaking to a wide range of creatives, and industry professionals, about their challenges within the creative media industry. This led us to focus our efforts on industry insight, networks and work opportunities.
Our ‘industry insight’ pillar includes our curated experiences such as masterclasses, portfolio review sessions, mentorship schemes and showcase events. Delivered in collaboration with leading industry experts, organisations and creative talent. Working with the likes of ITV Studios, Channel 4, Puma, Film & TV Charity and many others. We also curate content to upskill our audiences with industry specialists too.
The ‘network’ pillar includes our paid membership offer for creatives. A curated members club for under-represented creatives to connect, learn and excel. Providing access to quarterly community mixers, a digital community of creatives, and working with partners to deliver perks and benefits such as free or discounted offers on co-working space, equipment rental or even travel through Uber.
Lastly, ‘work opportunities’ focuses on providing job opportunities for our creative community through our curated content – as mentioned above – but predominantly through our talent posting services, in which creative employers can source upskilled and diverse talent for junior to mid-level roles on creative media productions or for in-house teams.
You’re a big believer in community, and in being accessible to introverts. How do you ensure that your community is a space introverts can thrive in?
You’re right. I wholeheartedly believe in the significance of community, and it truly thrives when it includes diverse individuals with complementary personalities. As an ambivert navigating an industry that often caters predominantly to extroverts, I find there’s real value in creating more intimate and safe spaces that enable people to build deeper connections. These connections, in turn, nurture trust and a better understanding of people’s needs – a crucial element, especially in the creative media industry where the majority of creatives seek to grow their networks. I’ve also heard on multiple occasions that many feel isolated and vulnerable at times along their journey, and these spaces allow them to feel heard, understood, and supported, which proves to be valuable for everyone, not just introverts. Moreover, I recognize that supporting under-represented talent demands a personalised and nuanced approach, it’s not a one-size-fits-all. So instead, meeting creatives where they are and offering tailored support can have a monumental impact on their career trajectory. Curating these intimate spaces makes that possible.
Who can join your community, and how?
When we say ‘under-represented talent’ we’re referring to creatives from ethnic minority, lower socio-economic groups. We also welcome creatives with disability – inclusive of neurodivergent creatives – to our growing community.
Creatives can register to our community and get access to jobs, curated experiences and other perks we have on offer to support their career development.
If they’re looking for more guidance, get access to mentoring, exclusive industry opportunities and other related perks, they can join The Kusp Club.
How can corporate film agencies get involved with, and support, the work you do?
Agencies can support us on multiple fronts. Based on the pillars mentioned, providing ‘industry insights’ through curated experiences – masterclasses, mentorship and more. Collaborating on curated content such as our Coffee Catch-up series that helps to provide industry insight, but in turn creates paid job opportunities for talent within our community to plan, shoot and edit the content. Here’s what we did recently with our friends at Plastic Pictures.
In addition, agencies make use of our talent sourcing services to access junior to mid-level talent for productions or in-house roles.
In short, there’s multiple opportunities for us to partner or collaborate with corporate film agencies to improve access for under-represented talent. Don’t hesitate to just get in touch and we can go from there.