Live Wire Sport Aims for Sport Industry Diversity with Mentoring Programme
November 22, 2019
LiveWire Sport has launched the Diversity in Digital Mentoring Programme, a new initiative to educate, encourage and engage a diverse range of talent throughout the UK, from under-represented groups across the sport and digital industries.
The programme aims to support the growth of genuinely diverse talent, by supporting individuals who feel they have been overlooked or missed out on opportunities because of factors beyond their control. This could be for any number of reasons; beliefs, background, sexuality, race, disability, gender, all the way through to people facing financial, geographical, health, family or lifestyle challenges.
Taking place throughout 2020, the programme will include sessions with a number of long-term clients of LiveWire Sport - Channel 4, Team GB, Wimbledon and a number of other world-class organisations.
As part of the programme, successful applicants will be offered a number of opportunities to develop their skills and learn more about the industry, with access to a year-round peer group of like-minded individuals and visits to supporting organisations.
Each participant will also be partnered with a mentor from the LiveWire Sport team for the year to provide additional support and advice.
Pranav Soneji, Director and Co-Founder at LiveWire Sport, said: “An audience as far reaching as sport should be represented by a workforce that is just as diverse. This programme is open to anyone who feels they have been overlooked or missed out on an opportunity because of a factor beyond their control.”
“Our industry serves a diverse audience across a number of platforms, so it is essential those working behind the scenes are just as representative.
Pete Andrews, Head of Channel 4 Sport, added: “Diversity is at the heart of everything we do at Channel 4 so we’re delighted to support initiatives which can help identify talented people from diverse backgrounds and provide them with opportunities to kickstart their careers.”
The initiative was launched at ‘Why Diversity in Digital Needs to Happen Now’ on Tuesday evening, an event held in collaboration with Channel 4 at their London headquarters, with LiveWire Sport joined by 150 people from across the industry.
During the evening the audience heard from Pranav Soneji, who discussed the socioeconomic barriers to entry in the industry with Andy Stevenson, Series Producer at Whisper; Sehrish Mumtaz, Brand and Channel Manager at EFL, and Dr Louise Ashley, Senior Lecturer at Royal Holloway University of London, who shared perspective from her research on the class ceiling impacting the city.
Later Laura Williamson, Senior Editor at The Athletic, chaired a panel with Joel Beya, Founder of Cheeky Sport; Dr Phil Hopley, Sports Psychologist, and Zhe Ji, Director, Red Lantern, on the impact of social media abuse, before event host Ayo Akinwolereexamined Channel 4’s representation strategy and its impact on business alongside the broadcaster’s Head of Inclusion & Diversity, Yasir Mirza.
The Diversity in Digital Mentoring Programme is now open to applicants until 31st January. To find out more visit www.livewiresport.com