"Open Your Doors To Diverse People"

Sep. 13

With the 46th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival underway, we thought now would be the perfect time to speak with some women in the industry!

Award-winning writer, producer and director Alison Duke tells us about her journey as a Black queer woman in Toronto, and Lauren MacKinlay, currently the supervising producer on CTV's Transplant, talks about what we can do to encourage women from all backgrounds to pursue a career in film

Tell us a little about your career journey and how you got to where you are today.

Lauren: I started out as an actor and trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England. While I was there getting my Masters, we were taught the essential elements of filmmaking and, as a result, I simultaneously fell in love with producing.

As a producer, you're overseeing the entire filmmaking process and also serving as the driving force of the project; I'm happiest when I'm encouraging others and operating in multiple sectors, so it was a great fit. From there, I acted in and produced short films until I was hired 7 years ago by Sphere Media and transitioned into the world of television. Now I'm serving as the Supervising Producer of the medical drama Transplant.

Alison: My personal journey has a lot of twists and turns. Mainly because I didn't know anybody who was pursuing the field that I was in, I didn't know where to start or where to look.

I started as a writer with a column in community newspapers and then arts and culture magazines, then eventually for a women’s journal, which is where I found my voice. A friend of mine was working as a production assistant at the time and asked if I could help with a music video and I just said "sure why not", even though I knew nothing about it, I thought I’ll just give it a try.

I absolutely fell in love with it and the next thing I know I was making all these music videos, and then a documentary about the urban music scene in Toronto, moved in and out of television, and through it all I always just wanted to learn more. So I followed my sense of curiosity to find out where I could go next.

Do you see this as your final destination, or do you see yourself working in different roles in the industry...or even leaving the industry altogether?

Lauren: The hope is that I will get to continuously evolve as a producer and work in multiple mediums (i.e. film, digital, television) throughout the duration of my career. Acting will always be a love of mine, of course, but nowadays it's something that I enjoy revisiting only once in a while.

Alison: I've started working on narrative directing and I'd really like to do more of that. I still have documentaries on my plate that I'm working on but I want to get into the narrative more. Working out stories with actors is really appealing to me.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Lauren: I've met some people along the way who have treated me differently because I'm a woman or because of my age/experience. I'm incredibly privileged in that I've never had to face the discrimination experienced by people with disabilities or those in the LGBTQ+ or BIPOC communities, so my very rare brushes with discrimination serve as reminders of how many more challenges other folks have, and how it's my responsibility to be a part of the solution.

Alison: Many, many, many challenges as a Black queer woman in this industry, it was very difficult. Even when I was making music videos I was one of the only females on set. I just remember not being taken seriously; I would ask for things that I wouldn't get, whereas the men seemed to always get what they needed.

As a lesbian in the community I heard that some people were even afraid of working with me for fear of what it might mean about them.

I think there has been a huge shift though, there is now a space for younger people to enter the industry, there’s more of a pathway, and they are celebrated rather than questioned. I’m really happy for that.

What would you say to someone who might find themselves in similar challenging situations?

Lauren: Dealing with sexism ultimately led me to co-found the non-profit organization Women On Screen, so I would say there's power in advocacy born out of challenges. I would encourage reporting instances of harassment or discrimination, because perpetrators of abuse need to be held accountable.

I understand that people don't always feel safe or secure enough to do so though, in which case I would recommend seeking out a community online with similar experiences who may be able to offer guidance. Finding a community also helps you feel seen and supported in your struggle, and that's the most important thing to remember: you're not alone.

Alison: There’s always someone in every industry that’s willing to support you. It's unfortunate that you have to do this extra work but if you can, seek that person out as a mentor or even just a five minute call.

Do you remember your career aspirations when you were ten years old?

Lauren: I wanted to be an actor.

Alison: I always knew I wanted to do something creative, as a young child I would always be making up stories in my head and observing people. Using my imagination to fill up the day.

My dad was a typesetter so he would sit me on his lap and show me how to read the newspaper so I was very much into reading and stories. But then when my parents got divorced my mother was raising five kids on her own and we didn’t have much. So what I had was my imagination, and being outside and finding out what you can do with a stick and a rock!

I think I used to tell people that I wanted to be a dreamer! I don't even know what that meant but I just knew I wanted to tell stories.

What do you wish you knew then that you know now?

Lauren: I wanted to be an actor until I realized that there were other jobs in this industry. Then it was like this whole world of possibility opened up to me.

It was hard deciding that producing would be my full-time focus; I felt in some way that I'd 'failed' as an actor. I know now that giving yourself permission to be open to opportunities and change your mind is an allowance for growth, and has nothing to do with failure.

To young children out there who want to follow in your footsteps, what piece of advice would you give them?

Lauren: You're going to work hard in whatever career path you choose, so listen to your heart and always go in the direction of your passions.

Alison: Think about what you want to do and all the things that are associated with it and make a big word cloud. Look at some of those words and see which ones you can do now and get practicing! You might have to do some research, or get some help, but build this cloud and keep on building whenever you find out more.

Do you think the landscape is changing in your profession with regard to diversity and inclusion?

Lauren: Yes, though much more work needs to be done.

Alison: There have been some great gains over the last five years, especially in the US with people like Shonda Rimes and I see it spilling over here in Canada. We still need to have more of a voice in terms of having control over the work that's being produced and we need people on the inside. We need broadcasters and stakeholders and funders who are people of colour that will understand the material and help develop it.

What more do you think needs to be done to enable people from underrepresented communities to consider working in your field?

Lauren: Conversations about the moral imperative to amplify underrepresented voices are important, but they need to move beyond that into action. Training programs and resources for those with limited access is a good place to start, and that should extend to include greater access to money, power and autonomy at all stages of creation.

More projects from underrepresented communities need to be funded, bottom line.

Alison: Very simple, reach out to them! There's nothing quite like someone reaching out and saying hey we have an opportunity here, when it's right for you let's talk about it. Open your doors to diverse people. When you're putting together a crew I know you have your people but think about if there's someone you can add to diversify your crew and make a change. Everyone needs to and can open their door.

Myself and Ngardy Conteh George were working on our own projects but decided to come together for Mr Jane and Finch, after which we launched OYA Media Group.

We decided that if we were going to do this, we have to create an avenue for Black youth, we can't just do this in isolation.

We wanted to have a place that Black youth could go to for support. We wanted to provide all of the things that we didn’t have when we were entering the business.

Any final thoughts?

Alison: I think it's very important to write down and visualise things you want to do, find those things you can't do and practice. And understand what you don't know. Take workshops, don't take for granted that you know everything. You have to go looking for what you don't know.

Name: Lauren MacKinlay

Job Title: Producer
Employer: Film & Television Industry

Years in the industry: 10

Website: www.mackinlaymedia.com

Twitter: @laurenmackinlay

IG: @mackinlaymedia

Name: Alison Duke

Job Title: Producer/Director

Employer: OYA Media Group

Years in the industry: 21

Website: www.oyamediagroup.com

Twitter: @oyamediagroup