Social and screen creatives assess content creation prospects at symposium
The University of Huddersfield recently hosted a symposium aimed at helping budding social media content creators get a foothold in the sector at the local and national levels, with some some key players from the creative industries welcomed to the Barbara Hepworth Building.
Future Content Creators: Supporting Screen Industries and Sustainable Platform Work brought the social media content creator and influencer industry into dialogue with the traditional media industry of TV, broadcasting and film.
As a member of the Screen Industries Growth Network (SIGN), which supports Yorkshire’s TV, screen and gaming industries, the University’s event had a local focus around addressing better access for the region’s content creators. This focus could help to meet the government’s levelling up agenda for regional development in places like Yorkshire.
One of the event’s organisers, Dr Errol Salamon, Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and Communication, has directed a documentary based on the event.
Guests included Yorkshire’s Danny Malin, whose Rate My Takeaway has become a huge hit on YouTube with over 635,000 followers.
“This event highlights one of the ways that levelling up could be put into practice in regions like Yorkshire,” says Dr Salamon.
Rate My Takeaway has been an unlikely but substantial hit on YouTube
Investing in the regions could help content creators break into industry
“The government white paper talks about how parts of Yorkshire are among the most deprived in the country, but then Danny’s Rate My Takeaway is leveraging social media platforms and getting millions of subscribers and making a lot of money via You Tube.
“If the government could invest more funds into social media content creation, then creative industries could contribute a lot to the UK’s economy. Social media content creation within areas like Yorkshire could help contribute to the levelling up agenda.”
The symposium emphasised the need to remove barriers to breaking into the industry for individuals from diverse backgrounds. Input from prominent contributors, including YouTube, the BBC and OfCom reinforced the importance of diverse and inclusive creator programmes.
The panel of Promise Bakare (Digital Creator); Josh (Rate My Takeaway's Manager); Danny Malin/Rate My Takeaway (Social Media Influencer); Professor Cornel Sandvoss (University of Bristol); Dr Errol Salamon (University of Huddersfield)Dr Salamon highlighted the YouTube Black Voices Fund as an example of a successful diversity programme. This programme offers Black content creators the chance to work with a YouTube Partner manager and access funding, educational training and networking opportunities.
“People coming from historically marginalized groups find it hard to break in, and a highlight was Promise Bakare speaking about how YouTube’s Black Voices scheme was helping her,” adds Dr Salamon. “Iain Bundred, UK and Ireland Head of Policy for YouTube, agreed and said they and others need to expand those kind of programmes to help content creators build successful careers.”
The film based on the symposium
SIGN will publish a report by Dr Salamon later in 2023. The report will highlight key issues raised at the symposium, proposing strategies to make social media content creation more equitable and improve career prospects for aspiring creators.
“I think this event and what we are doing at the University demonstrate the high value and potential for success of people within the film, screen, TV and digital industries here and in the wider Yorkshire community. It also shows there needs to be more policy support,” Dr Salamon continues.
“If there is more funding on the education and industry side, we can demonstrate the high values and potential that social media content creation can contribute to the UK economy. It will also help with the levelling up policy agenda by improving career prospects for creative people in the regions away from London.”