Daisy Miles and IWD :

Interview with Daisy Miles Global Girl Media UK Summer Academy alumna and journalist.

Written by: Tasnim Noam.

Edited by : Dila su Yaman.

Daisy Miles Global Girl Media UK Summer Academy alumna and journalist. Daisy Miles is an aspiring political journalist  In this interview I delve into what her impressions were of the IWD event at News UK and her vision for women and underrepresented communities in the UK media landscape and gain insight on her upbringing and the experiences that shaped her professional endeavours.

Born and brought up in London, Miles says she didn’t grow up having particular passions unless she counts watching television.  She recalls her fondest memories were where she would play with her friends’ cousins and grandfather.  She would enjoy playing games where a lot of imagination was involved which got her the nickname “Dolly Daydream”.

-“Daisy where are you in your career path?”

I am at the very beginning, it feels like. I feel like I am attempting to climb over a brick wall to try and get a job in journalism. I’ve spent most of my life studying, and now I would like to start work.

Daisy runs a blog where she writes articles ranging from opinion pieces to political analysis.

https://daisymiles.substack.com

On the 7th of March Daisy was invited to the IWD News UK event. I interviewed her regarding her analysis of IWD and the symbolism behind it.

After attending this event has your understanding of IWD changed and what  does IWD mean to you?

Initially, International Women’s Day didn’t mean much to me. I wrote about this a couple of years ago, and I don’t think International Women’s Day started to be celebrated in the UK until very recently. Even attending a conference celebrating the occasion felt strange to me!

However, now is probably the best time to start, especially here in the UK. Of course it’s important to celebrate the progress women have made in being recognised as equal to men. However, there is a long way to go. There are still vast inequalities across public and private spheres, especially for transgender women who currently appear to be on the front line of political warfare here. Meanwhile, trailblazers like Diane Abbot, the first black female MP in the UK, are faced with violent threats regularly. It’ll be great to celebrate how far we have come, but I also wish we could focus on how we can make the world better for our future generations of women.

-As IWD’s theme was Inspiring Inclusion, what do you make of this theme  ?

“Inspiring inclusion” I believe is a strange theme, as if mainstream feminism has finally caught onto what intersectional feminists have been campaigning for all along, but even more watered down. Maybe that is a bit cynical, though.

I understand that the absence of inclusion is a consequence of centuries of systemic sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia and ableism. It cannot be unlearned in an instant, but I hope this year’s theme does inspire people to educate themselves on the ways they are complicit in excluding marginalised groups so they become more conscious of those behaviours.

-Based on the talks you’ve attended at the event on the future of the UK’s media landscape, what is your vision after attending the news UK event?  What is your prediction for the  UK’s media landscape ?

I guess I am still concerned by a lot of external factors threatening the media industry that don’t just affect women, but creatives as a whole.

As a journalist, I am quite scared of the impact that AI is having on the industry. When we were luckily given a tour of the News UK building, we got to see instances of AI being implemented into reporting, so I am not quite sure it reassured me about my dream job disappearing.

-What were your impressions of  the News UK event?

I found the event comforting in a way. Journalism can be quite lonely for women, I remember on the first day of my journalism course I was stunned by how few women were in my cohort. I can hold my own in a conversation about football, but I would also like to talk about other things!

I think hearing the experiences of other women in news and broadcast made me feel less lonely, and it reminded me that I do belong in the industry and that I have worked hard enough.

-Could you share with us what your favourite moment/speaker/quote was ?

I did enjoy hearing Leanne Sanderson discuss her experiences as a queer person of colour, both in sport and in broadcast. I would also love to hear more voices like hers at future events celebrating women! She was an incredibly compelling speaker, I wish I could ask her to commentate on all West Ham matches.

-Finally  what are your dreams and hopes for the future ?

Hopefully there will be a time where we don’t need one day to celebrate women in our society. I hope that the hard work our mothers and grandmothers have endured are celebrated more often, and are seen as bigger achievements compared to their male counterparts after the obstacles they have passed through.

-Thank you Daisy Miles for sharing this insightful take on IWD and its global implications.

My pleasure.

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International Women's Day 2024 at News UK

To me International Women’s Day is about coming together and celebrating women - all women, from different walks of life. Celebrating their determination, hard work, sacrifices and the influence they have on the world that often goes unnoticed. Celebrating how far women have come and recognizing what the previous generation have done to push for change and equality. Also acknowledging women today that are movers and shakers and inspire the next generation of women.  

I was lucky enough to attend the International Women’s Day 2024 event at News UK. The event was filled with jam packed sessions and talks including a Women in Journalism panel with former England and Arsenal football and talkSPORT broadcaster Lianne Sanderson, News UK SVP Kirsteen King and Commercial Director Liz Perkins and Sunday Times Deputy Editor Krissi Murrison. It was amazing to hear their career journeys, how they have overcome setbacks and the realities of working in a male dominated field. I was able to learn many different perspectives e.g., balancing motherhood whilst managing a team, how much force goes into advocating for female footballers to receive fair opportunities.  

Another amazing panel was from Times Radio's Jane Garvey and Fi Glover as they reflected on their 30 years in the broadcast industry. I really admired their honesty, sense of humour and perseverance. It was particularly eye opening to see photos during their early days at the BBC (where I currently work) and how they were often the only women in these photos. Fast forward to today, I am thankful to work in a team with many amazing women but know that this was not always the case. 

My favourite thing about the event was the real sense of community I felt in the room. It was amazing seeing women of different ages and backgrounds come together to celebrate themselves and have open honest conversations on what it is like being a woman in the workplace. There was a real sense of solidarity.  

I currently work in television marketing and as I develop my career, I hope to continue to champion diversity and push for more opportunities for unrepresented voices to be shown on screen, all year round not just during the annual events. The event also showed me that I still have a lot to learn as I continue to advance my career in television, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds.  

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Author: Rianna Enahoro

Where is she now ?

Meet future film director Maia Adelia:

Ever since her film classes lit the spark of her filmmaking skills, Maia has been on a fruitful journey of becoming a documentary filmmaker.

She has been selected for the BAFTA scholarship programme to support her studies in the factual development and production  course at the National Film and Television School .

Raised in Brighton she attended a private school through a combination of bursary and scholarship support.

It was during that time she was initiated to the realm of documentary and filmmaking.

Her passion was ignited when she was introduced to Stacey Dooley’s documentaries.  She consequently decided to study “Media BTEC” at college.

Pleasantly surprised by her avid interest in filmmaking her teacher introduced her to a variety of documentaries and filmmakers there.  She discovered: Asif Kapadia, Lucy Walker and Michael Moore, who, in her own words “ solidified “ her passion for documentary making.

Her teenage years propelled her onto the unique path of the constantly evolving filmmaking scene. As she graduated from college she took a gap year, travelling all around south Asia.

When she returned to the UK she came across the Global Girl Media UK training.  As she didn’t have any experience in the media industry apart from her BTEC media class, she saw the application and “knew” she had to apply.

When I asked her about her training with GGM  UK she said : “The training offered a great foundation to on and off-the-job media training.  It was the first time I had ever held a proper industry camera! Plus, the opportunity of making a short documentary as part of a group was fantastic. Some of the techniques; e.g the casting of contributors are still parts of my job to this day.”

When asked about the take away from her GGM UK experience she explained that what stayed with her the most and what she loved  was the ongoing  support and advice from experienced tutors in the training, she says “ I felt confident to express my  ideas in a safe environment  and created life long friendships”.

Despite the highs and lows of the industry, fast forwarding two years from working office jobs to pay the bills, Maia came across a tweet from Producer Director Liana Stewart looking for a Researcher.

She sent her an email and convinced her to pick her.  Ever since, Maia has been working in the industry and going up ladders. Maia is  currently an Assistant Producer in the TV industry and have worked on projects like The Good Fight Club (Sky Docs) which won Official Selection at Sheffield DocFest 2023.  Her goal is to develop and direct her own documentaries.

When asked about the industry she explains that a lot has to be done given the decreasing number of female directors, she calls for more inclusivity and diversity in the universe of film making. According to We Are Doc women the number of female directors has fallen to less than one in four since their 2021 report. Maia is a proud advocate of intersectional feminism promoting  the fundamental right for all gender identities to have equal choices and opportunities in all fields.

As Maia elaborated on the workings of the industry she explained the impact commissioning slowdown has had on BAME people.  “The commissioning slowdown has meant that there has been a job drought which is going to massively affect diversity. A recent Sky News article said: “For the past three months freelancers who are black or Asian are less likely to have worked than their white colleagues (29% of white respondents had not worked at all, compared to 38% of respondents who are Asian and 32% of black respondents).”

When I asked Maia about the possible ways the industry could improve, she discussed the impact of a lack of diversity in the field.  “I think we need to promote diversity at leadership levels. While entry-level schemes are great, there remains a noticeable lack of diversity at the top of the industry. This imbalance leads to the loss of talented individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. Providing greater support for underrepresented people at mid-career is essential for effecting long-term, substantive change.”

As a successful AP who’s worked on the “Wednesdays” podcast and documentaries such as “The Good Fight  Club”, I asked Maia for advice for upcoming filmmakers in the industry.  She stressed the importance of pitching by explaining the following: “Develop your pitching skills early, as pitching is a constant in the industry - from job interviews where you have to ‘pitch yourself’ to presenting ideas internally to execs and externally to commissioners. You will never not have to pitch. Recently I had a session with a commissioner who said she still has to pitch upwards in the hierarchy. Pitching never stops!  Your peers are not competitors but allies who can recommend you for jobs, offer support during tough periods and grow alongside you. People are often intimidated by networking.   However, your peers will be your most valuable network - as you move up the ladder, so will they - you might even be pitching your ideas to them one day!

Tasnim Noam, GGM UK Summer Academy 2023.

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