POV Releases Their "Breaking In" Report

Toronto’s film, television and media-based industry has experienced significant annual growth since 2016.  With the expansion of studio space in 2020, the sector is now facing an urgent pressure to secure large numbers of reliable, new talent and to ensure this talent reflects the city’s population. This seemingly straight-forward task is complicated by the sector’s insularity, which is managed through deep networks of personal and professional relationships. These and other barriers to access make the process of “breaking in” consistently challenging for new talent; especially for diverse creatives and young people from equity-seeking groups. 

To prioritize workforce diversity, POV is collaborating with the City’s film office, the sector and its unions to develop workforce strategies that engage equity-seeking groups across the sector. Essential to this mission is a holistic view of the key stakeholders, pathways, access points, gates, and enablers that define the sector experience for those trying to “break in”. In the absence of existing data, this research, conducted in 2019, is a first step to mapping the sector and exploring the systemic barriers to access that regulate the sector’s workforce.

To learn more, you can read the full report here.