When I started in the Creative Industries, I knew no one in the sector, and neither did anyone in my extended family. I knew there was no way I would have any opportunities or contacts presented to me, so it made me extra determined to work out which people I wanted to meet, track them down and find a way to make my own connections and network. It was massively hard at the start, with loads of unanswered calls and letters and lots of rejection, but once I got my very first invitation to meet someone at the BBC (aged 12), I knew that no one was beyond reach.
It is better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all. Every once in a while, I will get something right, and that is enough to make a difference.
Every contact I make and every person I manage to add to my network is valuable—I value their time and their willingness to engage. I may not immediately be able to help them, and they may not immediately be able to help me. However, often, within 6 months or even many years later, I usually come across someone who needs them or who they may need. I always reach out to people with the hope that they can be useful to me and my organisation, however, more often than not—connecting them to someone else leads to much bigger, longer-term rewards and the building of stronger business relationships.
My family often queried why I ran a not-for-profit, and the industry often seemed to look down on what I do as just some 'community filmmaking'. It has been frustrating to constantly justify my ethics, beliefs and values. It has, at times, been lonely, frustrating and extremely hard. That said, I would not change that journey—it made me resilient; I learned a lot and built a thick skin.
Somewhere along the line, I remember someone saying, “You know you are having an impact when people start copying what you do OR complaining about it.” We have had a lot of both, directly and indirectly, and I see that as the biggest indicator that the way I chose to approach our work was worth the challenges. We are often 10+ years ahead of the mainstream, for example, championing diversity and inclusion before it was seen as 'sexy' or even important to the media sector—yet now we have campaigns like 'Me Too' and 'Black Lives Matter’ being heralded globally.
I believe more programmes like BAFTA Elevate and the Clore Fellowship that bring together emerging leaders from under-represented backgrounds—so we can find our 'tribe', build our own networks and support each other are important, but alongside that, paid work opportunities and commissions for SMEs, social enterprises and under-represented entrepreneurs. Schemes are great but can be ghettoising and depend on the 'minority' learning to adopt, adapt or learn damaging systemic behaviours rather than forcing systemic change.
My greatest milestones so far have been securing National Portfolio status from the Arts Council England two years ago. This has enabled me to spend more time and energy building our local community arts and cultural infrastructure in Slough.
Another milestone, made possible by funding from the BFI and the National Lottery, is our partnership with AMAZON MGM Studios and many others to create 'Screen Berkshire' which helps local people of all ages find routes into film.
Last but not least, almost accidentally, after years of rejection, I finally made my first feature film—'Little English' by Pravesh Kumar and in 2024, it was released on ITVX, where you can now watch it for FREE!
When I see what I perceive to be injustice or a problem with a system, I cannot just walk away. My mind starts plotting solutions and ways to make a change (however small), and it is like an itch I have to scratch. It is easy to leave problems to others to solve, but I actually get a buzz out of solving problems. I am not overly concerned with what most people would regard as failure. I believe it is better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all. Every once in a while, I will get something right, and that is enough to make a difference.
A Creative Media Producer for more than 20 years, Dominique has made 100+ short films as well as the feature film ‘Little English’ and has supported 100s of under-represented Artists and Filmmakers to secure work in the Arts through the social enterprise she founded ‘Resource Productions CIC’. Dom is passionate about inclusion and access within the Creative Industries and supports diverse regional talent, crew and artists whilst producing commissions for the likes of BBC and Channel 4. She is the founder of ‘Berkshire Film Office’ and co-founder of the British Film Institute-backed ‘Screen Berkshire’, as well as Arts Council England-supported, YES: Youth Engagement Slough.
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