BIPOC Directors Collective Conference: Amplifying and Strengthening the BIPOC Creative Community
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This past June, SEGD members Aki Carpenter and Inessah Selditz hosted their second BIPOC Directors Collective Conference, a series of virtual roundtable discussions, free of charge and live streamed on YouTube. The roundtables featured directors from five different creative industries, including:
- Advertising / Marketing (June 21)
- Media / Publishing (June 22)
- Architecture (June 23)
- Museums (June 24)
- Theater / Film (June 25)
Co-founded by Aki and Inessah in 2020, the BIPOC Directors Collective is an unofficial group of directors of color who work within these creative industries.
“After the George Floyd murder, we saw a lot of conversation around racial inequity in these industries,” said Carpenter in a recent interview. “We wanted to primarily focus on the director level because those are the folks who do have a seat at the table and can inform policy change.”
The Conference’s topics included many relevant issues, but perhaps most importantly, the roundtables attracted the attention of many young BIPOC creatives looking for mentorship with directors who are successful within their respective fields—and who also look like them.
“We wanted to shed light on the path for future BIPOC creatives who might be seeking to be a director someday,” continued Carpenter, “And also to just have a frank conversation around what it means to be BIPOC at the director level.”
The directors who participated in the Conference— including SEGD Board Member Dayton Schroeter—volunteered their time to the Collective. To watch recordings of the roundtable discussions, visit the BIPOC Directors Collective YouTube channel.