about.

who we are.

Andy Taylor profile image

ANDY TAYLOR.

Andy was a pioneer of digital media in the UK and an inspiration and mentor to many who followed in his footsteps. A proud son of Rochdale, Lancashire and the North, he made his way into the media via the University of Nottingham, an early career as a lawyer and then cuttingedge digital teams at Victoria Real, Channel 4 and All3Media.

In 2012, Andy co-founded Little Dot Studios. It is now one of the largest distributors of premium content on YouTube and producer of factual channels, which include the BAFTA award-winning Real Stories. Tragically, Andy died from a brain tumour in December 2020.

The media is clearly influential in society and an attractive career sector for many young people. Andy believed that media is consumed by everyone, so everyone should play a role in its creation. However, throughout his career, he observed that it was still an unfairly difficult sector for many to break into. Continuing the work Andy started and guided by his values, The Andy Taylor Foundation has been established to create high-impact programmes opening doors to untapped potential.

OUR TEAM.

Laura Taylor NEW cut out (1) (1)
LARA TAYLOR - CHAIR

Lara leads The Foundation to realise Andy’s vision and support young people to achieve their potential in the creative industries.

“Andy cared deeply that all young people should have the opportunity to achieve their goals and reach their potential, just as he had. He was driven to increase diversity in the media and that opportunities should be equitable no matter who you are, whatever your background or stage of your career.

Andy knew the key to success in business and life was to connect with people, value everyone and be kind and generous in any small way you can.

We believe Andy would be proud of the work we’ve done to change young lives so far. With the help of our fantastic network of industry colleagues, supporters and friends, we plan to continue opening more doors and creating more opportunity. If you can help in any way, please reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you.”

JAMES O'BRIEN

TRUSTEE

SELMA TURAJLIC

TRUSTEE

JASON GEORGE

TRUSTEE

SOPHIE HAKES

TRUSTEE

PAUL HUNT

TRUSTEE

LENKA KUBOVA

CHARITY OFFICER

what we do.

SOCIAL MOBILITY IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES.

The creative industries have a key role in shaping the political, social and cultural agenda of the UK, yet its leaders are often drawn from a narrow cross-section of society. Television and digital careers are more open than other media sectors but are still dominated by those who attended selective schools (independent and grammar) and a small group of universities, who are twice as likely to succeed in creative occupations.

IF THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES WERE AS SOCIO-ECONOMICALLY DIVERSE AS THE REST OF THE ECONOMY, THERE WOULD BE

263,200

ADDITIONAL WORKING CLASS PEOPLE CURRENTLY EMPLOYED IN THE SECTOR.

Social Mobility in the Creative Economy
Sept 2021

OUR ASPIRATIONS.

Research by The Prince’s Trust found that 2.8 million young people in the UK don’t think their job prospects will ever recover from the pandemic. We want to show them the doors are still open and there are pathways through them.

Achieving these aspirations is dependent on impactful programmes throughout the lives of individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds and within the creative industries. Our focus is on delivering professional Pathways to training and Accelerators to create greater equality in early careers experience.

PATHWAYS.

Working to reduce inequality for school leavers, improving the chance of underrepresented young people securing jobs in the media sector.

We will create and partner in tailored training programmes and masterclasses developed and delivered with industry partners, informed by academic research and robust data.

ACCELERATORS.

To tackle work progression and advancement in cultural inequality such as:

We will deliver early career support through professional development, mentoring and networks. Facilitate open and transparent knowledge exchange and shared learning.

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