One of the most powerful things about being a business owner is the ability to create a work environment according to your own principles. So many of us have worked within a company or organization and been disappointed by the way things were run, the way team members were treated. So, we wanted to ask some fantastic business owners and operators how they’ve gone about creating a more inclusive workplace.
Chris Anthony Hamilton
As the owner of BKW ImageWorks, a small film and video production company, I am often in the privileged position of making decisions about who to hire for projects and what kind of stories to help tell. It’s a responsibility that I take very seriously and with a great deal of pride because I know very well what it means to be given a job and a voice in this creative medium. Read more>>
Mackenzie Collier
When I first started my company, I hadn’t come out yet. I had long hair and wore dresses, skirts and heels. A few years in, I did come out as a lesbian. I cut my hair short, started dressing more androgynous and carried myself in a more masculine way, which felt more natural to me. Something incredible happened. Male clients started to treat me differently. Negotiations, which used to be round after round of them pushing me to wear me down became far easier. They started to push less, they threatened less, and they complained less. They also stopped disputing my pricing. Read more>>
D. STARR
Having been in the beauty industry for almost 20 years, I’ve worked in many different specialties; all while attempting to create an inclusive, diverse, and most of all SAFER space for all human artists. As a femme presenting queer (lesbian) woman, she/her, I have personally struggled with lack of visibility in my industry. It means something to be able to see a version of yourself in the top tiers of an industry you’ve given your literal blood, sweat, and tears to. Read more>>
Nate Doane
As a film and TV freelancer, I’ve learned firsthand that there’s a fair bit of “shop talk” that makes it very hard for newcomers to get a start in the industry. Most every tool that we use has some ridiculous name with multiple backstories that everyone argues about – “M.O.S. is German, it means ‘mit out sound’!” “I heard that C47s get their name from the military, who wanted to make the clothespins on their itemized inventories a little more top-secret”. Read more>>
Kayla Mainja
When starting this journey with Helen’s Project, I was constantly told. You will not get the support you deserve because you do not look the part. Those words rang hard in my ear as I did not understand what “look the part” meant until I went to my first foundation interview. Choosing my best new outfit, killer heels, covering all tattoos and a styled afro on point I walked in with a smile and a sense of security that I had made it this far. Sitting in a waiting room where not a single person looked like me. Read more>>