The OKRE Summit: This was the day

The day begun with an introduction to the OKRE summit with Dr Yvonne Thompson, CBE (Chair of OKRE) Iain Dodgeon (Director of OKRE) and Aradhna Tayal (Director of the OKRE Summit) taking to the stage to welcome attendees and speakers.

Setting the tone for the day, Dr Thompson emphasised the need for ‘personal social responsibility’ — a thread that run through each session of the day as panellists explored the ways in which media, content creation and the charity sector can walk hand in hand to create tangible impact.

From writer and director Gurinder Chadha (in conversation with Mishal Husain), an acknowledgment of the power of film and storytelling to create conversation and tackle uncomfortable subjects, noting that her work, no matter its guise, has always been about such issues as racism and class disparity.

The first panel of the day: The Culture of Collaboration with speakers Simon Gunning (CEO of the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)), Samir Patel (CEO of Comic Relief), and Sophie Neary (Group Vertigo Director at Meta) was moderated by journalist, broadcaster and author Ayesha Hazarika.

Reflecting on the panel and the importance of the Summit overall, Samir Patel said:

“[This was] a day of fresh insights, new perspectives and a mutual understanding of shared challenges across multiple organisations. I was privileged to be on the panel and very much hope the OKRE summit becomes an annual date in the calendar.”

Then Lucy Allan (Lime Pictures), Jeremy Howe (The Archers), Alejandro Villanueva Argüelles (Fundación Televisa), Martha Williams (Beat) and Ria Hebdon (journalist and TV Presenter) took to the stage to discuss long-term approaches to weaving social issues into continuing drama and the benefits this can have for charities and producers alike.

With a wealth of experience and a wide range of expertise between them all, this ‘Fraggle Rock to Ru Paul’s Drag Race‘ panel urged content creators to commit to producing the best product they could — despite the influence of social media and the fear of cancel culture.

“We are the people that are going to be referenced in the future, the ones taking the picture of our age.” ~ Dan Bernardo