High profile speakers note need for change…
LARGELY a gathering of the great and the good of one corner of the media industry, the Asian Media Awards nominations announcement event is also a sort of important baton exchange between the old and the new and the emerging.
Held at the ITV building on the Southbank in London on Thursday (September 21), the old – as in the established and the recognised – make speeches in praise of the new, but that is not all.
Each high-profile industry speaker also announces the nominees in a couple of categories.
They also deliver an assessment of the state of play (in the industry) and encourage a new generation to get their hands dirty and shake up the media industry from its continuing myopia when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
It is estimated that less than five per cent of the industry is from an ethnic minority, when it should be at least double that.
So, while the nominees basked in some reflected glory, there is a wider and harder-edged purpose to what might seem, on the surface, like just another ‘asian awards brouhaha’.
From The Observer’s Chief Leader Writer Sonia Sodha, a sober assessment of where we are at – and where we need to go.
She urged anyone – but especially those in the media business – to listen to what distinguished veteran journalist Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow said at a keynote address at the Edinburgh TV Festival about the need for the media to be relevant and representative in the wake of the terrible Grenfell tragedy.
She said those in positions of responsibility and power needed to ask questions not just about their current recruitment practices, but look deeper at what they were doing to help affect real change.
Citing a metaphor used by Ruth Hunt, the chief executive of Stonewall, the sexual rights equality campaign group, Sodha said: “It’s not just about putting a couple of extra seats at the table, it’s about giving up the seat, giving up power.”
Professor Allan Walker, dean of the school of Arts and Media at the University of Salford, one of the AMA sponsors, highlighted its own successes in bringing through young talent already making its mark.
Each speaker at the nominations event spoke about the need to widen the pool, to be open to new voices and to celebrate difference.
Two past winners showed that baton-exchange is important and that the AMAs can have a positive and real impact.
Salma and Layla Haidrani have both gone onto establish themselves in the media having started as bloggers and AMA winners in 2013 and 2014, respectively. They read out that category in which we appear. (See below).
Safina Mirza, head of promotion and project communications at HS2, spoke powerfully about her own journey from a family who had never sent anyone to university – let alone a girl – and ascending the communications ladder as someone from a minority in the north.
Sam Patel, planning business director Primesight, the display ad company, spoke about his passion for the job and the need for the industry to remain innovative and competitive and promote excellence regardless of its age. He praised his boss Naren Patel, the company CEO and one of the judges, for his personal visbility – saying that for a young man like himself seeing another Asian in a position of power and responsibility both excited and inspired him.
Priya Singh, commissioning editor Factual ITV, one of the sponsors, stressed the need to identify talent from wherever it came from and Mike Straney, director of giving at charity Sightsavers, after screening a short video of its work in the sub-continent, emphasised the need to connect and enable some of the poorest, struggling with failing sight and blindness to grow and develop.
Umbreen Ali, AMA media manager, welcomed at the start, many of the nominees who were in the audience and pledged the organisation’s keenness to celebrate talent and excellence across the asian media.
The winners will be announced at the Asian Media Awards at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate on Wednesday, October 25.
(Sailesh Ram, editor www.asianculturevulture.com)
That announcement…
So much passion & dedication goes into creating @asianculturevul proud they're made the @asianmediaaward shortlist again! @its_me_salma pic.twitter.com/5PiGRIHxPO
— Momtaz Begum-Hossain (@TheCraftCafe) September 21, 2017
Links where applicable
Journalist of the Year
Tazeen Ahmad
Tufayel Ahmed
Shekhar Bhatia
Nelufar Hedayat
Tanveer Mann
Kavita Puri
Best Investigation
Camber Sands Investigation – ITV Meridian
Halala: The Men Who Sell Divorce – BBC Asian Network and Victoria Derbyshire Programme
Islam’s Non-Believers – Deeyah Khan, Fuuse Films for ITV Exposure
Racist Britain: Bushra Siddiq for Channel 4 Dispatches
The Sikhs of Smethwick – Billy Dosanjh for BBC Four
The Traffickers – Nelufar Hedayat for Lightbox Media Ltd for Fusion
Regional Journalist of the Year
Anila Dhami, ITV Tyne Tees
Audrey Dias, BBC Midlands Today
Navtej Johal, BBC East Midlands
Rajiv Popat, ITV Central
Outstanding Young Journalist
Arandeep Singh Dhillon, Warrington Guardian
Shehab Khan, The Independent
Shehnaz Khan, Writer and Journalist
Monika Plaha, BBC Breakfast
Inzamam Rashid, BBC News
TV Report of the Year
Charity (Bhaarat Welfare Trust) – Sumeer Kalyani for BBC East Midlands Today
Disability Dating – By Anisa Kadri for BBC Asian Network and BBC World
Former Members of Banned Terror Group Meet at Far-Right Training Camp – By Rohit Kachroo for ITV News
India’s Partition 70 years on: ‘I killed a man’ – By Secunder Kermani for BBC
Male Honour Abuse – By Katie Razzall, Producer: Yasminara Khan for BBC2Newsnight
Teesside: Can Locals and Asylum Seekers Get Along? – By Assed Baig for Channel Four
Publication of the Year
Asian Express
Asian Wealth Magazine
Eastern Eye
The Asian Today
Best Website
www.asianculturevulture.com
BizAsiaLive.com
DesiBlitz.com
Funoon.co.uk
Best Blog
British Bindi
Halal Girl About Town
Fashionicide
StylmK
Taran Bassi
Best Video Channel
Winner to be announced at the AMA ceremony on 25 October
Radio Station of the Year
BBC Asian Network
Sunrise Radio
Regional Radio Station of the Year
Asian Star Radio 106FM
Fever 107.3FM
Sabras Radio
Sunrise Yorkshire
Radio Presenter of the Year
Anushka Arora, Sunrise Radio
Bobby Friction, BBC Asian Network
Yasmeen Khan, Talk Radio and BBC Three Counties
Kavita Kukar, Sino Radio
Nihal, BBC Asian Network and 909 Five Live
Paul Shah, Sunrise Radio
Best Radio Show
The Breakfast Show with Raj and Sonia, Sunrise Radio
Drive Time with DJ Haashim, Asian Star Radio 106FM
Mawaan and Emily, BBC Asian Network
Panjabi Hit Squad, BBC Asian Network
Shivi Hotwani, Lyca Radio
The Guz Khan Show, BBC Asian Network
Best TV Programme/Show
Ackley Bridge
My Family, Partition and Me: India 1947
Muslims Like Us
The Selfless Sikh: Faith on the Front Line
Three Girls
TV Channel of the Year
Brit Asia TV
Colors
Star Plus
Sony Entertainment Television Asia
Best TV Character
Asim Chaudhry as Chabuddy G in People Just do Nothing
Bhavna Limbachia for Rana Nazir in Coronation Street
Adil Ray as Sadiq Nawaz in Ackley Bridge
Indira Varma as DS Nina Suresh in Paranoia
Also acknowledging contributions to acv this year: Khakan Qureshi, Attika Choudhary and Naomi Canton; Peter Somogyi, Michael Tsim and Harry Clegg on our Youtube channel
Best Stage Production
Anita and Me
Combustion
Miss Meena and the Masala Queens
Mother Tongues from Farther Lands
Sukanya
Best Live Event
BBC Asian Network Comedy
Magic Lantern Festival
Partition 70 Years On
Media Agency of the Year
Alliance Advertising and Marketing
Ethnic Reach
Media Hive
Oceanic Consulting
Sterling Media
Media Professional of the Year
Arika Murtza
Govind Shahi
Sunny Suri
Creative Media Award
All Zee No Fee Campaign
Finding Fatimah Movie Campaign
‘I Am Yazidi’ Exhibition Campaign
KA Media
RIA Money Transfer Campaign
AMA Best Newcomer
Nisha Aaliya
Bhavin Bhatt
Anthony Sahota
Media Personality of the Year
Winner to be announced at the AMA ceremony
The Sophiya Haque Services to British Television & Film Award
Winner to be announced at the AMA ceremony
Outstanding Contribution to Media Award
Winner to be announced at the AMA ceremony
The AMA Awards ceremony 2017 take place at Hilton Deansgate on Wednesday October 25 2017
For more info: http://asianmediaawards.com/asian-media-awards-2017-finalists/
Tickets: http://asianmediaawards.com/tickets/
http://asianmediaawards.com/
Previously
http://asianculturevulture.com/?s=Asian+Media+Awards