Panel discussion: The creative industry through the lens of Black creatives.

To celebrate Black History Month this year, we shone the spotlight on three amazing people, diving into their journeys and career paths to get to the bottom of what the creative industry looks like through the lens of Black creatives. Please put your hands together for our talented guests: Tori Taiwo, Adefolake and Alex Sawyer. These powerhouses have come with a wealth of experience across multiple disciplines, including fashion, photography, music, acting and TV production. 

Last week, I had the honour of hosting a panel discussion with three incredible Black creatives to the MG Empower HQ to talk about their journeys and experiences in the creative industry. Watch the full discussion on our YouTube channel here – and since this was a live broadcast, you’ll need to skip to 8:42 to get straight into it. 

Ranging from the challenges of navigating professional environments when you’re the only Black person in the room, to the importance of mentorship and sharing experiences for individual and societal progress, the conversation that unravelled was illuminating, insightful and incredibly important for anyone seeking to understand the diverse and nuanced realities of being from African and Caribbean descent in the creative industry in 2023. 

Ultimately, the conversation became a masterclass in authentic self-expression

Each of our panellists’ life experiences is entirely and uniquely their own. But one thing that Tori Taiwo, Adefolake and Alex Sawyer share is a steadfast belief that success in life is inextricable from authenticity. Where each of these powerhouses started and where they ended up are very different things, and despite any self-doubts or pressures (societal, familial or otherwise) they felt when they were younger, they’ve all found unparalleled success in the creative industries by paving their own paths. 

Read on for a glimpse into their inspiring stories.

“Curiosity is being brave enough to experiment.” – Tori Taiwo

Tori is a multi-disciplinary artist, creative director and storyteller who fuses her Nigerian heritage with her British upbringing through fashion, choreography and photography where she captures Black people in moments of joy, authenticity and being exactly who they are. Tori has also become an avid rollerskater, which she says was a natural transition for her since it brought her closer to her community. 

“When people ask me how I got into the creative industry, I tell them it was never the plan. It just happened by chance.” – Adefolake

Adefolake is an online content creator who also does a lot of unscripted television. But having started out her professional life studying law, being a creative was never the plan. After making funny videos on YouTube about Nigerian English, she found a home in front of the camera and went on to produce and present TV in Africa. She’s since gone on to produce some of the biggest shows for the biggest platforms, including Netflix, BBC, and Amazon Prime, but she never left her own content behind. 

“As a Black guy, you can see a photo of me, and I think people have a different idea of what I’m going to be like. So one of the things I love about being authentic in art is that I get to be like, well, this is me. This is who I am.” – Alex Sawyer

Alex is an actor, singer-songwriter, director, writer and videographer. Originally thinking he would be an engineer, he was cast in the Nickelodeon show House of Anubis at a young age and his life turned upside down. He’s since starred in Netflix (The End of the F***ing World) and West End shows (Hamilton), taught himself to produce music and made a name for himself doing everything he loves – which boils down to getting creative and exploring characters that he relates to. 

Please follow all our panellists to keep up with their journeys – Instagram handles are below. And watch the full panel, now available on our YouTube channel.

Tori Taiwo: @just1tori

Adefolake: @_adefolake_

Alex Sawyer: @alexjsawyer

Jason Williams: @jaseofargonauts