First black owned TV production company launched in Bristol

Bristol has welcomed its first black TV production company to the city.

Blak Wave, spearheaded by Michael Jenkins and Dr Mena Fombo, says it will be the first of it’s kind amongst 140 TV production companies.

The company’s mission is to create content from a fresh perspective, giving a voice to those who are underrepresented on our screens, and telling stories which reflect and resonate with today’s TV audiences.

Dr Mena Fombo is a highly regarded equality and diversity campaigner in Bristol, who is credited with founding Black Girl Convention, described as a movement to ensure all women of African and Caribbean heritage ‘have a sense of home, by sharing, shaping and owning the Black Girl Experience.’

She has a background in film making, including heading up the creative production agency Eight at Knowle West Media Centre.

Her co-founder is Michael Jenkins, an established filmmaker in the city, who has made acclaimed documentaries on the St Pauls Carnival and autism in the Somali community. As well as making content for the BBC, he has film credits for Channel 4 and a range of digital platforms.

Blak Wave is being incubated by DrummerTV, the award winning production company which makes entertainment and factual programming for Channel 4, BBC1, BBC3, Channel 5, CBBC and British Sign Language Broadcast Television. They came to prominence with their series entitled GymStars on gymnastics , which aired on CBBC.

A new TV production company has been launched in Bristol by Dr Mena Fombo and Michael Jenkins

Commenting on the launch of Blak Wave, co-founder Michael Jenkins, was keen to emphasise the significance of this for Bristol. He said: “I’ve been a filmmaker for the past seven years and more often than not, when I enter a commissioning room, I’m the only black person in it.

“Blak Wave is a huge opportunity to invest in developing new narratives and tell untold stories that reflect the population,” he added.

There have been other black owned media companies in the city such as Black Pyramid and First born Productions ,the brain child of Rob Mitchell and UWE academic Shawn Sobers.

This had more of an emphasis upon community programming and education , and Mr Jenkins was keen to pay homage to them.

'This is going to be great for the industry'

He said: "I am very mindful that we stand on the shoulders of giants, like First Born and others that paved the way for us. Our aim is a bit different, however, as the focus is on mainstream programming and breaking into TV production.

"This will include mainstream programming told through the perspective of two black owners, and we hope this will create a sea change in the city," he added.

Dr Mena Fombo, feels the company will offer a great platform for local people to get involved. She said: “You’ve heard of a rogue wave, well now a Blak Wave is coming, and we’re inviting everyone to jump on board and ride it, this is going to be great for the industry, particularly in the South West."

Bristol is well known for award winning TV output, particularly in drama, wildlife documentaries, and animation. However, diversity and a lack of representation continues to be an issue in this sector, as it is at a national level.

According to the most recent census (2011) by the UK’s Office For National Statistics, the UK population is 13% BAME and by 2030, that figure is set to rise to 20%.

Crucially, a growing proportion of ethnic minorities in the UK are keen consumers of TV and film. According to the BFI yearbook, BAME groups are over-represented among cinema-goers, video rental and digital film consumers.

According to the latest Creative Skillset employment census, however, BAME representation in the industry declined across production, distribution and exhibition from 2009-12. BAME employment in the film-production sector fell from 10% to 3%.

Tamsin Summers and Rachel Drummond Hay, directors of Drummer TV, who are supporting Black Wave, said: “When Drummer started we were one of only a handful of production companies owned by women and now Blak Wave is paving the way for BAME-led TV in our region. We’re thrilled to be supporting them.

“There’s a misconception that the underrepresented want to make niche programming and Mike and Mena will prove this wrong with ideas that are broad, big and bold".

Blak Wave will be launching new content very soon.