Spilling the T with Camilla Arnold, Chief Executive at BSLBT
Francesca Aita, Together TV’s Head of Marketing, grabbed a cuppa with BSLBT’s Chief Executive, Camilla Arnold, as Together TV’s partner for the Diverse Film Fund 2024 for deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent creatives, to ‘spill the T’. The?British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust (BSLBT) is the TV industry’s unique broadcaster aiming to increase the availability of BSL television for deaf BSL users.
Camilla divulges on her experience as a deaf person working in broadcasting, the “Rose” effect and the changes that need to be made for more inclusivity.
Francesca Aita (Head of Marketing, Together TV): To get started, would you like to share your professional path and the roles you have covered over the years?
Camilla Arnold (BSLBT's Chief Executive): I've had quite a traditional career path. My first mainstream break was a programme called Magic Hands, which was for CBeebies. It was the first time we have seen sign language fully integrated in a children’s TV series in the UK. ?It became one of the BBC’s CBeebies flagship programmes, so I'm really proud of that and of the fact that we made history. Before I joined the BSLBT team, I worked at the BBC on a series called See Hear, which is a magazine programme for deaf and hard of hearing people. I was the first deaf female series producer for BBC Studios. It was also during the pandemic, so it was a very challenging period to take that programme on but it’s an achievement that I was proud of.
Francesca: Is there a specific proudest moment from your professional life?
Camilla: I'm a big champion for diversity. Not just on screen, but behind the screen as well. I'm particularly proud of my involvement in nurturing deaf talent. A defining moment where I saw my work come together was when I worked on a series for BSLBT, called Coffee Morning Club, made by Mutt and Jeff Pictures. 70% of the crew behind the camera were deaf. This was because of all the hard work - not just my work but the work of others -?that has gone into developing deaf talent, giving people opportunities. It has been such a pleasure to see deaf people work their way up the ladder.
Francesca: What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received?
Camilla: I've always been told, “you've got to enjoy yourself.” I think you must see the fun in your job if you can. That's something I've always kept with me as work is such a big part of our lives. We live in a very high demand, high pressure world. What has kept me going is the fact that I love what I do. I love meeting people and telling stories. That passion that I've had has never gone away.? I think that's what's really important: have fun, enjoy yourself.
Francesca: As a Deaf person, how do you find working in the TV industry?
Camilla: When I first joined the TV industry, they weren't ready for deaf people to be a part of it at all. Deaf people were working in kind of ad hoc roles, fairly junior roles. We’ve had to really fight.
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I'm proud that we are catching up in terms of skill set, but opportunities are still far and few. That's why I'm here at BSLBT. I'm here because I would like to start having these high-level conversations with broadcasters, commissioners and a variety of channels to say, “look, you need to be investing in deaf people and to have deaf people be involved in your work. It's a reciprocal agreement: we will give you access to a world of stories that have never been shown before, and your content will get an alternative perception on the same old stories.”
Francesca: What do you think would really be a game changer?
Camilla: Well, change always starts from the top, as cliché as it sounds. ?I'd love to see deaf commissioners, deaf Heads of Factual, Features, Documentaries and so forth at major broadcasters such as BBC, Channel 4 as that's where the decisions are made. They can champion the content that involves deaf people.
I think the other issue is that there are deaf directors, but they are pigeonholed. The programmes that they work on are only about deaf people which is fine - but there's a bigger world out there for us. I would love to direct a series of Bake Off for example! Why can’t I, as a deaf director? I would love to see those opportunities being given. That starts from the top, from a commissioning level. That's where change begins.
Francesca: So, what is the role of BSLBT in today's TV broadcasting landscape?
Camilla: BSLBT is a commissioning body. We commission programmes targeting deaf BSL users. However, with the new change in management, we're thinking bigger.
BSLBT is in a position where we should be having more conversations and educating the mainstream audiences, programme makers and commissioners. We will be taking on more of a consultancy role within the landscape with key stakeholders, bringing the deaf experience to them and also challenging preconceived ideas. I would like to see more content and that upscales deaf people. I? believe we have the duty of identifying, nurturing and fostering deaf talent before they go off into the mainstream.
Francesca: What do you think of the moment in 2021, when deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis did a silent dance with Giovanni Pernice on Strictly Come Dancing?
Camilla: It is interesting. We call it....