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The Māori-Samoan Art Director Championing Diversity
Coco Lance, RNZ Pacific Digital Journalist
"What we put on stage and screen matters."
This mantra forms the core of BEINGS.co, an online talent directory founded by Māori-Samoan (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine) art director Leon Bristow.
BEINGS represents Aotearoa's People of Colour (POC), rainbow, and disabled talent in the advertising industry, "disrupting the existent status quo" and using voices that Bristow said have been historically sidelined, or misrepresented, in casting calls for advertisements.
Bristow's idea for BEINGS came while living in Spain, as he observed controversies in the creative industry over representation.
"There have been so many - Scarlett Johanson withdraws from roles after transgender backlash; Eddie Redmayne says starring in 'The Danish Girl' was a mistake; Taika Waititi's 'Time Bandits' under fire for lack of representation in cast."
He questioned the lag in representation in creative fields like advertising and recalled moments of frustration when working on sets, where he witnessed it first-hand.
"There have been comments that I don't always agree with (as an art director), because it is about profiling - racially profiling, stereotyping, pigeonholing.
"One time, we were casting for a queer couple, and we had people's thumbnails on the screen… some colleagues suggested we cast a person, because she 'looks queer'.
"I put my hand up and said, have we actually asked if they are queer? In these situations, you are taking opportunities away, income away, from these actual communities if we are giving it to a straight couple - and they don't know how to potray that identity authentically. So my next question was: shouldn't we ask that?"
Bristow's personal experiences and identity have shaped his commitment to authentic representation.
"People can find it complicated. You have to raise your hand, backtrack through the process. Sometimes the intentions aren't bad but the questions aren't being asked.
"I have certainly grown a shorter tolerance for this. I have learnt, as one of the few Māori/Pasifika in the industry, that I have a responsibility to my community to give back.
"Starting this project up really supports that, and provides a new platform in this space."
Bristow's directory received funding from Creative New Zealand.
"What we are doing is creating a kaupapa that centres BIPOC, rainbow, and disabled voices in a way that allows them to not just exist, but thrive - from casting, to collaboration, to exhibition," Bristow said.
"Our work is about creating futures where diversity isn't just an add-on, but a given."
At an Auckland Pride Festival Studio One - Toi Tū exhibition, BEINGS showcased some of the talent in its directory.
Executive director for Auckland Pride, Hāmiora Bailey (Ngāti Porou Ki Harataunga, Ngāti Huarere), said the photography exhibition is a vital intervention in Aotearoa's media landscape.
"At a time when systemic exclusion still defines many of New Zealand's screen, television, and theatre sectors, BEINGS challenges prevailing stereotypes and opens space for more genuine storytelling," he said.
Bailey added that disparities in representation remain stark.
A 2016 NZ On Air diversity report showed women made up 55 per cent of funded television producers, with 33 per cent directors, and 11 per cent had directed drama.
Asian producers represented only one per cent, despite making up 11.8 percent of the population.
Māori producers reached 23 percent in 2021, exceeding their population share, and Pacific producers were at 7.6 percent.
Initiatives like the New Zealand Film Commission and Māoriland Film Festival have supported this shift.
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