Meet Renay Richardson, Founder Of Broccoli Productions
Mar 22nd
International Womens Day first occurred over a century ago. The first-ever gathering in 1911 was supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to everyone, everywhere. The 2023 International Women’s Day theme is #EmbraceEquity, something we live and breathe at Content is Queen.
So, we wanted to take the opportunity to catch up with some incredible women in audio and celebrate the work they are doing to make it a more equitable and inclusive space. From exploring what equity means to them to a day in the life, this series will allow you to get to know them a little better. This week, we’re spotlighting Renay Richardson!
Meet Renay
Renay Richardson is a producer and entrepreneur. Renay founded the production company Broccoli Productions in direct response to the lack of opportunities for minority talent both in front and behind the mic. She runs the company with Hana Walker-Brown in partnership with Sony Music and is also behind the Equality in Audio Pact which encourages audio production companies to take the following 5 actions:
1 . Pay interns / No longer use unpaid interns.
2. Hire LGBTQIA+, black people, people of colour and other minorities on projects not only related to their identity.
3. If you are a company that releases gender pay gap reports, release your race pay gap data at the same time.
4. No longer participate in panels that are not representative of the cities, towns, and industries they take place in.
5. Be transparent about who works for your company, as well as their role, position and permanency.
The pact has been signed by over 370 companies including us! Read more about it and add your signature here.
Now, onto our questions for Renay.
Q. The theme for IWD 2023 is equity. What does equity mean to you?
A. Equity, to me, means freedom of opportunity.
Q. More specifically, what does equity in podcasting look like?
A. In podcasting, I would like every person to have the opportunity to be who they want and achieve what they want. At the moment, I know, as a black woman in the UK industry, my opportunities are capped. The scary thing is I may have already gone as far as I can go. This shouldn’t be the case; we should be able to dream big and not have our vision stunted because a person that reflects us has yet to achieve what we dream.
Q. What does a day in the life look like for you? Are there any rituals or routines you can’t live without?
A. I’m on my 3rd week back to work after a baby, so life is pretty chaotic at the moment, but I’m trying to get into a good routine. Also, I’m a solo parent, so I’m trying to be a career woman and doting mother seamlessly…lol I’ll get there.
Q. Finally, do you have any golden advice for audio creators?
A. It’s important to make shows for fun so that you can practice/hone your skills, and if you can’t do something or don’t know something, ask for help. There’s no point in figuring it out alone when you can ask someone.
Content is Queen is committed to continually championing talented creators in our inclusive community. So, we’ll continue to share stories, experiences and learnings of those in front of and behind the mic. Stay tuned for the next instalment coming soon!
In the meantime, explore our affordable membership options here and join our inclusive community of audio creators.