To mark International Womens Day 2022, TVBEurope hears from women working in the media tech industry and their experiences of trying to #BreakTheBias
By Jenny Priestley
Published: March 8, 2022 Updated: March 9, 2022
To mark International Women's Day 2022, TVBEurope hears from women working in the media tech industry and their experiences of trying to #BreakTheBias
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
The theme of this year's International Women's Day campaign is #BreakTheBias. It's almost tailor made for the media technology industry, where women continue to fight to get their voices heard across all aspects of the sector.
We do have cause for celebration though, there are some incredible women working in media technology, and organisations such as Rise are helping them get their voices heard. Gender balance across technology industries globally remains an ongoing challenge, says Carrie Wootten, managing director of Rise. According to Women in Tech, only 19 per cent of the technology workforce in the UK are women, with 77 per cent of technology director roles held by men.
Rise has been working on two initiatives to change those stats: the Rise Female Leadership Report, and Rise Up Academy. Investment is critical these changes do not happen organically, we have to work and collaborate together to build the change we want to see, adds Wootten. Please let's use IWD2022 as another step in ensuring this happens.
There's definitely still room for improvement, adds Alexandra Meier, director, global marketing and communications, media solutions, at CGI, particularly when it comes to increasing female representation in more technical roles, and at C-level.
In the workplace, appointing more women at board level creates more visibility, which can be very motivating for aspiring female candidates.
If you can see it, you can be it! agrees Alison Pavitt, director of sales and marketing at Pebble. Being a supportive organisation is also key. For example, remote working as an option can be beneficial for those with commitments outside work - if not completely remote, then at least the flexibility to occasionally work from home.
But is it that easy? As Amanda Dixon, broadcast marketing manager at MRMC explains, women are still facing issues around bias in the workplace: In previous roles, I have come up against male colleagues who assume I don't/won't/can't understand the technicalities of the solutions that are to be marketed, and either refuse to read what I have written because it will need a re-write' or out-right mock me as simply being the arts department'.
I hate to use the term mansplaining', however as broadcast happens to be a male-dominated industry I have experienced it far too frequently, in the office and at tradeshows!
It's an experience echoed by Jess Meredith, head of data and insights at Monterosa: Early on in my career I asked my boss for feedback. He responded, Try to lower your voice, I think people will take you more seriously if you do'. At the time I naively accepted that I would need to change to fit into the work environment and to progress my career. And I know the same is felt by many other women, and those from other marginalised and minority groups.
If I had only known back then that there are companies that don't want you to change who you are, and who allow you to be yourself and thrive as a result, she adds. I am lucky to find myself at a company where I am actively encouraged to be myself. This means all my energy can be focused on performing well and adding value to the business which benefits both Monterosa and I.
I feel this is a growing sentiment within the broadcast industry and whilst there is still progress to be made, especially in terms of representation, the industry has taken giant steps in the past decade to make things right. International Women's Day gives us the opportunity to raise our voice, reflect on how far we have come as well as consider what other areas still need to be addressed.
One of those areas is around maternity leave, says Soraya Robertson, commercial director, The Collectv. How companies deal with this is important. I think it comes down to a cultural mindset that needs to change we may live in a very modern world but having a family, having children, is part of the fundamentals of life. Progressive organisations embrace this and have proper mechanisms and processes in place to support women who choose to have both a family and a career.
Some of the biggest barriers to success for women in broadcasting, particularly those in technical roles, are unconscious bias and false assumptions, agrees Lena Cole, sound team leader, BBC Studioworks. Is she physically strong enough? Does she have the confidence to do the job properly? She's a girl, so she must be a production runner '
The issue of physical strength is the one that can be most annoying for those of us who work on the studio floor, Cole continues. Speaking from personal experience, thoughts of whether I'll slow down a rig never enter my mind. I might not be able to lift the heaviest of speakers by myself, but I can be creative in how I get them in place, and I can lift everything else. Am I strong enough to boom op a long drama scene? No problem! Will I have the confidence to make sure artists and contributors use our equipment correctly? Absolutely. Am I a production runner? No, it's not only production roles that are open to women. This is still a mindset that has yet to be fully overcome.
Confidence is a way organisations can support and progress women in the broadcast technology industry, says Katie Coteman, VP, head of advertising and partnerships at Discovery. There's a lot of work to be done around pro
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
To mark International Womens Day 2022, TVBEurope hears from women working in the media tech industry and their experiences of trying to #BreakTheBias
